Which grain bullet and type/.204 ruger

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If they are the nosler ballistic tips they should work fine. They seem to work like a berger to me. They are a tougher bullet. I have shot several coyotes threw the shoulder with them with good results. Blitzkings or vmax's are a different story.


Does Winchester factory loads use Nosler or manfacture their own bullet? I hate not to try them on coyotes since they came with the rifle but if they will not do the job I will shoot them at targets.
 
I have had great luck with the 32 grain Nosler ballistic tips. My R-15 shot the 35 grain bergers in about 1" 5 shot group at 100 meters and I shot 4 coyotes using them. I then got some 32 grain Nosler BT and they are shooting around 1/2" five shot group at 100 yards and I have since shot 6 yotes with them and with same results. I have had one that ran about 20 yards after the shot and the other 5 were dead right there. Ranging from 9 yards to on out to around 375.. The one that ran the shot was a little back but there rest were bang flop.. I will stick with the Noslers.. It will lay them in there using them and Benchmark powder..
 
Winchester loads a 34 grain hollowpoint made by Win in the silver SuperX box. If its a black box, it might be combinedd technologies and may be a nosler bullet, but I dont know for sure.
 
I use 40 v-max also. My gun will group 32 v-maxes just as well, but I figure the 40 to be a better all-around bullet........
 
I have seen factory loads with noslers in them, but i don't remember which brand it was. They should have a purple tip if they are nosler's. Otherwise winchesters have a hollowpoint that should kill coyotes fine.
 
You have to shoot what you like the best, bottom line. And of course, that will depend on your mission. Are you reloading? Just killing coyotes? In my opinion, the further you get away from the 32gr pill, the further you are away from the purpose and design of the .204. The 32gr is the flattest, fastest, and produces the least amount of recoil.. hence the fun of a .204. I have dropped many coyotes in their tracks with a well placed shot. I reload, so my bullet is travelling at 4200 fps, and will cut a jagged hole at 100. I have heard that factory ammo will not group super tight, but again that is all relative to what you consider accurate. I love the 32gr bullet because I can push it so fast, have virtually no recoil, and trust me, if you put it in the right place, from 0-300 yds, that coyote will drop and twitch. I have had some run away, but only because of miscalculation in windage. Velocity kills. Good luck you will love your .204!
 
I haven't decided how I'm going to go with ammunition. I went to the range today and shot 20 rounds of the Winchester premium ballistic tip. (32 grain) Using a bench at 25 yards everything looked Okay. At 100 yards the group was disappointing. Not tennis ball size but between tennis ball and a golf ball. Nothing I tried would get the group smaller. A friend of mine told me later that the .204 factory Winchester ballistic tip didn't group that tight on his rifle either.I own several bigger bore rifles and would generally be happy with these results on big game. On a fox or coyote it seems to not be what I want. Maybe I am expecting to much of this caliber. I called another friend of mine and he agreed to reload for me if I wanted. I'm copying the info from the replies to get started. Thanks again.
 
springer, if your friend is willing to load for you try some 35 Berger bullets combined with H4895 powder. I think this may be the combo you are looking for.
 
The only velocity that kills,has to make it inside the animal.brradsn your comment about putting it in the right place at 300yds is hard for me to swallow.I've seen nothing out of a 32V-max other than splatter.Up to 3@4 on the same coyote.And I've seen several shot.I guess if you can get one between the ribs at 300yds?Good shootin.How about 100yrds.I've seen a boat load of coyotes and don't think I can tell well enough at 100 let alone 300 where the ribs are.Stick with Berger,which has proven itself for me or Noslers that my buddy shoots.
 
Springer, I am for sure no end all expert on the .204, but I have a friend, who is for sure at least an expert on this caliber. It is his favorite caliber of gun made, and he has maybe over 300 guns. He is a guru, and told me from the start that it would be a dissapointment for me to shoot factory loads. He told me that when you discover the beauty of fine tuning the load, they are tack-drivers! He was right! My suggestion to you is, either reload, or find someone who can do it for you. My rifle is humming now with the formula he gave me.. basically one hole groups at 100. Bgtme - I think everyones experience is a little different. Just because you did not have luck with the 32 gr bullet, does not make it the gospel. I drop em dead as a hammer 8 out of 10 times with the 32gr blitz. If they run off, it's my fault. I am not saying the 32gr is best for coyotes, it's just best for me. I don't take alot of shots at 300, but I have taken a few. Obviously my chances of dropping one at 300 are much less, but I have done it. I like to call them in to 200 or less before I touch one off. See ya!
 
braddsn,no disrespect,but I don't believe I said it was the gospel.I'm just saying that I hunt behind dogs and get to evaluate bullet performance more than most.From what we have shot throughout the day,I see several loads,and what they do.I had called the Sierra rep. and was told if I thought V-max splatter was bad ,dont buy their bullets because they have .003 thinner jackets.Keep trying to talk me in to it and I'll load a few.Like I said,I hunt behind dogs,so I will know the outcome.Dave
 
bgtme, no disrespect to you either! I hope I didnt come across wrong.. these discussions are fun, and I think they really help to push us to uncover more facts. It can do nothing but help. Anyways, back to my argument for the 32gr sierra.. hopefully, most of you have heard of Greg Tannel. For those who have not, he is a world renown rifle builder. In the varmint/predator hunting world, he is a master. I have read many of his articles, that specifically state that he feels that the 32 gr. out of the .204 is by far his favorite for coyotes. Now again, just because one man says something, doesnt make it the gospel. HOWEVER, if I were going to pick one man who has more experience than anyone at taking coyotes, Tannel is the man. Here is a copy and paste I did from an article talking about the Tactical 20 cartridge (a necked down .223 case, slightly less potent than the .204) using the 32gr bullet. Speaks for itself.

"We are more than thrilled with the results of this new barn burner as it moves the new Hornady 20 caliber 32 gr. V-Max bullet at 4200 to 4300 f.p.s! It has proven extremely flat shooting and deadly on woodchucks and coyotes.
Our good friend and custom tool and rifle builder, Greg Tannel at Gre-Tan Rifles, feels its the finest
coyote cartridge ever developed!"
 
I find the 35 gr bergers are the best medicine for yotes. Have whacked a few at just over 400 yds and DRT. Tiny 20 cal entrance wound and insides like jello. The 40 gr bergers are okay but they do exit sometimes without expending their energy. The 45 gr Hornady SP's are also good yote medicine.
The ballistic tips are ideal for "blow ups" and "red misting" with the smaller critters. I use the 32 qnd 40 gr noslers and the V-max and my favorite is the 39 BK for accuracy and the high B.C..
The noslers hold up the best and the sierras are the most "frangible". I have had "splahes" using the ballistic tips when the bullet hits bone. Worst ones were with the Sierras. Best ones were the noslers.
It's to bad that the 35 gr bergers didn't have a nice high BC like the 39 gr sierra BK's.
 


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