Lindcott Armory Wildcat · Wildcat
.20 Tactical
The .20 Tactical is a varmint wildcat cartridge formed by necking down the .223 Remington case to accept .204" projectiles.
- Caliber
- 0.204″ · 5.182 mm
- Introduced
- 2000
- Case
- Rimless
- Parent
- .223 Remington
- Primary use
- varmint_hunting, target_shooting
- Status
- Obsolete
- Introduced
- 2000
- Type
- Wildcat
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Various / wildcat
- Manufacturer
- Custom / Wildcatters
- Standard
- Wildcat
- Status
- Obsolete
- Availability
- Handload Only
- Case capacity
- 20 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:9
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 25,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 350 yd
- Recoil
- 4–6 ft·lb
Ballistics
- By real loads
- 3,800–4,150 fps · 20 loads
- Parent case
- .223 Remington
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Performance
Buy links open .20 Tactical ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
Wikipedia · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.18 | 0.204 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 5.92 | 0.233 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.14 | 0.360 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 30° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.55 | 0.376 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 9.60 | 0.378 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.14 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 5.97 | 0.235 | ≈ |
| Case length | 44.70 | 1.760 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 54.10 | 2.130 | ~ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .20 Tactical is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 20 active loads across 15 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 20 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady | Superformance | 39 | V-MAX | 4,150 | 1,491 | — |
| Berger | HP FB Varmint | 30 | HP FB | 4,150 | 1,147 | — |
| Pacific Tool & Gauge | V-MAX SP | 32 | V-MAX | 4,100 | 1,194 | — |
| Hornady | V-MAX Custom | 32 | V-MAX | 4,100 | 1,194 | — |
| Fiocchi | Exacta | 39 | V-MAX | 4,050 | 1,420 | — |
| Wolf | Match Extra | 40 | FMJ | 4,000 | 1,421 | — |
| RWS | Classic | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Sellier & Bellot | SP | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Armscor | Standard | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Buffalo Arms | Custom | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Norma | Classic | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| PPU | Standard | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Kynoch | Classic | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Wolf | FMJ | 32 | Hollow Point Boat Tail | 3,850 | 1,053 | — |
| Black Hills | V-MAX 39gr | 39 | V-MAX | 3,800 | 1,250 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Lineage
Connected reference
History
The .20-caliber wildcat family emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s as varmint shooters explored the upper limits of velocity with small-bore cartridges. The .20 Tactical, based on the .223 Remington, competes with several similar wildcats including the .20 VarTarg (based on .221 Fireball) and .20 PPC. Hornadys introduction of the factory .204 Ruger in 2004 absorbed much of the market demand that would have supported these wildcats, as the factory round offers nearly identical performance with commercial case availability.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .20 Tactical use?
- .20 Tactical typically uses a 1:9 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .20 Tactical?
- .20 Tactical uses a 0.204″ (5.182 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .20 Tactical still in production?
- .20 Tactical is obsolete; typical availability is handload only.
- What is .20 Tactical used for?
- .20 Tactical is primarily used for varmint_hunting, target_shooting.
- What is .20 Tactical based on?
- .20 Tactical is derived from the .223 Remington case.
Sources & provenance
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 20 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →