204 Ruger In a Kimber 84M Varmint

[@misterlewgee8874]

Impressive consistent accuracy.... Thank you

[@HandloaderTV]

It certainly helps to have about 2,000 rounds behind the rifle but it was fun to revisit my favorite loads and see how they fair 2,000 rounds later. We greatly appreciate the feedback and you taking the time to watch and comment! --Jeremiah

[@ReloadingQuest]

Good video! As always enjoyed it. Love the 204 ruger!

[@HandloaderTV]

Thank you very much we enjoyed your article on the 204 Ruger as well! Thanks for watching! --Jeremiah

[@TheVanstra1]

I have a Kimber 84M in .22-250. Despite the claims of a "match grade" chamber, it came with a grossly oversize chamber. Every fired case shows an expansion ring just above the extractor groove. I measured a fired case and it was way over SAAMI specs. I contacted Kimber and was basically told, "Tough luck." I have to necksize only to avoid case head separation or other brass failure due to overworking it by full length sizing. The rifle took a few hundred rounds to "shoot in," using a huge variety of different handload recipes that became expensive. I currently use Big Game powder under a 50 gr Ballisitc Tip or V-Max and it shoots well now.

[@floridagunrat1625]

A friend of mine Works in a gun shop and had such a bad time with Kimber service, that they no longer sell Kimber firearms.

[@HandloaderTV]

I can believe that, the Match Grade chamber is a little bit subjective and more important is the guy doing the machining. I have personally had both good and bad experiences with Kimber rifles, their customer service can leave something to be desired at times as well. However this particular rifle is a good one and performance with it has been excellent as showcased in this video. That is the nice thing about Handloading you can tailor your ammunition to your rifle and generally speaking you can keep them shooting. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! --Jeremiah

[@richardvanc3298]

dont forget the 5mm mag. I had one back in the late 70's early 80's ammo got so expensive and hard to find I sold my remmington

[@gascheck8151]

I fully remember that cartridge. I never bought one because of the ammunition issue. Unfortunately it went the way of the dinosaur.

[@thomaswall4285]

Thank you for your information. Very well done.

[@HandloaderTV]

You are very welcome thank you for watching and taking the time to comment we greatly appreciate all the feedback! --Jeremiah

[@kingy300wby]

I’ve had 2 different 204 ruger. It is a beautiful cartridge first one was a tikka t3 lite when they first came out! Hand loaded 32gr vmax and shot under 1/2 moa, really good kangaroo gun down here in Aus, the second was a Thompson centre venture which had a 1/10 twist and that loved the 40gr vmax also shot under 1/2 moa, I could never get over the magic 4K fps without pressure tho, I’m now using a 17 rem for the same job and really enjoying it. Thanks for all your videos they are great info.

[@HandloaderTV]

Indeed it truly is a wonderful cartridge and a joy to shoot! Thank you for sharing your experience here in the comments section I feel it adds a lot of value for those who read the comments. I do have plans to cover the 17 Rem at some point but I am still trying to get my hands on a rifle hopefully one day but it's probably going to be a while sadly. Thanks again and take care! --Jeremiah

[@kingy300wby]

@@HandloaderTV My 17 rem is an absolute darling of a rifle it’s a 1981 Remington bdl, beautiful timber and very deep bluing, I’m shooting 25gr vmax at 4186 fps 10ft from the muzzle, no recoil at all just watch things explode all the way to 300yds with a dead hold.

[@alabamareloader]

Such a sweet looking rifle!

[@HandloaderTV]

It really is, it's a shame they don't offer them in wood stocks anymore but of course you can always have it restocked if desired. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@charlesgillette2925]

looking forward to joining this group.

[@HandloaderTV]

Thank you very much we greatly appreciate the support and kinds words. We strive to provide the best and most accurate information on this platform based on real world testing and showcase the results exactly as we get them for the viewer. We appreciate you subscribing to the channel and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@BrianArmel-m7u]

Nice video! Remington introduced a .204 diameter round in the early 70’s called the 5mm Remington Magnum.

[@HandloaderTV]

Thank you very much indeed they did and in spite of that cartridge not being popular I do think it helped pave the way for many 20 Cal cartridges. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@charlesmullins3238]

Love to load some for the .204..pressed the 95gr v max in my 6.5prc this week with h4350 and great groups at 3625fps…devastating on jugs..

[@docpittillo]

Been wanting to do some light bullets in my 6.5 Prc, 127 Barnes Is the lightest I’ve done and they shoot great, what’s your charge weight on the H4350?

[@bustabass9025]

That CFE powder is good stuff. Love it in my revolvers as well as my 6.8 SPC ARs. So many powders, so little time. 😂

[@HandloaderTV]

It really is, I am glad they brought it to the average handloader as a canister grade propellant! Thanks for watching and for all the support! --Jeremiah

[@hessmedstorparn]

Very nice 😊. It would be nice to see tests with a Ruger M77 in 44 Mag. With Vihtavuori powder.

[@HandloaderTV]

I would love to do some testing with the M77 in 44 mag, i'll see what I can do to get my hands on one but no promises! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@hessmedstorparn]

@@HandloaderTV Thank you for fast answer 😊. That would be realy nice. I thinking of buy one

[@michaelwilson9986]

Well done..Your still having too much fun n without me 😂 Carry On Bet that Rifle was featured in an article or will be.

[@HandloaderTV]

Thank you very much we always appreciate the feedback! It is a lot of fun for sure this one did take a little longer than we wanted but it's always fun working up loads. Eventually I am sure we'll cover the rifle in the magazine as well it has been a long time coming, somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000-3,000 rounds! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment as always! --Jeremiah

[@bdl5650]

Though a dismal commercial failure, and as long as ignition technology is not stipulated, it could probably be argued that the 5mm Remington Magnum was the first commercial .20 caliber cartridge. If center fire, and not rim fire is stipulated, the Ruger wins.

[@HandloaderTV]

That is a very good point I did consider the 5mm Remington however, I don't think the 5mm Remington was ever SAAMI approved, I could be wrong on that though so don't quote me on that. I probably should have clarified in the video for centerfire ammunition and not rimfire in that statement! Thank you for pointing that out and adding that we appreciate all the comments and you taking the time to watch the video. --Jeremiah

[@krod2162]

Have you ever tried shooters world tactical rifle?They have a load on their website with a twenty four grain Hornady ntx I use that in my cz 527 varmint and it's very fast And accurate. Over 4500 feet per second.

[@HandloaderTV]

I have tried shooters world tactical rifle it's a great powder in the 204 Ruger with the Hornady NTX, it's certainly a great options I have had great results with it over the years in many cartridges. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@bretbudd2592]

Were you able to catch any velocities with the LabRadar? I know the owner's manual indicates the maximum velocity is 3900 fps and they may not catch small diameter bullets. I haven't tried mine with my 204 Ruger (or 17 Remington or Hornet) to see.

[@HandloaderTV]

Great question, we were able to record velocities up to about 3,950ish FPS however anything beyond that was really hit and miss, this is a primary reason we almost elusively use the Oehler Model 35P, it is the only chronograph with a built in proof channel to double check your velocities against. It also is capable of recording higher velocities compared to other chronographs on the market. With the Labradar the smaller the bullet the smaller window you have for setup as well the more precise you have to be in your spacing and aiming the unit. We have a sight mounted on ours made by MK Machining to aid in sighting the unit. Thanks for watching and your patience with our reply! --Jeremiah

[@jeff0nyschuk670]

I would love to have one..Kimber in a 22-250 not 204r thanks,

[@HandloaderTV]

the 22-250 is a great cartridge as well I would be hard pressed if I had to choose between the two of them, thankfully we live in a world where such options exist! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@ryanmoeller3308]

If you ever get to do loads for the 220 Swift, I'd love to see it!

[@charlesmullins3238]

I’m lookin for one myself to start working with…love to find the 23gr bullet that broke the record to try..think that’s the one Ron spomer showed on his channel

[@HandloaderTV]

@@charlesmullins3238 and @ryanmoeller3308 We do have plans to cover the 220 Swift cartridge, I actually have about 200 pieces of brass sitting in my office right now and am just working on getting a few other projects buttoned up first. I would say sometime in the first quarter of 2024 the 220 Swift video should be published. Ask and you shall receive sadly it just takes us a long time to put these together. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment! It would be fun to try and figure out what the lightest weight 22 cal bullet is and and see how fast we can get it going. although I may feel a little bad for the barrel afterwards! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! --Jeremiah

[@ryanmoeller3308]

@HandloaderTV Heck yeah!! Can't wait to see it

[@HandloaderTV]

@@ryanmoeller3308 If there is anything I can do to bump it up I will do so, we appreciate all the support and suggestions for our videos. We take all of that into consideration and do our best to provide episodes that the viewers are interested in. --Jeremiah

[@ryanmoeller3308]

@HandloaderTV I'm not a reloader.. But have you guys heard of Hendershots Extreme Custom Ammo? I've thought about ordering a few different loads from them for the 220 Swift I'll be getting

[@okeythomas8001]

What 20 cal funnel do you use? Good over view as always.

[@HandloaderTV]

I use many different ones but I use an RCBS 20 cal funnel more than anything. Great question thanks for watching! --Jeremiah

[@nmelkhunter1]

Neat cartridge. I’m sure varmits would disagree. 🤠

[@HandloaderTV]

It really is, very effective for sure! Thank you for watching and for all the support we greatly appreciate it! --Jeremiah

[@luvtahandload7692]

That is a beautiful rifle! I would try seating bullets out if you can. That should be a 1/2moa gun all day. Jeremiah, the elbows on all your shirts are ripped. Why? Zat your ropin arm? Lol What's in that fridge to your left, hmmm? Haha, thanks for the vid!

[@HandloaderTV]

It really is a pretty rifle, I do love it, I probably should mess with that a little more I wanted to keep the COAL to 2.260 max in case anyone wanted to try these loads in an AR but I do think some seating depth testing may help with certain Ogive shapes on some bullets. It is interesting because some of these loads tested used to print 1/2 MOA no problem and I can't help but wonder if the barrel is just starting to give up the ghost. At the time of filming I think this rifle has 2,000-3,000 rounds through it and it was interesting to see how the velocities and accuracy compared to the first time I worked up loads for this around the 200 round mark. Ha ha that is usually from barb wire or bucking horses however this particular shirt is from shooting... I usually have pads on the bench and I forgot one time while shooting a 338 Win mag and it wore a hole in the shirt! There are even subtle lessons to be learned from this video lol. As for the fridge that ancient thing still holds employee lunches an an occasional mountain dew for me. Rumor has it Dr. Jones survived a nuclear blast in that thing. It takes a licking and keep on ticking, one thing they don't make like they used to! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment over so many of our videos we greatly appreciate it! --Jeremiah