Hey, so i saw the .204 in some gun magazine like six months ago, and was very interested in it. They were just talking about the ruger No.1 series rifle, so thats the only one that i know very little about. Whats a good brand/model to buy in this caliber and what is it best used for shooting?
Interested in buying a .204, whats a good brand/model
- Thread starter K.J.C.
- Start date
plainsman456
New member
Savage makes a good 204 rifle.Good Luck
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
If I were buying a 204 today, I''d be buying a Savage.
The cartridge is best suited for coyote sized animals and smaller.
If you want choices, I'd say:
1)Savage, best overall, good trigger, trigger pull not as light as I'd like, excellent accuracy.
2)Ruger, good gun, bad trigger, low cost high quality replacement triggers about $80 puts it basically on par with the Savage, although the trigger will be better than the Savage, very good accuracy not quite with the Savage, but close.
3)CZ, decent gun, not as good as the Ruger or Savage in my experience, bad trigger, cheap to make good trigger though, very good accuracy, seems slightly lower overall quality that Ruger or Savage IMO
The cartridge is best suited for coyote sized animals and smaller.
If you want choices, I'd say:
1)Savage, best overall, good trigger, trigger pull not as light as I'd like, excellent accuracy.
2)Ruger, good gun, bad trigger, low cost high quality replacement triggers about $80 puts it basically on par with the Savage, although the trigger will be better than the Savage, very good accuracy not quite with the Savage, but close.
3)CZ, decent gun, not as good as the Ruger or Savage in my experience, bad trigger, cheap to make good trigger though, very good accuracy, seems slightly lower overall quality that Ruger or Savage IMO
Last edited:
Do you want a semi auto, bolt action or drop/lever/falling block rifle?
You may have seen an ad for either Cooper Arms of Montana or Dakota Arms for their varmint series of bolt action guns...
Semi auto = AR15 clones by a number of makers, Insight, Tromix, SSK Ind. etc.,
Falling block = Copies of the Winchester Hi/Lo wall 1885 rifle abound from Browning, Ballard etc., Dakota 'Lil Sharps rifle, Ruger Nmbr. 1V,
Drop action = T/C (Thompson Center) Encore or Contender or E Arthur Brown Model 97 or SSK Ind.,
Bolt Action = Cooper, Kimber, Remington, Ruger, Browning, Savage, Weatherby, Dakota,
Do you want a varmint weight and configuration--heavier barrel, straighter stock or a field/carry sporter?
What will be your intended game and most importantly at what range? If you're talking within 150 yds then a .17 HMR rimfire round will handle most vermin, varmints and fur bearers for a lot less money...If you're talking beyond 600 yds, you'd better be looking at a larger diameter calibre shooting heavier bullets...the .204 is a great 200 to 500 yard cartridge and if used on small game within those ranges, it is deadly...This is not a deer/pronghorn cartridge besides the fact that it would be illegal to use it for them...
Have fun, it's a great cartridge, very flat shooting, quite quiet and I've yet to see one exit the side of a coyote at 100+ yds...
You may have seen an ad for either Cooper Arms of Montana or Dakota Arms for their varmint series of bolt action guns...
Semi auto = AR15 clones by a number of makers, Insight, Tromix, SSK Ind. etc.,
Falling block = Copies of the Winchester Hi/Lo wall 1885 rifle abound from Browning, Ballard etc., Dakota 'Lil Sharps rifle, Ruger Nmbr. 1V,
Drop action = T/C (Thompson Center) Encore or Contender or E Arthur Brown Model 97 or SSK Ind.,
Bolt Action = Cooper, Kimber, Remington, Ruger, Browning, Savage, Weatherby, Dakota,
Do you want a varmint weight and configuration--heavier barrel, straighter stock or a field/carry sporter?
What will be your intended game and most importantly at what range? If you're talking within 150 yds then a .17 HMR rimfire round will handle most vermin, varmints and fur bearers for a lot less money...If you're talking beyond 600 yds, you'd better be looking at a larger diameter calibre shooting heavier bullets...the .204 is a great 200 to 500 yard cartridge and if used on small game within those ranges, it is deadly...This is not a deer/pronghorn cartridge besides the fact that it would be illegal to use it for them...
Have fun, it's a great cartridge, very flat shooting, quite quiet and I've yet to see one exit the side of a coyote at 100+ yds...
It actually wouldnt be illegal to use for deer, but thats not what I would be using it for, I would most likely be using it for hunting coyotes, and sometimes smaller game such as praire dogs. I have a 22 magnum, and multiple .22s that I can use for small game at close distances, so im not really looking all that too much for that. Im mainly just interested in owning one because it sounds like a great round to me.
rickdavis81
New member
I think the 1/4 AR guarantee was Les Bauer. I shot a Ruger 77 in .204 this weekend. Handy little rifle but horrible trigger. I vote Savage.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Not always. The law in NY states "center-fire rifle". Not that I would recommend it, but not illegal.
Take a look at the Howa 1500. They're not as flashy or as popular as some others, but mine in .204 will shoot rings around 99% of the guns out there.
Another that might be worth a look is one of the new(ish) Savage mod. 25's
I've not ever shot one, but the basic design looks to be very accurate, ala Remington 788. And if I'm not mistaken, they can be had with the Accutrigger. Plus, Savage's have a great reputation for durability and accuracy, if not looks.
A couple of things to note, though, if you go with .204.
If you plan on high volume shooting at a rapid pace, you might be better off with a heavier barrel that doesn't heat up as quickly. It is my opinion that within the effective range of the .204, a sporter barrel is fine, accuracy wise, but only if you space your shots out. Otherwise the barrel will heat and shots will start to walk on you. Ask me how I know.
Invest in a quality one piece .20 caliber cleaning rod and accessories. I see a noticeable drop off in accuracy after as few as 5-7 shots in my gun. Part of this is due to the Howa's barrel not being hand lapped and extra smooth, but I believe part of it is also due to the ratio of bore area to inner surface area of the barrel. In short, you're squeezing a lot of stuff out of a little hole, and it will foul more quickly. Plus, when shooting those little bullets at 4000 fps, you're going to strip some copper off of them. I generally make like a benchrester and (when possible or practical) shoot 5-10 shots, then run 1 wet patch, one pass with a brush, then 2-3 dry patches. This will often bring my accuracy right back, and the fouling never gets too bad. This also serves to keep my barrel from heating too badly as it stops my shooting for a couple of minutes.
Another that might be worth a look is one of the new(ish) Savage mod. 25's
I've not ever shot one, but the basic design looks to be very accurate, ala Remington 788. And if I'm not mistaken, they can be had with the Accutrigger. Plus, Savage's have a great reputation for durability and accuracy, if not looks.
A couple of things to note, though, if you go with .204.
If you plan on high volume shooting at a rapid pace, you might be better off with a heavier barrel that doesn't heat up as quickly. It is my opinion that within the effective range of the .204, a sporter barrel is fine, accuracy wise, but only if you space your shots out. Otherwise the barrel will heat and shots will start to walk on you. Ask me how I know.
Invest in a quality one piece .20 caliber cleaning rod and accessories. I see a noticeable drop off in accuracy after as few as 5-7 shots in my gun. Part of this is due to the Howa's barrel not being hand lapped and extra smooth, but I believe part of it is also due to the ratio of bore area to inner surface area of the barrel. In short, you're squeezing a lot of stuff out of a little hole, and it will foul more quickly. Plus, when shooting those little bullets at 4000 fps, you're going to strip some copper off of them. I generally make like a benchrester and (when possible or practical) shoot 5-10 shots, then run 1 wet patch, one pass with a brush, then 2-3 dry patches. This will often bring my accuracy right back, and the fouling never gets too bad. This also serves to keep my barrel from heating too badly as it stops my shooting for a couple of minutes.
I dealt with the issues of finding the right .204 forever. I started buying ammo for it over a year ago, whilst deliberating on which rifle to get. (in the meantime, I also accumulated 2500 rounds of .223 ammo that is now useless to me tood!) I looked at the M77 Hawkeye SS, on sale @ Scheels for $499, loved the feel, but the trigger was cursed. Moving on, I filled out paperwork for a Howa 1500 in .204 and was delayed. During my delay, I picked up a used CZ 527 Varmint. My God, that rifle felt nice. Medium-heavy contour bbl, nice lumber, scaled down to a smaller size...I really loved the way it came up. Long story short, I'm waiting to take delivery of my new CZ 527Varmint as we speak (hoping for Friday.)
So...+1 on the CZ talk.
So...+1 on the CZ talk.
powergunner
New member
savage 10 predator hunter will be a great choice!
Another vote for the Savage - I bought one of the first ones I found in .204, a 12FV model with a long heavy barrel and 1.5 lb accutrigger (and my first Savage for that matter). The only ammo available at the time was Hornady and it shot .75 inch groups right out of the gate, with my 40 grain handloads it will almost do .5 MOA consistently. I've shot a ton of .55 inch groups (5 shots @100), still trying to find that magic load that's consistently under .5 
Even so, it's a pretty darn accurate rifle and I've since bought several new Savage rifles - they're all above average shooters.
Even so, it's a pretty darn accurate rifle and I've since bought several new Savage rifles - they're all above average shooters.