HOW DOES A 20 CAL RIFLE COMPARE to a 223?
 

I've been giving some thought to getting a 20 cal rifle. Yes, I know there are quite a few variations available but I'll get to that later.
I love to shoot gophers and prairie dogs at long range. I have a 223, a 22-250 and for longer ranges a 6 BR and a 6.5 Lapua.
So, I have to ask myself do I really need yet another varmint rig? The lighter bullets in the 20 cal means less recoil and less muzzle blast which adds up when shooting 200 to 300 rounds in a day. On the other hand I can shoot 40 grain bullets out of my 223 or go hog wild and shoot them out of the 22-250.
I'm sure the 20 cal has less effective range compared to a 223, but how much less?
I'm certainly not the first shooter to raise this question. So I ask my fellow AO's---what is your experience and advice?
Bill

Never had an issue shooting gophers with a .22, and keeping a .223 on hand for the real long shots.:)
Have no idea how they compare because I have never looked to improve on that particular mouse trap!
Next......:thinking-006:
Cat

The effective range is at least 400 to 500 yards if you use bullets like the 39gr Blitzking. It has a B.C. that is quite close to the .224" 69gr Matchking, and with comparable capacity cases, you can drive the lighter .20 caliber bullets faster. For 200 to 300 yard shots, I prefer the 17 hornet to either the .20 or .22 cal cartridges. because using only 9.5gr of powder, the barrel doesn't heat up nearly as quickly as with the larger calibers.

It's been my experience that performance falls off in windy conditions. compared to the 223 or 22.250

Elk would know
 

My wife prefers the .204 over any thing else in the house. No recoil, lots of range and her best shot so far is a coyote off the front porch at 375 yards.

You can compare the wind drift with some bullet weights below, but in general, if the B.C. is similar, and the velocity is similar, then the wind drift is similar as well.

http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html

the best part i found about hunting varmints with a 20 cal is the fact that i can spot my own hits/misses. i have found the real world wind drift effects to be not bad at all. if its too windy for the round to be effective its too windy to be out hunting gophers in the first place. with some good dust to be able to spot misses i have found mine (20 practical) to be effective out to 500 yards. i will repeat myself in saying the ability to watch through the scope is awesome. sure your 22-250 can do this but you wont get to see it. :budo:
http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/...pspyj7v8cj.jpg

full penetration on that shot....:-)


bullet, load and range please.....just for interest's sake.

WOW Looks like a nasty sewing job to me.LOL:)

To that Pic:WOW! How far was that?

that would be a 40 gr vmax propelled by 21gr of 4198 out of my 20 practical going 3650 fps at roughly 100 yards. the shooting was so good that day that i ended up screwing around with my camera. most impressive part is that i was shooting and taking pictures at the same time haha.

Found this to be helpful
 

this is an article that compares the .20 cal to the .22 cals

http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartr...des/20caliber/

I shoot a .204 and love it.

This sums up the article

Treatise for Twenties by Kory Hamzeh, 6mmBR.com 20 Caliber Editor
Why are folks turning to the “Terrific Twenties”? Among the most important reasons are: low recoil, high velocity, low noise, reduced cost, longer barrel life, and better ballistics for a given bullet weight. In short, compared to a .223 Rem, a Twenty shoots flatter, costs less to shoot, and is easier on the shooter’s shoulder and his barrel.

I have a .20 Tactical that I've had since before the .204 Ruger was introduced. It's a great cartridge and a real joy to shoot. If you are building one I would suggest you consider a faster twist (9.0) to accommodate the 50 grain pills. Long Range Wonder !

X 2. The 20's are loads of fun. I have three 204's and they are awesome in the gopher patch and for whacking song dogs. I just wish the factory barrels were 11 or 10 twist as the 12 twist is just on the edge of stability for the 40 grain pills.

20 Cal Rifles
 

This is a great article.
Thanks for sharing.

20 Cal Riles
 

Impressive shot and incredible action pic. Can't wait for spring weather and gophers!!!

Not quite as dramatic, shot at 200 yards, with the 32gr Blitzking leaving the muzzle at 3650fps.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...724_161924.jpg

Be careful with loads posted on the link to Warren's loads for the 20 Practical. What he calls his light gopher load, 21.4- H4198 with the 32 VMax @ 4025 was anything but that in my rifle. Cool Day at 14 Celsius and wrecked the primer pockets at 4260 over the MagnetoSpeed. I prefer the light gopher load, on the right that is safe and shoots good in all rifles. Still safe in my rifle at 20.8 grains on a hot day and likely the same velocity as the 20 Practical with a safe load.
[IMG]http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...psscuwhrzg.jpg[/IMG]

You could contact rembo. He just so happens to have a real nice little Sako in 20 Extreme for sale.

A 40 grain V-Max starting at 3470 fps has the same trajectory and less wind age to 500 yards. The energy is down a bit but not if you push the 39/40 grain bullets to 3600+ fps. So the question should be, " How much less does a 40 grain bullet drop and drift in a 20 caliber and how much more energy does it have at 500 yards than a 40 grain bullet in 223?

Do a 20 Extreme in a 9 twist barrel and it will run 32 grain bullets from 3800 to over 4000 fps. The 39/ 40 grain bullets will shoot bugholes at 3450 t0 3700 fps and at the slower velocities the low pressures do not heat up barrels very quickly or stretch brass. If you want to run more energy and less drift than a 223 or 22-250, at 500 yards, use much less powder to do it a 55 Berger will do the trick.

20 EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://i1323.photobucket.com/albums/...psuuqueo1j.jpg

I couldn't be happier with my 20 Tac. Shoots flatter and kicks less than a 223.

After a lot of forums and talking to ppl about the .204 .223 and .22-250 who had owned different guns I purchased a Tikka T3 in .204, and with factory Hornady Varmint 32gr. superformance you can't go wrong. If you have never played with a .204 borrow a buddies and get ready for a ton o fun. With such light recoil, I have had everyone from 5 - 65 yrs old shoot it and everyone loves it. At 4225fps the bullet travels 400 yards real fast. My personal observation is the wind doesn't effect it as much as most ppl worry about. (Especially out to 400 yrds) I have shot a few calibres in my day and will always be a .204 fan😍

Where's the like button? Seriously, nice looking rifle there. Good job love the cerakote.

Hoping I will be able to chime in on the terminal ballistics with the extreme soon gotta get out and call a few coyotes. It is a fair bit quieter than a 223.

Blasted at least 3 gophers before and being an esteemed forum member I say it really doesn’t matter that much.
Butt…
22 hornet and fireball are king!

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...0/IMG_2889.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_4095_1.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_4096_1.jpg

I've never seen a finer display of offhand marksmanship with the shoulder shot on that gopher.

Love your little hornet gopher. I hope to find one just like it myself.

Great pictures, especially Tikka 250's explosive 40 V-Max. I got some pictures of gophers shot with a 32 V-Max at about 3800 fps from the muzzle.
Close range that I call bits and pieces:
[IMG]http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...psqbiwylf0.jpg[/IMG]
.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/IMG]
[IMG]http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2jozqxao.jpg[/IMG]

200 Yards:
[IMG]http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...psx94gqfcd.jpg[/IMG]
200 yards poked his head out to see what happened to buddy.
[IMG]http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...pslf7ax4mq.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks TC
Recently came upon a win 1885 22RF hi grade
Should maybe have some pics in the spring of it.