.204 Ruger
Encyclopedia : 2 : 20 : 204 : .204 Ruger
The .204 Ruger is a new (2004) centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Hornady and Ruger. At the time of introduction, the .204 Ruger was the highest velocity production cartridge made, and the only production .20 caliber/5 mm cartridge.
Characteristics
The .204 Ruger was developed from the .222 Remington Magnum, the largest cartridge in the family of cartidges that began with the .222 Remington. The .222 Rem. Mag. provides about 5% more case capacity than the most popular member of the family, the NATO 5.56 x 45 mm. To make the .204, the .222 Rem. Mag. was necked down to .204 inches (5 mm). Available bullets in .20 caliber family range fro 32 to 50 grains, and selection is is limited but growing as the cartridge gains wider acceptance. The Hornaday factory load is listed at 4225 f/s with a 32 grain bullet. To acheive these velocities, Hornaday load uses a proprietary powder composition formulated for teh .204 Ruger, and not available to handloaders. Reloading data from Hornaday, using commercially available powders, peaks at just under 4200 f/s with the 32 grain bullet.The .204 Ruger was intended primarily for varmint rifles, which require flat trajectories but not much bullet mass or energy. The .20 caliber was "splitting the difference" between the popular .22 caliber varmint rounds, the .220 Swift and .22-250, and the tiny .17 caliber rounds such as the .17 Remington. The resulting cartridge provides higher velocities than either, and holds its velocity well, giving a maximum point blank range of over 270 yards.
Development
The .204 Ruger was the second cartridge produced by a partnership between Ruger and Hornady, the first being the big bore .480 Ruger revolver cartridge, introduced in 2003 for the Super Redhawk. With the backing of a major gunmaker and a major ammunition company, the round was an instant success, with other ammunition makers and fireamrs makers quickly producing offerings in the new caliber. Ruger's inital offerings included the bolt action Model 77 MKII, and the single shot Ruger #1, and Hornady offered loadings with 32 and 40 grain bullets.The .204 Ruger is proving to be a very accurate and efficient cartridge; an early tester reported 1/2 MOA groups at 100 yards (91 m) with the Hornady loads and a Ruger #1 Varmint rifle. This is not suprising, considering that the first cartridge in the family, the .222 Remington, was a top benchrest shooting cartridge for decades after its introduction.
External links
- [Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.]
- [Hornady Website]
- [Chuck Hawks article]
- [Guns Magazine, 2004]
- [GunBlast.com], May 2004
- [Hodgdon] reloading data for the .204 Ruger
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