.204 Ruger

[gdr_11]

Casually thinking about buying a .204 Ruger for some mid range pest and varmint shooting at 200-300 yards. A question I have is the noise level of this round since it is high velocity and I live on the edge of a small rural community. Can someone give me a general comparison in muzzle blast and sound to: .556 and .17 HMR?

 

[FireInTheWire]

Casually thinking about buying a .204 Ruger for some mid range pest and varmint shooting at 200-300 yards. A question I have is the noise level of this round since it is high velocity and I live on the edge of a small rural community. Can someone give me a general comparison in muzzle blast and sound to: .556 and .17 HMR?

Sub'd

I can shoot my FIL 17hmr without ear pro. I think that .204 is pretty loud....

 

[robertc1024]

Paging Vmax. I think he got a .204 about a year or so ago.

 

[Dawico]

They are loud. Right up there with 223. The 17 HMR is pretty loud too.

 

[gdr_11]

That's what I was afraid of. I do most of my varmint shooting with a .22 WRM and I don't want to attract any more attention then necessary. The sound travels far where I am at and when the boys down the road do some shooting, it sounds like they are in the back yard even though they are almost a mile away.

 

[vmax]

While I have not tested the decibel level between the .223 and the .204, I surely don’t recall it being louder than the .223
I have the .204 Ruger, Model 25 Savage, Walking Varmiter with the 22” barrel and my .223 is a Savage Model 10 Precision Carbine with a 20” barrel
It is a magnificent round for prairie dogs even out past 300 yards with decent glass and a good knowledge of your round’s ballistics.

 

[FireInTheWire]

That's what I was afraid of. I do most of my varmint shooting with a .22 WRM and I don't want to attract any more attention then necessary. The sound travels far where I am at and when the boys down the road do some shooting, it sounds like they are in the back yard even though they are almost a mile away.

You need a suppressor

 

[robertc1024]

You need a suppressor

Bingo!

 

[TxStetson]

While I have not tested the decibel level between the .223 and the .204, I surely don’t recall it being louder than the .223
I have the .204 Ruger, Model 25 Savage, Walking Varmiter with the 22” barrel and my .223 is a Savage Model 10 Precision Carbine with a 20” barrel
It is a magnificent round for prairie dogs even out past 300 yards with decent glass and a good knowledge of your round’s ballistics.

Dude! He asked you what time it was, and your told him how to build a watch.

 

[HKShooter65]

I bought a semi-auto .204 Ruger today. My first one.
First range test will be Sunday AM.

One of those so-ugly-I-like-it guns.

............................
I shoot suppressed .17HMR, .22mag and 5.56.

The .17 HMR is sharper, shriller and less loud that the .22 mag.

I expect the .204 to be sharper, shriller and less loud than the 5.56.


I'm hearing mostly sonic crack rather than muzzle report.

A 5mm bullet at 4,225 FPS cannot be quiet, nor can its muzzle blast.

I'll update.

Crux, Surefire and AAC(not shown).
I'll try them all.

 

[HKShooter65]

Shot that Volquartsen .204 today.
First outing with it.
0.5 inch groups or less.

Were I better it would, I suspect, be better.

4,225 FPS is terribly damaging to AR500 steel unsurprisingly.

 

[gshayd]

I built this. An AR15 in 204 Ruger with a 24 inch barrel. You may want to get a silencer for it it does make noise and can be heard. I know the one I built does.

 

[HKShooter65]

I built this. An AR15 in 204 Ruger with a 24 inch barrel. You may want to get a silencer for it it does make noise and can be heard. I know the one I built does.
View attachment 161578

I suspect I have an ar-.204 upper in my future.

Just because.
And the barrel? Longer is better for that round!

My tiny little AAC 5.56 Mini-4 makes my Volquartsen .204 totally hearing safe. What a pleasure.