Gettingstarted wrote:Hi all. Recently joined the forum and more recently obtained my licence and out shopping for two rifles and I'm interested in getting some knowledgable advice from around here. I'm going to buy a 22lr (most likely Lithgow) but also after also small calibre centrefire. Will almost exclusively be hunting rabbits and foxes and tossing up between 204 and 223 with a preference for the 204 for flatter shooting.
Any advice/ or good reasons people may have for me that would tip the balance in favour of either calibre?
Cheers.
Gettingstarted wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I had a play with a number of 204 models at LGS and particularly like the feel of the tikka SS hunter with timber stock. Good weight and fit - comes in 223 so may re-think calibre.
I plan a mix of sitting and varmint shooting out to 300 but also walk and stalking as have access to a few thousand acres with a mix of hills and bush plus open paddocks with very cagey pests. The rifle mentioned above suitable?
Anyone who reloads both have some real costs per round once setup of 204 v 223
Again - appreciate time taken for advice.
Cheers.
Supaduke wrote:For your first centre fire rifle the choice is easy. Go for a .223, plentiful ammo choices, plenty of knowledge and information. Ammo is cheap and readily available. It will do well in target shooting and hunting small to medium game. It's a great all rounder and perfect choice as a first time centre fire.
Is .204 good? Yes of course it is. Is it the best choice for a first time shooter, no, .223 is a better choice.
.204 is a varmint round. On the sliding scale of target/hunting it's biased way towards hunting. The .223rem is right in the middle ground for target/hunting making it the perfect choice for first timers.
Gettingstarted wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I had a play with a number of 204 models at LGS and particularly like the feel of the tikka SS hunter with timber stock. Good weight and fit - comes in 223 so may re-think calibre.
I plan a mix of sitting and varmint shooting out to 300 but also walk and stalking as have access to a few thousand acres with a mix of hills and bush plus open paddocks with very cagey pests. The rifle mentioned above suitable?
Anyone who reloads both have some real costs per round once setup of 204 v 223
Again - appreciate time taken for advice.
Cheers.
happyhunter wrote:The 32 grain and 40 grain Vmax (or 39 sierra blitzes) are ideal. The 24 grain NTX looses momentum really quick and the heavier projectiles actually shoot flatter as past 300 meters the 24s fall on their arse.
bladeracer wrote:Gettingstarted wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I had a play with a number of 204 models at LGS and particularly like the feel of the tikka SS hunter with timber stock. Good weight and fit - comes in 223 so may re-think calibre.
I plan a mix of sitting and varmint shooting out to 300 but also walk and stalking as have access to a few thousand acres with a mix of hills and bush plus open paddocks with very cagey pests. The rifle mentioned above suitable?
Anyone who reloads both have some real costs per round once setup of 204 v 223
Again - appreciate time taken for advice.
Cheers.
Cost of loading will be fairly similar with equal quality components, but you can buy cheaper brass in .223 and cheaper bulk bullets, particularly if you buy thousands at a time.
.223 also offers some very expensive premium bullets.
.204 needs more frequent bore cleaning than the .223, but not as bad as the .17's.
bigfellascott wrote:Last bag of 204 brass cost me $41 per 100. I find the biggest expense of any reloading is the projectile as a rule, the premium ones can really add to the cost of a reloaded round, the best projectile I found for cost effectiveness and great performance was the Sierra Super Roo (1000pk) I managed to get them for $110 about 4yrs ago which = 11c a projectile, now I think they are up around 16c depending on where you buy them from.
My 204 projies cost around 39c each (premium Sierra BK 39's) and you can buy projies for the 204 for around 9.9c for the Hornady Zmax and no doubt there are others out there that are just as cheap.
As for barrel cleaning, I can't say I notice any issues with having to clean it any more than any other cal I use, they all get cleaned after each hunt anyway.
Pretty sure the OP's only hunting a few bunnies and foxes so cost won't be that great a drama but definitely the 204 is one cal that really should be reloaded if you want to keep costs down to a reasonable level. Last boxes of factory 204 cost around $40 (premium ammo) .
The 204 really is perfect for smashing bunnies and foxes at long long ranges (not that the 223 can't do the same) just takes a bit more elevation etc to get the job done.
End of the day hunting doesn't usually involve high volume shooting, sometimes no shots are taken so cost becomes somewhat irrelevant in such situations. Range shooting well that's a diff matter all together.
bladeracer wrote:bigfellascott wrote:Last bag of 204 brass cost me $41 per 100. I find the biggest expense of any reloading is the projectile as a rule, the premium ones can really add to the cost of a reloaded round, the best projectile I found for cost effectiveness and great performance was the Sierra Super Roo (1000pk) I managed to get them for $110 about 4yrs ago which = 11c a projectile, now I think they are up around 16c depending on where you buy them from.
My 204 projies cost around 39c each (premium Sierra BK 39's) and you can buy projies for the 204 for around 9.9c for the Hornady Zmax and no doubt there are others out there that are just as cheap.
As for barrel cleaning, I can't say I notice any issues with having to clean it any more than any other cal I use, they all get cleaned after each hunt anyway.
Pretty sure the OP's only hunting a few bunnies and foxes so cost won't be that great a drama but definitely the 204 is one cal that really should be reloaded if you want to keep costs down to a reasonable level. Last boxes of factory 204 cost around $40 (premium ammo) .
The 204 really is perfect for smashing bunnies and foxes at long long ranges (not that the 223 can't do the same) just takes a bit more elevation etc to get the job done.
End of the day hunting doesn't usually involve high volume shooting, sometimes no shots are taken so cost becomes somewhat irrelevant in such situations. Range shooting well that's a diff matter all together.
Good info there.
Who makes the $41 .204 Brass?
I'm using Norma and Hornady and both were $100 per hundred.
Cheapest brass I've bought was the 6.5x52mm Carcano at $35 per hundred, which is pretty odd I think as I can't get bullets for it at all.
I shoot several of my rifles every week, I keep shot logs for every firearm and clean them based on round count. Certainly not every time I shoot them - except the blackpowder, that gets cleaned as soon as the last ball leaves the muzzle. If I've been out in the rain I'll clean them though.
bigfellascott wrote:Remington.
bladeracer wrote:bigfellascott wrote:Remington.
Thanks for that
I'll have a look at those when I need the next batch.
bigfellascott wrote:bladeracer wrote:bigfellascott wrote:Remington.
Thanks for that
I'll have a look at those when I need the next batch.
From memory they were from HPGS (about 2yrs ago)
Gettingstarted wrote:Will almost exclusively be hunting rabbits and foxes and tossing up between 204 and 223 with a preference for the 204 for flatter shooting.