Originally Posted By: HereticAs neat as an AR in .204 would be, I ended up selling mine almost immediately. It was a model 1 sales upper on a completed Spike's lower. Something about dragging around a 24" bull barrel rifle around got real old real quick.
Just recently bought a Ruger American Predator in .204. Complete delight to bring hunting.
Hope your experience is better than mine with the AR.
Heretic,
I have been talking with Silverfox on the 204 topic. I was interested in the same thing. I contemplated building the 204 Ruger upper for an AR. However, I only see a couple available ( like WOA) that have a 1:10 twist. The Ruger American predator in 204 was also on my radar since I have the 243 version done up with a Boyds AT one stock and a Witt machine muzzle brake. I got is glass bedded and it's a great shooter! 1/2 MOA at 100 yards off a bipod out of a truck bed with everything from 58 G vmax to 80 grains, groupings were similar. Ruger has the 1:12 twist as well. What bullets are you shooting? anything 39 or 40 grains? Any problem stabilizing? The idea of the 204 Ruger is very interesting. basically, 22-250 performance at less recoil and more barrel life....
How does yours shoot? Any issues with the green plastic stock for accuracy? Hard to beat the price on a Ruger American predator. Only other guns I thought about were the TC compass...which also has a threaded barrel and 1:10 twist. However, it has a slim contoured barrel. Not sure that it matters much? Or there's the TC dimension that has interchangeable barrel calibers, bolts, etc.. All have the 1 MOA accuracy guarantee.
Next was Savage in the model 10 Predator. More expensive rifle than the other 2...but would it be more worth it?
appreciate all opinions on the topic. I have a 17 wsm, 223 in AR and 243. My thought was that the 243 does everything the 22-250 does and more...so, I felt the next obvious choice would be a 204 Ruger since I don't reload for any wildcats or Ackley Improved of anything. I like the idea of having a P.D. / coyote gun where recoil is so light you can see the shot and never lose sight picture. However, most ballistics tables ( at least Hornady for sure) show all the specs. listed out of a 26" barrel. Dropping to a 22" in the predator will lose some velocity for sure, but is it enough to matter much?
I had seen what the round is capable of here....