.204 ruger 45 grain hornady's

[bowhunterforever]

Has anybody tried the Hornady 45 grain soft point in there 204? IF you have how do you like them? They see like they would be the best bullet out of the 204 for yotes and bobcats!

[bowhunterforever]

I did a post at 204 ruger forum and they said the 45 grain soft points would shoot better then 40 gr v max cause the soft point bullet isn't as long as the v max! I guess need to try them and see how they shoot i guess!

[Big10gauge]

I've only had one so far require a 2nd shot with the 32 gr and that was at 320 yrds with a shoulder bone hit. I do agree that if you can get the 39,40 or 45 grainers to shoot good it would be a better choice especially for the KE. Since your downrange trajectory is not diminished appreciably if not better.

[catwithboost]

I am shooting 35gr at targets and it is keeping tight.

[bowhunterforever]

Im not sure when im gonna try the 45 gr soft points! I cant find them any where in spokane. I'm gonna have to ask one of the stores to start selling them.

[wastickslinger]

I am the buddy that has had 2 dogs get away after a knock down to the dirt shoulder shot with 32. I switched to the 40's hopefully it helps a bit. I think both that got away probably didnt get far but I didnt look real hard. But both were 100% smacked in the shoulder. I read on another forum that guys had same exact thing when hitting square in the shoulder. Problem is that they dont even bleed much cause of teh tiny hole mixed with thick winter coat.

[bowhunterforever]

Well i just sighted in my 204 with the 45 grain hornady's! My gun is a ruger m77 markII ultralight with a 1 in 12 twist! I did a 3 shot group that i can cover with a quarter! So i guess my gun likes the the 45gr hornady's! I hope they take the yotes down good!

[bowhunterforever]

I will let you guys know how they knock em down! Are you gonna try them in your gun 509er?

[tlbradford]

To save time I cut and posted from another site.

I have been using 35 grain Bergers as well with H4895 28.6 grains and Remington 7.5 primers. No complaints, and no chrono test. I am using my hornady and sierra brass from when I was shooting factory ammo.

For factory ammo performance the 32 vmax had the best field performance for fur and targets. Around an average of .75 moa on paper. 40 grain vmax grew to around 1" moa and I had a lot more exits on coyotes. 39 bk's had large exits on broadside shots over 100 yards and about a .75 moa on paper. I ran through a two boxes of the 45 sp loaded by Hornady, and just felt I was giving up too much speed to put them down the way I like. Every shot was a pass thru. Ranges from 5 yards to 190 yards frontal, and 260 yards broadside and rear. I shot 3 shot groups at 100, 200, and 300 yards and they were stabilizing just fine out of my 1:12 twist to that range. I didn't end up handloading any of the 45's, but I might like them if my rifle could handle the pressure and oal to run them a lot hotter than the factory loads. The Berger just shoots to well to try anything else for me at this time. Everythign was shot out of a Savage Model 12, 24" Barrel with 1:12 twist.

tlbradford,

How was the bullet drop on those 45's, say out to 200-300?

Also how about runners vs. DRT. All the dogs you got get good damage and drop?

Patterson - No runners with the 45's, just quite a few spinners. Unless, I missed completely, those kept running. I was 1.5" high at 150 and back to zero at 300.

For flat out knock down, no twitching, no tail wagging, just near-instant death, the 32 vmax did the best job. I just had a bigger mess with coyotes over 200 yards, but those are rare shots in my calling areas.

[bowhunterforever]

What issues are you having with your gun and let me know how your gun likes the 45 grainers 509er?

[wastickslinger]

What issues are you having with your gun and let me know how your gun likes the 45 grainers 509er?

He thinks his bullet holes should touch. 

[Elkrunner]

Guys,
I was thinking of picking one of these up this year and getting into coyote hunting next winter.  What rifle seems to be the best deal for the dolllar?  I do not want the cheapest one on the block but I am not looking to spend 1000.00 if I don't have to.  Any suggestions?

[atomicjoe23]

+1 on the Savage. . .especially the Model 10 Predator. . .it's already fully camo'd comes in .204 Ruger w/a 22" barrel and you can pick them up for about $600. . .I wanted a Model 10 Predator but I couldn't find one in .243 Winchester. . .

. . .another suggestion would be what I picked up a Weatherby Vanguard Varmint Special. . .they come in .204 Ruger (mine is a .22-250 Remington). . .and they all have 22" #3 heavy contour barrels with a recessed crown. . .my trigger pull is a little heavy but it is adjustable and replaceable. . .my .22-250 is averaging about 1/2-3/4 MOA 3-shot groups @ 100 yards with a variety of factory loaded ammo. . .my best group with factory ammo was .392" 3-shot group @ 100 yards and a 1.9" 5-shot group @ 200 yards using 45 gr. Winchester USA JHP's. . .I did some ammo testing this weekend and I'm pretty sure that the 50 gr. Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silver Tips will at least match that performance and from what I saw with the 40 gr. Hornady V-Max's I think that if I can pick-up some 50 gr. V-Max's they will match the 45 & 50 gr. Winchesters. . .

[Elkrunner]

I can see you guys have done your research.  It looks like I might need to do more.  I have heard of a lot of guys using .243 and 22-250's what would be best for a rookie to predator hunting like myself?

[wastickslinger]

If I was mainly shooting coyotes I would get a 22-250.  If you are looking to shoot bobcats and sell thehides I would get a .204.  22-250 will knock a coyote into the dirt better than a .204 at longer ranges  .  150 yards and less I don't think there much difference between the two.  22-250 ammo may be a little easier to find, price of ammo is about the same. 

You gotta love the holes our .204 have been leaving.