.204 Ruger

American centerfire rifle cartridge January 2013 August 2024 .204 Ruger 204rugerand223.png A .204 Ruger cartridge (left) compared to .223 Remington (right) United States Rifle Ruger/Hornady 2004 2004–present .222 Remington Magnum Rimless, bottleneck .204 .2311 .3598 .3764 .378 .0449 1.850 2.2598 1-12 Small rifle 32 gr. (2.1 g) BT 4225 1268 40 gr. (2.6 g) BT 3900 1351 45 gr. (2.9 g) SP 3625 1313 40 gr. (2.6 g) Hornady V-Max, Norma 3806 1195 24 gr. (1.55 g) Hornady Super Performance varmint ammunition 4,400 ft/s (1,341 m/s) 1032 Hornadyhttp://www.hornady.com/images/ballistics/ballistics_charts.pdf Hornady 12 July 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927043455/http://www.hornady.com/images/ballistics/ballistics_charts.pdf 27 September 2007 dead dmy-all NormaNorma product catalog 150 The .204 Ruger / 5.2x47mm is a centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Hornady and Ruger. At the time of its introduction in 2004, the .204 Ruger was the second-highest velocity commercially produced ammunition and the only centerfire cartridge produced commercially for bullets of .204 inch/5 mm caliber.204 Ruger Lynx Defense 26 November 2021 https://lynxdefense.com/204-ruger/ 2021-12-30 en-US Characteristics The .204 Ruger was developed from the .222 Remington Magnum, which has the second-largest case capacity in the family that began with the .222 Remington.http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/20caliber/ 20 caliber cartridge guide, .204 Ruger accurateshooter.com 12 September 2018 live https://archive.today/20180911235010/http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/20caliber/ 11 September 2018 Only the European 5.6×50mm Magnum is larger, which itself is a lengthened version of the .222 Remington Magnum. The .222 Remington Magnum provides about 5% more usable (below the neck) case capacity than the most popular member of the family, the NATO 5.56×45mm (.223 Remington). To make the .204 Ruger, the .222 Remington Magnum case was necked down to .204 inches (5 mm) and its shoulder moved forward and angle increased to 30 degrees.http://www.sportingshooter.com.au/ask-uncle-nick/considering-a-204-ruger Considering a 204 Ruger Harvey Nick sportingshooter.com.au 4 October 2017 12 September 2018 live https://archive.today/20180912102451/http://www.sportingshooter.com.au/ask-uncle-nick/considering-a-204-ruger 12 September 2018 Bullets available in .204 caliber range from 24 to 57 gr on with the most common bullet weights being between 30 to 50 gr on.http://buybergerbullets.3dcartstores.com/20-Cal-55-Grain-Match-Grade-Long-Range-BT-Varmint_p_15.html 20 Cal 55 Grain Match Grade Long Range BT Varmint 27 April 2014 https://archive.today/20140421150257/http://buybergerbullets.3dcartstores.com/20-Cal-55-Grain-Match-Grade-Long-Range-BT-Varmint_p_15.html 21 April 2014 dead dmy-all The Hornady factory load is listed at 4,225 ft/s (1288 m/s) with a 32 gr on bullet.Cartridges of the World Barnes Frank C Frank Barnes (gunsmith) Woodard W. Todd 68–69 Krause Publications Iola WI 2016 15th 978-1-4402-4642-5 To achieve these velocities, the factory uses a proprietary powder composition known internally as SMP746, specially formulated by Primex, and, as of 2013, not available to handloaders. The propellant features a de-coppering agent (bismuth pellets) that helps prevent fouling. Reloading data from Hornady, using commercially available powders, indicate velocity peaking at just under 4200 ft/s m/s on with the 32 gr on bullet in longer barrels. Development February 2022 The .204 Ruger was the second Ruger-named 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 firearms makers quickly adding the new chambering. Ruger's initial offerings included the bolt action Model 77 MKII, and the single shot Ruger No. 1, and Hornady offered loadings with 30 and 40 gr on bullets. The .204 Ruger has proven to be a very accurate and efficient cartridge: an early tester reported 1/2 MOA groups at 100 yards with the Hornady loads and a Ruger No. 1 varmint rifle. The first cartridge in the family, the .222 Remington, was a top benchrest shooting cartridge for many years after its introduction. The .204 Ruger was intended primarily for varmint rifles, which require bullets with flat trajectories but not much mass or kinetic energy. The .204 was "splitting the difference" between the popular .224 varmint rounds such as the .220 Swift and .22-250 Remington, and the tiny .172 caliber rounds such as the .17 Remington and the .17 HMR. The resulting cartridge provides somewhat higher velocities than any of these, giving a maximum point blank range of more than 270 yards. Velocity Ruger's claim to being the velocity king with the .204 was based on two points. First, no other high-performance .20 caliber cartridge was commercially produced. Second, the ammunition used to achieve the 4225 ft/s m/s on was available only from Hornady using a special powder not available to the general public..204 Ruger by Chuck Hawks Handloaders typically achieve velocities more in the area of 4100 ft/s m/s on using a 32 gr on bullet..204 load data at Hodgdon https://web.archive.org/web/20071111143616/http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp 11 November 2007 Handloads using 40 gr on bullets in other commercial cartridges such as the .22-250 Remington also achieve velocities similar to those of the .204 Ruger. The advantage of the .204 Ruger is that it achieves these velocities with less powder, less recoil, and less heat than the larger cartridges. The .204 Ruger has a maximum range of approximately 500 yd. Hornady now offers a 24 gr on lead free cartridge that claims 4400 ft/s m/s on from a 26 in on barrel.http://www.hornady.com/store/204-Ruger-24-gr-NTX/ Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 204 Ruger :: 204 Ruger 24 gr NTX Superformance 17 August 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131031215016/http://www.hornady.com/store/204-Ruger-24-gr-NTX/ 31 October 2013 dead dmy-all However, Hornady's 35 gr on NTX .22-250 claims 4450 ft/s m/s on from a 24 in on barrel. .204 Ruger 32 GR V-MAX 83204 Muzzle 100 yds 200 yds 300 yds 400 yds 500 yds Velocity/energy (ft/s) / (ft-lbs) 4,225/1,268 3,645/944 3,137/699 2,683/512 2,272/367 1,899/256 Trajectory (inches) -1.5 0.6 0.00 -4.1 -13.1 -29.0 .204 Ruger 40 GR V-MAX 83206 Muzzle 100 yds 200 yds 300 yds 400 yds 500 yds Velocity/energy (ft/s) / (ft-lbs) 3,900/1,351 3,482/1,077 3,103/855 2,755/674 2,433/526 2,133/404 Trajectory (inches) -1.5 0.7 0.00 -4.3 -13.2 -28.1 .204 Ruger 45 GR SP 83208 Muzzle 100 yds 200 yds 300 yds 400 yds 500 yds Velocity/energy (ft/s) / (ft-lbs) 3,625/1,313 3,188/1,015 2,792/778 2,428/589 2,093/438 1,787/319 Trajectory (inches) -1.5 1.0 0.0 -5.5 -16.9 -36.3 See also 5mm/35 SMc List of rifle cartridges Table of handgun and rifle cartridges References 30em Further reading Cartridge Dimensions from 6mmBR.com Ruger's .204 varmint vanquisher Guns Magazine 50 10 FindArticles http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_10_50/ai_n6180938 https://web.archive.org/web/20051231034400/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_10_50/ai_n6180938 31 December 2005 usurped GunBlast.com, May 2004 External links .204 Ruger info at Hornady website Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. Ballistics Chart By Hornady Category:Sturm, Ruger & Co. Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2004