.204 Ruger Versus .22-250 Remington

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Shooting Times reader Dale Baldwin recently acquired a used Ruger No. 1 rifle chambered for .204 Ruger and asked for a few good handload recommendations. He also asked how the .204 Ruger compares to the .22-250 as a varmint cartridge. Fortunately, I’ve had quite a bit of experience with both rounds and currently have a pair of bolt-action rifles chambered for each round.

The .22-250’s legacy began around 1915 when Charles Newton (a brilliant firearms and cartridge designer) designed a powerful .25-caliber round for Savage’s 1899 lever-action rifle. Based on a shortened .30-06 case, the .250-3000 Savage originally pushed a 100-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2,800 fps. Savage wanted a bit more marketing shazam, so they reduced the bullet weight to 87 grains and bumped up the velocity to an unheard of 3,000 fps.

Experimenting further with the .250-3000 case, Newton necked it down to .22 caliber. He had previously necked down the .25-35 case to come up with the .22 Hi-Power, also intended for the Savage 1899 lever action. Unlike today’s typical 0.224-inch-diameter .22-caliber bullets, the .22 Hi-Power (or IMP, as it was casually labeled) was topped with 0.227/0.228-inch-diameter bullets.

Newton often shared the results of his experiments with other industry friends. J.E. Gebby visited Newton and obtained a sample .22/.250-3000 cartridge. Years later, circa 1935, Gebby and Grosvenor Wotkyns resurrected Newton’s wildcat but topped it with 0.224-inch bullets and copyrighted the label .22 Varminter. The Varminter rapidly became popular in the varmint- and competition-shooting circles. Remington adopted it in 1965 as the .22-250 Remington. Most .22-250 rifles featured 1:14 twist rifling, and factory ammo was loaded with 40- to 55-grain jacketed bullets at muzzle velocities of 4,100 and 3,600 fps, respectively.

Because typical .22-250 rifles have that slower twist rate, bullets weighing more than 60 grains won’t stabilize and are not accurate at extended ranges. In recent years, however, several new and heavy-for-caliber 0.224-inch bullets have been introduced, and faster-twist-rate barrels are now available, such as the Bergara B-14 HMR with 1:9 twist.

The .20-caliber .204 Ruger cartridge was a joint venture between Ruger and Hornady. In 2014 Dave Emary, Hornady’s chief ballistics guru at the time and now a Guns & Ammo contributor, conceived the .204 Ruger as the fastest and flattest-shooting varmint cartridge. It’s best described as a modified .222 Remington Magnum (.222 RM) case with a shortened and reduced diameter neck. The case length is the same as the .222 RM; however, the .204 Ruger’s shoulder is located a bit farther forward (0.075 inch) to maximize case capacity. Hornady’s 32-grain V-Max loading pushes 4,100 fps, and its 40-grain V-Max goes 3,900 fps. I’ve fired hundreds if not thousands of rounds, and out to 300 yards or so, it is quite effective on varmints.

Mr. Baldwin’s No. 1 rifle has a 24-inch barrel with a 1:12 twist rifling, so the ballistic values shown in the accompanying chart may not be quite achievable within safe pressure levels. However, if he limits the range to 300/350 yards, any varmint should be humanely dispatched.

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Answering the question, “Which one is the best varmint round?” is not so easy. They’re both great!

The typical .204 Ruger rifle barrel has 1:12 RH twist. Factory ammo is typically loaded with bullets weighing 45 grains or less. Comparing similar .204 Ruger and .22-250 bullets (i.e., sectional density, ballistic coefficient), you’ll find the .204’s muzzle velocity is a bit faster than the .22-250’s. So if drag characteristics are almost equal and velocities favor the .204, the .204’s bullet is also traveling a bit faster and flatter out to extreme range. But not enough so that a groundhog or prairie dog struck by either bullet will notice!

Theoretically, similar-weight .204 Ruger rifles generate a little less recoil, meaning the optic sight picture on a .22-250 rifle may be a bit less stable. I’ve actually never noticed any difference. In my shooting experience and based on my studious analysis of ballistics charts, with a 200-yard zero, the .204 Ruger is surely the “flattest and fastest” as advertised when comparing 40-grain bullets.

Of course, if you’re hunting coyotes or bobcats, I think the .22-250 is preferable. The heavier bullets can be launched accurately even in 1:12 twist barrels. The improved ballistic coefficients of typical .22-caliber bullets compensate for the reduced muzzle velocities, ensuring optimal terminal performance on larger-size varmints.