204 Ruger woes Chapter XXIV

Yikes! I was thinking a new .204 was in my future but now I don't know.

DD

Like I said, I need to contact SAAMI and find out what the fork the deal is on the throating. If I wanted a Weatherby, I'd get a forking Weatherby, right?
The problem with a long throat is, this is already a fairly hot-rod cartridge, so it's going to be erosive. With so little neck grab to begin with, never mind not being able to use the magazine, the decision for a long throat on the reamer makes no sense to me at all unless it was to appeal to people who care only how fast the bullets go, not whether or not they hit anything.
Hmmmmph. I'm hoping to shoot this sucker tomorrow afternoon, planning on a workup both for it and for my 223 using my Lake City brass batch.

Sure, Cra2M, you have a throat to work with. Not meeeee.
Anyway, I shot the thing, it didn't blow up or anything. Rides the bags fine, which is nice considering the sucky, creepy trigger...
Did break-in, one round clean for five, then three rounds clean, etc. Then shot a couple of groups with what appeared to be a mildish load, using the pulled Rem brass from the non-shooting factory ammo of the last barrel, AND the mystery powder I dumped out of those.
I did get one nice one, a .370. The next group, same load, was a 1.01 or so.
Other clusters are in the "under inch" range but not five shots so they don't count.
We'll see later on this week how this thing does. I'm hoping to find something decent that will work with a batch of new Win cases so those can be shot through on critters while fire-forming.
Man, that trigger stinks.

"....rugers seem to be so hit and miss. Either a tack driver or a pig."

I love Ruger, think I have 5 or six living in my arms room, couple of #1, #3, and 3-4 M77.

But I think I agree with TJ, they are hit or miss on the accuracy side of things.  While I love the fit, finish, stocks and design....I'm starting to get gun shy (pun) on buying others because of the negative accuracy.  Not that they are terrible, but I really don't think 2MOA is my type of rifle.

BEAR

     I was at a gun show on saterday looking for a 6mm Remington or a .243. I did see 2 ruger 6mms one a well used 6mm tang safty and the other a like new MK2.

     I decided to pass even though the price was right. To me a rifle shooting such a small bullet has to be extreemly accurate. And I just doubted the rugers. I would not be at all suprised at all if the beat up tang safty was a good shooter, but a like new one being sold kind of tells me someone might have been dissapointed.

    ...tj3006

    

   

After having been through a bunch of Rugers, both bolt and single shot, I've found that the tack driving capablility is dependent on bullet weight.  In my #1V .223, it was 40 grain spitzers that would print sub MOA all day.  The 65-70 grainers, were in the 4" range at 100 yds, except for one load that shot 1" wide by 7" high.  I found the same with a couple of bolt guns as well, as did a friend of mine with a #1B in 25-06.  They were just too much work to find the right load and it always seemed to be the load I didn't want, e.g. 110 grain HPs in the .308 when I needed a white tail load using a 170 head.  They make a good solid utilitarian rifle.  Just not a reliable tack driver.

Good luck, 788

Well, today I was bored, it was hot outside and I had a couple triggers to do, one on a 10.22 and that dirty rotten no good 204 from heck.
Finally figured out how to completely dismantle the Mark 2 system. It's a strange one.
The two-stage target Ruger trigger has two sears, a main sear and a fork-style safety sear on the main trigger bow. Both pivot on the same pin. It's similar in concept to the Accutrigger lever function on the Savage system, the fork sears block the override until the trigger is pulled.
Then the override lever in the action pivots on the same pin that secures the swing safety. The safety needs to come off so you can take off this plate thingie that rides on the safety spring and carries the trigger bow return spring. Then you can rip out the override lever and stone the mating surface with the trigger sear.
So, I ripped it all apart, shortened the trigger return spring three coils, stoned the override face and the center sear mating face, blah blah....
Wow, what a difference. What was a sucky, gritty pig is now a really nice two-stage. Pull through the lighter first stage, then SNAP the icicle breaks...and you can slam the bolt and all that good stuff. Maybe I don't hate the Mark 2 so much any more.
So, tomorrow, off to the range with the Gun from Heck. I have a new pound of TAC powder to try. This better work, I am sick of this rifle.

A couple opinions from yours truly.

I don't know that I'll ever fall for any centerfire less than 22 caliber.  I just don't have any interest in anything like a 17 or 204 when I can do the same thing with a 22-250 or 223.

As far as Ruger's being hit or miss.  I don't know.  I'd say probably.  I've loaded for several of them and they shot well.  My 257 Roberts is one of my favorite deer guns and it is the old 77R series (tang safety).  It can stay within 1 MOA with ease if I do my part.

The trigger does seem to be the weak part of the rifle.  Adjustment is weird and lots of parts which I don't like.

As far as the Mark II's, I think for a claw extractor style bolt action they are the best way to go for the price.  I used to say the same thing for Winchester M70 Classics but now we are only left with a few mauser-styles left.

Sorry to hear all the troubles Dave.  If it were me, I'd get rid of it solely on the basis of being a 204.

Dave Skinner: I have three Varmint type Rifles in caliber 204 Ruger including a Ruger 77 V/T. All of my 204's shoot wonderfully and in exactly NONE of them am I seating any bullet any where near the leades of the rifling! All of their throats are VERY long!

"Way back" from the rifling is the best way to describe my seating depths!

I guess what I am saying is I hope there is no problem with your scope ("double holed .858" group!).

My Ruger 77 V/T has loved every cartridge (factory ammo) and every handload I have tried in it!

Of course I never shoot it for group or sighting in when the wind is moving, AND, I have Sightron 6x24 power variable scope on it.

Maybe you could try some Berger 35 gr. bullets and a new scope - I hate to see you "without" your 204 Ruger for 6 months - while the Riflesmith works on it!

My Ruger prefers H 4895 powder and Federal 205 Match primers along with the Berger bullets.

Sorry your Rifle is not perking up for you!

By the way my 77 V/T is all stock - no bedding and no trigger job or etc.

Best of luck - try a proven scope if possible.

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Edited by VarmintGuy

Mumble grumble. Snf. Mumble mumble. Grump.

Took the Gun From Hell to the range, this time I remembered what I needed to load and shoot. I am not amused. Another two hundred bucks down the black hole, apparently.

The shorter throat makes a LOT of difference in how much powder the cartridge will take. I suppose a smaller CHAMBER might matter too.

As things went, I managed to hit the paper and not blow myself up, but that's about as good as it got. The groups showed no real pattern except being patterns.

Now that all the brass is shot up I plan on resizing all of it to chamber, and will do one more, LAST, FINAL shoot with this miserable downrigger weight. The pits, I say. The PITS.