Stix wrote:Im no ballistics expert...at all...!!
But i fail to see how you'd get a 40gr out of a 223 going at comparable velocities to that out of a 204...
Isnt the 204 basically an elongated 223 case...?
Ive tried 40's out of my 222...now admittedly those loads are down around the minimum adi data, but still, so are my mild 204 loads...
And let me tell ya--they are two very different beasts indeed, especially out in the paddock....
With all due respect to your arguement about trajectory Blade...using them in a paddock is a very different thing than target shooting...
Its not just about the trajectory...its also about the authority the bullet hits with if you're using it for hunting/feral busting.
If that authority/energy wasnt a factor in hunting, no one would use 30-06's or magnums for larger animals--they'd just all be shooting 308's...
As for the wind drift arguement with a 223 shooting 50 or 55's...to my mind the added velocity from the 204 counteracts a good bit of the wind...!!
The 32's out of mine are hard to shoot with in decent wind or in gusty conditions, but move up to the 40's & its way more predictable than my 222 in the same wind.
The 204 is a disease that many recreational spotlighters are susceptable to... once you've used one on a few occasions, your ammune system grows weak & resistance is just denial...
I used to think velocity was king as well, I knew spotlighters with a .17Rem when I was a kid, that's why I wanted the .204. It soon showed me that velocity is fun, but not that important
The base area of the larger-diameter bullet (about 25% more area) probably helps to get velocity out of it. I shoot the 32gn .204 Z/VMax and 35gn .223 NTX at similar velocities. I haven't managed to get the .223Rem anywhere near the 4400fps I see from the .204 with the 24gn NTX, but I do want to try paper-patching the 24gn in the .223Rem
Trajectory really is irrelevant if you can accurately range your targets, either by eye or by laser, whether in the field or on a range. A flatter trajectory just allows you to estimate range less accurately.
I agree about hitting a live target hard, that's why the .223Rem with heavier bullets is often a better choice. The .204 doesn't hit hard, it blows up on impact - very different. By about 600m the 40gn .204 bullet has become an FMJ as the .204 bleeds velocity rapidly.
Yep, the .204 is the bees knees for spotlighting, like the .17Rem in the old days, for hunting though there are better choices. Every fox, cat and rabbit I ever took was in daylight, never over a light. Out to about 300m on critters up to fox-size, the .204 is a bloody good fun choice. It can certainly be made to work effectively at longer ranges and against larger targets, but there are other chamberings that do it better. .204 chamberings have gained a large following so I hope we start seeing tighter twist-rates and heavier bullets. I have 45gn and 55gn .204 bullets, but they don't work in the usual 12"-twist .204" barrels.
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