40 gr 204 vs 40 gr 223

Tjkiller

Tjkiller

Well-known member
I hit this up earlier but I feel i worded it wrong and it got off track. The Dilemma: Should I get a anoter 223 24" barrel slow twist to shoot 40gr bullets or go with a 204 24" barrel to shoot shoot 40 gr bullets?

Is there a difference that sets one apart from the other? IM already set up for 223. Does one significantly out perform the other after they are compared with equal bullet weights? Hope that makes sense.
 
My Savage 12 .223 26" 1:9 twist shoots 40gr Vmaxs @ 3675 fps for accuracy with 26.5gr H335 not a hot load at all. Compare that to a 204!

Why do you think you need a slow twist for 223 40gr bullets? 1:9 twist shoots them perfectly well.
 
good to know, I have a 1:9 that shoots 69 grainers really well. On the calculator, the only real difference I seez is the 204 averages just under 100 lbs of KE more than the 223 at set ranges.
 
A major consideration is that some 204's will not shoot the 40gr bullets well. Some rifles just prefer the lighter bullets. It would be a shame to buy a new 204 only to discover that.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGMy Savage 12 .223 26" 1:9 twist shoots 40gr Vmaxs @ 3675 fps for accuracy with 26.5gr H335 not a hot load at all. Compare that to a 204!

DiRTY DOG said:
A major consideration is that some 204's will not shoot the 40gr bullets well. Some rifles just prefer the lighter bullets. It would be a shame to buy a new 204 only to discover that.

Let's compare. My CZ Varmint in .204 shoots the 40 grain Bergers at 3800 fps and that bullet has a BC of .225, the 40 grain V-Max in .224 has a BC of .200. Out to 500 yards the .204 beats the .223 in all departments, drop, energy & wind drift. At 500 yards it has 7-3/4" less drop, 35% more energy, (271 foot pounds VS 198) and 8" less wind drift.

As far as 40 grain bullets in the .204 it's the 40 grain plastic tipped bullets that are sometimes the problem. The 40 Bergers or even the 45 Hornady soft points are very accurate out of most .204's. The 39 grain Sierra BK's are super accurate and shoot great out of most .204's
I own both .204's and .223's and it's the .204's that I shoot most of the time.
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The .204 will run a 39 grain Sierra approximately the same speed as a 223 will run a 40 grain NBT, the difference is the Sierra has a ballistic coefficient of .287 where the nosler's is .221 that is where your advantage is. The 204 will have slightly better trajectory and buck wind slightly better. Is it significant? Probably not, it would be less than a foot at 300 yards. Which do I prefer? I would give a slight edge to the 204. I should mention, these are the same basic rifle, both CZ varmints.
 
I had DTech build me a super accurate .223 upper with a 1/14 twist rate, specifically for shooting the lightweight bullets at pumped up speeds, even though I had a couple of .204s...Both of which shot the 39gr SBKs really well...Mike even installed his compensator to cut down muzzle flip..

I had this done since I was set up for loading the .223 and while the ballistics are somewhat different between the two calibers, the upper performed really well for me.. By the way, while the .204s really liked the 39gr SBKs, they were not as accurate with the 40gr bullets...

I think it's a matter of personal preference.. the 1/14 twist in the .223 would handle up to 55gr bullets very well and I make some really accurate rounds using the 50gr Sierra Blitz (SP) bullets..
 
People who love the .204 think it's better'n sliced bread. That's fine, people should use what they like. I've tons of .22 stuff and for me there wasn't enough difference to mess with a new caliber. I don't shoot 40's much but in the 26" .223, accuracy load is 4010 with AA2015 powder. The 20" truck gun shoots them at 3895 with VV133 powder. These are 14" twist barrels. The 40Bal Tip has a higher BC than VMax. I've run countless ballistic readout comparisons looking for enough advantage with the 204 to make me want one, but just don't see it. With a .223AI (14" twist) and 40's @ 4150 drop/wind are about identical to the best a .204 can produce. (A 223AI case holds about 1gr less powder than the .204 case) With a .223 cased round, brass can make a difference. Mine is all IMI which is very strong military brass and match quality. I doubt you could get these velocities from Win. or Rem. If you can't find IMI, I'd say use Lapua or maybe Lake City.
 


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