Why a 223?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

What are your thoughts on the .204 Ruger Cartridge

After the ammo and component availability issues of the past few years, I've grown to prefer the more common cartridges.

As the family has gravitated toward long range shooting, I've also come to prefer ballistic coefficient over muzzle velocity. Muzzle velocity is a rapidly decreasing asset. It's a lot easier to compensate for drop over a known range than wind drift. It's better to reduce wind drift with high BC bullets so less compensation is needed.

The BC of .223 bullets is about as low as I recommend going if wind is a factor. We like the .223, but we also select about the highest BC bullets available in any given rifle. The .204 bullet BCs are kinda low to begin with, and I also suspect that the advertized BCs of the .204 bullets are exaggerated. We've measured BCs from a lot of bullets from .223-.308, so we have a pretty good idea of what a BC will be based on its sectional density and shape. There aren't many bullets (any caliber or shape) whose BC is really twice the sectional density, so we doubt the 40 grain VMAX in .204 (sectional density of 0.137) really has a BC of 0.275. I'd estimate a BC at most 0.250 for that bullet. There are a lot of bullets above 0.400 in .223 and a few above .500.

There are some varmint hunting situations where one needs to take the shot more quickly than one can use a laser rangefinder, and where this factor overrides wind drift at longer ranges. This is where a high speed, low BC bullet will do better than a slower, high BC bullet. In the hunting experience of me and my family, this is a rare event.