204 Ruger Howa 1500 Oryx Chassis?

[Varmint_Dude]

I'm very close to purchasing this rifle for vermin out to 300 yards. Does anyone have one? Any custom 204's you can recommend? I was also looking at the Brock and Norris Contractor rifle in 204? Thanks in advance. 

 

 

[outlanda]

I have a 20 Practical custom build Remington 700 to sell and/or recommend the cartridge

[OSOK]

You wouldn't go wrong by looking at either a BR or PPC case , More work on the cases but proven  ....... I had the 20 & 22 BR's and they were very good .

OSOK

[Laurie]

That'll be the fairly new 'Mini' action version, nearly an inch shorter bolt and receiver than the standard 1500 'short' action model and geared to cartridges with the 223/204's 2.26" COAL. It's a very nice, smooth little action - similar size and weight to the well known and now withdrawn Cz527 'Mini Mauser', but better IMO. Good trigger which can be easily improved (pull lightened to 1.5 lb by changing two springs which are available from a guy in Australia for under £20). If you decide to buy it, I'd do so fairly soon as Leisure Sports International in the USA which determines the Howa range options and distributes the marque worldwide dropped the Mini action / 204 option after only a year or two's availability, so they must be as common as hens' teeth. Looking at LSI's 2022 catalogue, I can't see 204 offered in any model / stock option now.

 

https://www.legacysports.com/brands/howa_catalog/

 

The 'Mini Oryx' is now available only in 223, 7.62X39, 6.5 Grendel, and the new 6mm ARC in Oryx form plus 350 Legacy in plastic stock and some other chassis variants. (The ARC version would make quite a foxing / varmint rifle handloaded with lighter bullets.) The MDT Oryx is a superbly strong and rigid one-piece, but basic chassis type - which I see as a plus as I'm not a fan of many of the overpriced, fancy, folding butt etc, etc chassis designs out there. You have to like 'inline' + AR-type pistol grip stocks though, and not everybody does. It has to be set up properly for prone use - LOP set right (butt spacers kit is available) and high or even super-high scope mounts used to get a comfortable head position. This really is an online design.

[Chanonry]

I have a Contractor in 308. Rock solid piece of kit.

[AndyH]

Not necessarily custom but I've got a 204 ruger Howa 1500 sitting in a GRS Beserk stock with drop out mag conversion and custom made over barrel mod. Great gun to shoot, very low recoil and thumb nail groups with 39gr blitzkings.

Cant fault it

[Alycidon]

On 2/12/2022 at 9:02 AM, OSOK said:

You wouldn't go wrong by looking at either a BR or PPC case , More work on the cases but proven  ....... I had the 20 & 22 BR's and they were very good .

OSOK

I have 20BR,  and had a friend with a 22BR until he left the field a few months ago, both full custom jobs. .     As OSOK says you will need to go a long way to beat them,  and he has had vastly more experience with these calibers than most people here and has the awards to prove it.  When I was looking at having my 20BR built some 15 years ago I went to OSOK for advice as I knew he had one, his was probably the first in the UK,  I think mine was the third,  certainly it was the first one the Birmingham proof house had seen..     I took mine to Bisley on 100 yard benchrest,  always came top 3 except once when two of the England squad were shooting, and always against dedicated 6PPC bench guns. turret rests etc.  I was using a short Harris bipod and a rear bag.      Only downside is single shot only but I killed three large cubs in 30 seconds easily enough one night with my 6PPC.   95% of the time you only get one bang at a fox,  then you spend the next 2 years trying to get another one at the same missed fox.   

If you want to shoot where a .2 group or less is required and a .4 is nowhere then that is what you need,   however if its a fox flattener then that level of accuracy is not needed and 204 or 20 Prac/20 Tac will be fine out to 300 yards with 39 SBKs.       Much over that then heavy 50 or 55 grain Bergers in a 1 in 9 twist are in my book the way to go from an accuracy perspective,   they are significantly more efficient,   less drift, less drop than anything similar including 22.250 with 50s.   But 98% of shots should be sub 300 yards so its very subjective.

 

A

[outlanda]

20 hours ago, Alycidon said:

If you want to shoot where a .2 group or less is required and a .4 is nowhere then that is what you need,   however if its a fox flattener then that level of accuracy is not needed and 204 or 20 Prac/20 Tac will be fine out to 300 yards with 39 SBKs.       

I have a different opinion about the 20 practical, the 20 tactical and some custom .204R  and just don't agree with this statement regarding accuracy speaking from my experience. Its a shame that anyone researching a .204 calibre reads this sought of thing and is influenced by it.   

Thank you

Steve