.20 caliber on a budget?

[fanuke]

Okay, I have to start by admitting that I've been bitten by the .20 cal. bug. But, not just any bug - rather, it's the one that makes you want to wildcat! So, with a strong desire, and light pocketbook, I'm forging ahead.

I'm reaching out to others that share the same affliction as I, and asking the question - Is is possible to build a .20 caliber something on a budget? I'm not looking for a benchrest gun, but simply a light varminter for shooting ground squirrels. I would like it to be a repeater, so it needs to feed from the mag. box without hiccupping. I would also like it to be efficient and not too noisy. Since I hunt in one of the lead-free zones, the only bullet currently available (that I know of) is the Barnes Varmint Grenade. This bullet is obviously challenged in the BC area, so shots will be confined to 250 yards or less. I have a small bolt-face Rem. 700 (.222) that I could sacrifice to the project, and plenty of .221 FB and .222 Rem. brass to work with. I have experience with a buddies .221 FB built with a standard .223 action and it doesn't feed well. Would I be better off staying with one of the cartridges based on the .222? The FB-based cartridges interest me because they use so little powder, but the potential feeding issues concern me.

Also, could I use a factory Rem. barrel chambered in .204 Ruger, and have it shortened and rechambered? Or would there be too much "meat" taken off in the chamber to be safe?

Once I locate all of the components, who would you recommend to do the gunsmithing for me?

Thanks in advance for all of the advice. I know with support from members of this forum, I will make it through this sickness.:D

Rich

[DittoHead]

Trade your Remington for a CZ 527 chambered for the .221 Fireball, .222 Rem, or .223 Rem and add a .20 VarTarg barrel.

CZ 527 .22 Hornet to .20 Ackley Hornet is another option. Less powder but the dies might be more expensive. Maybe bushing dies for the .17 Ackley Hornet will work. :confused:

I don't know anything about the Varmint Grenade bullets. :confused: If that's what you have to use then you better find out if they shoot or you're up a creek with a rifle you can't use. :eek:

[casts_by_fly]

I'll second the CZ 221 FB. I picked one up for my dad's birthday gift and shot it last weekend. Super sweet.

Alternatively, you already have the 700 rem in 222 with plenty of brass. Throw a 20 cal barrel on in 20 bobcat or 20 Vartarg turbo and call it a day.

Or, you could also pick up a Savage in 223 and do the barrel swap yourself in whatever you want. A prechambered barrel will cost you the same as a barrel blank for the Rem. What you'll save on smith work you can put to the new gun and have a whole gun out of it.

Thanks
Rick

[Mntngoat]

Central California? How about a 20 duster?


ML

[Gary in Illinois]

How about a 20 Practical on your M 700? Uses 223 Rem bushing dies and should feed just like the 223. Accurate and approaches 204 Ruger / 20 Tactical velocities.

Good luck,
Gary

[Easy_E]

I'm gathering parts to cure the same sickness.....

[fanuke]

Thanks for all of the input so far guys. I would really like to stay with a parent cartridge that is .222 size or shorter. I have a .223 and would just like to try something that fills the gap between the .22 WMR and the bigger guns. Since I have to shoot lead-free, I'm stuck with one bullet, so I don't want to tie a bunch of money up just to scratch my itch. If the bullets perform okay, I can always upgrade as funds allow.

Any used equipment out there that might fill the bill? I don't mind starting off with a used barrel that can be freshened. Any reputable smiths that can perform the barrel install and chambering and not cost a small fortune? I know that precision costs money, but I can only afford to be so precise!

Thanks again for all the input.

Rich

[trotterlg]

I bought a new takeoff Remington .204 barrel for $40.00. You could put it on a Remington or fit it to a Savage, I am putting it on a Steyr action right now. There are lots of these out there, you just need to look for them. Larry

[fanuke]

Larry,

Will you keep it chambered in 204R, or are you going to cut off some of the chamber and go for something else?

Thanks,
Rich

[GLWenzl]

I have a feeling it doesn’t matter too much what you do because it seems once bitten by the small caliber bug there is no end to it So ya might as well forget the budget and go first class all the way… LOL

Truthfully you sound just like me when I first got started in subcals… Looking back I wish that I would not have taken some of the short cuts that I have and just figured out what I really wanted and then figured out how to get there…

Do a lot of looking to find a pre owned barrel, sometimes you can get a new take off pretty reasonable. I don’t think he has much any more but a call to James Calhoon might come up with something for ya. If you have a say an old 22-250 lying around it would be much better off as a 20 BR…..

But it was me in you situation I would consider buying a CZ 204 even if it meant selling something. From that point I would be looking at 22 caliber bushing dies prices and do a simple neck down (or up) of

17 Fireball or 22 Fireball = 20 Fireball/VT
222 = 20-222
204 Ruger Short

They would all be simple to make brass for and not require x-$ for dies.

Not sure on the exact details on the 204 shorty but do a search for a member here named sicero, maybe Kenny will see and jump in here but he has done quite a bit with the short 204 Rs….

[Mulerider]

Kenny (Sicero) is the man on shortened 204R's. He helped me build mine (CZ527, originally 223, used a varmint 204R barrel for the build), and it has the feature of using the 222Rem long neck, to reduce the freebore found in 204 chambers. I can load off the rifling w/o issues.

Some pics and info http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3902

Greg

[fanuke]

Thanks Greg. I sent Sicero a PM to see if I could learn more about the shortened .204 Ruger.

Rich

[trevort]

I spent money on mine because I wanted a custom barrel and HS stock but it started as a CZ 223 and as I had Lapua brass I wanted to keep it on that case rather than another 204. I didnt want the Practical as I liked the look of the longer neck on the 20 Tac.

I bought a second hand 204 ruger FL die and the smith cut it off so I could run the 223 brass in and push the shoulder back 30thou at the same time as necking down. I have a no5 Shilen and wanted it fluted so I only fired 3 shots (in its factory stock) before it went back for the rest of the work. Since the HS stock is now 2 months late from the Oz distributor I still cant tell you how it works but the case looks right with a 39Bk in it!!!

[larryinIA]

I spent money on mine because I wanted a custom barrel and HS stock but it started as a CZ 223 and as I had Lapua brass I wanted to keep it on that case rather than another 204. I didnt want the Practical as I liked the look of the longer neck on the 20 Tac.

I bought a second hand 204 ruger FL die and the smith cut it off so I could run the 223 brass in and push the shoulder back 30thou at the same time as necking down. I have a no5 Shilen and wanted it fluted so I only fired 3 shots (in its factory stock) before it went back for the rest of the work. Since the HS stock is now 2 months late from the Oz distributor I still cant tell you how it works but the case looks right with a 39Bk in it!!!

Is there enough spring back to establish the correct headspace? Or is that how much shorter the round is? Do you then have to trim the brass? Just curious.

[trevort]

The shoulder is formed back and the neck lengthens in one pass. The smith made some dummy cases and cut the chamber to suit. He removed the neck of some dummies to get the exact length to run in his 204 reamer short and he uses a different reamer to do the neck area.

The reason I only fired it three times before it went back for the other work was that his shell holder in his press is thinner than mine and the cases I made only just chambered as I couldnt size them down any further. on firing the cases expanded to make extraction very difficult, in fact impossible on the third one:o (cleaning rod when I got home)

He has since skimmed some metal off my shell holder so I can size down a bit further until they chamber easily. He set it up using his no turn neck dimensions for 204 rifles but the brass thickens a little on necking down, especially since a little of the shoulder becomes part of the neck, so now it is a neck turn proposition. I could have just bought a Tac 20 reamer or done the 204 short or 20 prac he has made for other clients but what the heck. I posted on our home board about whether it was different enought to have a name. Probably isnt, but one of my mates posted "its just another bloody 20 cal" so JAB 20 is stamped on the barrel and the licensing division has it registered as a JAB 20:)