Lindcott Armory Rifle · SAAMI
.204 Ruger
Extremely fast .20 caliber varmint round.
- Caliber
- 0.2039″ · 5.18 mm
- Introduced
- 2004
- Case
- Rimless
- Parent
- .222 Remington Magnum
- Primary use
- Varmint, Target
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 2004
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Hornady / Ruger
- Manufacturer
- Hornady
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Common
- Case capacity
- 32.5 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:12
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 57,500 psi
- Eff. range
- 450 yd
- Max range
- 3200 yd
- Recoil
- 4–6.5 ft·lb
Ballistics
Real trajectory computed from a representative load — Hornady V-MAX Varmint Express 40gr 40 gr, 3,900 fps, BC 0.275 G1 · 100 yd zero.
| Range | Velocity | Energy | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 yd | 3899 | 1350 | -1.5″ | — |
| 100 yd | 3692 | 1210 | 0.0″ | 0.0 |
| 200 yd | 3486 | 1079 | -1.1″ | -0.5 |
| 300 yd | 3288 | 960 | -5.0″ | -1.6 |
| 400 yd | 3095 | 851 | -12.2″ | -2.9 |
| 500 yd | 2906 | 750 | -23.0″ | -4.4 |
| 600 yd | 2723 | 658 | -38.0″ | -6.0 |
| 700 yd | 2544 | 575 | -57.6″ | -7.9 |
| 800 yd | 2371 | 499 | -82.6″ | -9.9 |
| 900 yd | 2204 | 431 | -113.7″ | -12.1 |
| 1000 yd | 2041 | 370 | -152.1″ | -14.5 |
Point-mass G7/G1 drag model, standard atmosphere — within ~2% of reference solvers to 1000 yd; real barrels and conditions vary. Open in Ballistic Compare →
Performance
Buy links open .204 Ruger 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.
CIP TDCC · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.18 | 0.204 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 5.87 | 0.231 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.14 | 0.360 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 30° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.56 | 0.376 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 9.60 | 0.378 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.14 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 5.08 | 0.200 | ≈ |
| Case length | 46.99 | 1.850 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 57.40 | 2.260 | ✓ |
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. .204 Ruger is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 305 active loads across 32 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 305 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady | Varmint Express V-MAX | 32 | V-MAX | 4,225 | 1,268 | 0.210 G1 |
| Hornady | V-MAX Varmint Express 32gr | 32 | V-MAX | 4,225 | 1,268 | 0.210 G1 |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 32 | V-MAX | 4,225 | 1,268 | 0.210 G1 |
| Hornady | V-MAX | 32 | V-MAX | 4,225 | 1,268 | 0.210 G1 |
| Hornady | V-MAX Varmint Express 40gr | 40 | V-MAX | 3,900 | 1,351 | 0.275 G1 |
| Hornady | Varmint Express V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,900 | 1,351 | 0.275 G1 |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 40 | V-MAX | 3,900 | 1,351 | 0.275 G1 |
| Hornady | ELD Match | 40 | ELD-M | 3,900 | 1,351 | 0.103 G7 |
| Hornady | V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,900 | 1,351 | 0.275 G1 |
| Lapua | Scenar | 40 | HPBT | 3,500 | 1,088 | 0.257 G1 |
| Hornady | Varmint Express V-MAX | 24 | V-MAX | 4,400 | 1,032 | — |
| Hornady | NTX | 24 | HP | 4,400 | 1,032 | — |
| Federal | Varmint & Predator Hornady V-MAX | 24 | V-MAX | 4,400 | 1,032 | — |
| Hornady | Varmint Express | 24 | NTX | 4,400 | 1,032 | — |
| Barnes | Varmint Grenade HP 30gr | 30 | Varmint Grenade | 4,300 | 1,231 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Suitable powders
5 reloading powders listed for .204 Ruger, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
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.
Firearms chambered in .204 Ruger
12 models in the database chamber .204 Ruger. Browse all →
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Jointly developed by Hornady and Ruger in 2004 as modern varmint cartridge. Based on .222 Remington Magnum case necked to .204. Designed to provide .220 Swift-like velocity with less powder, barrel wear, and recoil. Quickly gained popularity among varmint hunters. Fills niche between .17 and .22 calibers. Excellent ballistics with minimal recoil and barrel wear.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .204 Ruger use?
- .204 Ruger typically uses a 1:12 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .204 Ruger?
- .204 Ruger uses a 0.2039″ (5.18 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .204 Ruger still in production?
- .204 Ruger is active; typical availability is common.
- What is .204 Ruger used for?
- .204 Ruger is primarily used for varmint, target.
- What is .204 Ruger based on?
- .204 Ruger is derived from the .222 Remington Magnum case.
- What are the best powders for .204 Ruger?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .204 Ruger include Ramshot X-Terminator, Power Pro Varmint, H322, Benchmark, among 5 suitable options.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — ANSI/SAAMI Z299 — Cartridge & Chamber Drawingsarchived
- StandardC.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 305 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →