i am playin around with the idea of building a 20 vartarg and just wonderin if its worth the extra money. i already own 2 204 rugers and dont know if the vartarg is any better downrange. do any of you guys own a vartarg, how does it compare to the 204? any info will be wonderful.

thanks

Better down range than the 204? No. It's a 221 case vs. a 222Magnum case. I'd like to have a VT too, but it won't shoot further or faster than a 204.

Like Red said..........its all about capacity. Bigger case = more powder, more powder = faster bullet.

I have .20 VT and I love it. I have never shot a .204 but I would not consider them equals at all. Not even close. The VT is capable of amazing accuracy I shoot 32 grain bullets with a light load and get 3650 FPS. why light loads? When shootin critters I don't want to worry about a hot barrel and I shoot a lot when the critters are out. Low heat, low powder consumption, easy to keep your eye on the target through the scope, VT has my vote. Do I shoot out into neverland with it. Nope I have .223's and .22-250's for that. Would I like to own a .204? sure.

For comparision I load my .204s with the same 32 gr. Vmax bullet to 4000 fps. Not a max load by any stretch but a consistent load I can repeat hundreds of times for high volume shooting. I think a 20 Vartarg would be an excellent pd shooter but I have to believe my .204 gives me a little more range. I would own both if I didn't already have two .204s.

Rather than get another 204 I would personally opt for a VT. ONLY because I don't volume shoot anyhow & I would definitely be interested in hot rodding it for groundhogs. In my area a VT would get almost everything done for me with less powder than the 204. I would even carry it for coyotes using a 35gr Berger HP.

Volume shooting for me would be 50rds of RF at the range in one session. My Wife would shoot about 2x that many in the same session.

i just have this awful urge to get one, and there is just one more space to fill in the safe and it will be full. you know i cant look at that empty space without putting something in it. lol i found one that a local smith built on a tikka t3 action that is pretty sweet. i need to think about it though.......... yep you guys talked me into it. im gonna go get it.lol

Get a Cooper.

http://www.cooperfirearms.com/our_rifles_new.php

Click the "Find a Dealer" link at the top of the page to find one in your area. The .20 VT has become popular enough that a dealer in your area might have one on the shelf.

You're not going to need a repeater shooting groundhogs and crows in North Carolina. If you insist on a repeater, get a CZ .221 Fireball and have it rebarreled; that way you start off with a rifle that you know will feed the Fireball case.

Your wife would really like a trip out to the prairie. Only problem is that the 100 rds. would be gone and its not lunch time yet on day one.

I know she would Steve. The only thing that would be better would be to have her set side by side with my Dad shooting p-dogs for bragging rights around home here. Somehow I think she would win that.

I have the same urge for the VT. Keep us posted on the Tikka. Is it a wood stocked model? I think the VarTarg would be ideal for prairie dogs out to, and beyond 223 ranges with less powder consumption. Dies are pricey.

MidwayUSA has the Hornady .20 VT full-length set on sale for $57.26:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=217103

The items on clearance go down a couple bucks every Tuesday until they hit the lowest price MidwayUSA will take, or all the available stock is bought, or for some reason they just take the item off clearance. So the dies could get cheaper by a few more dollars or the you-snooze-you-lose rule could bite you in the butt (ask me how I know this ).

its not a wood model, its a t3 with a lilja tube. comes with redding dies and 200 pieces of sized brass. i just cant seem to fight off the urge for it. will more than likely own it by this weekend. will let you guys no if i get or not and how she performs.

Dude you'd better stop talking and jump on it or I may drive over there and buy it myself. Don't worry though, I'll send you a full color photo of it in the prairie dog town and a full report on how much fun it is

Its just hard for me to jump in and buy so quickly knowing how the jobs and economy is. do i need it? no not really.but i do want it real bad. im drivin back over there friday to pick it up. i called the gentleman today and told him i would be there to buy it, and i like to keep my word. he told me that it had a sold sign on it so she is as good as mine. i cant wait to put her to the test!!!!!

The 2-die set or 3-die set?

its a 2 die set

well i got the vartarg and must say that i am very pleased with it. it will shoot neck and neck with my browning 204 out to 300 yards. dont know what will happen after that, i dont have anyplace to shoot any farther yet. now i just need a trip out west.
lol

Danny,

I'm just north of you. Been looking at the 221 or vartarg. Sent you a pm for smiths contact info. Glad to hear the rifle shoots well.

Thanks

Anyone know which gunsmith (Valdese, NC) built this vartarg? I'm interested especially if the Tikka will cycle the rounds.

Thought about a steven/savage barrel change but reports are mixed as to feeding rounds from any of their magazines.

The VarTarg won't feed reliably out of a 222/222M/223 magazine unless you know somebody that can rework the ramp. The nose flips up & the bullet hits above the chamber. There would be no problems with a single shot or bolt gun with a SS follower. HTH