In 2004, Hornady and Ruger released the .204 Ruger for centerfire rifles. When it was released, gun enthusiasts were eager to test out the super high velocity. It was the only cartridge available to work with .204 inch 5 mm bullets. The basic design roots back to the .222 Remington Magnum, which was necked down to 5 mm to create to new 204 Ruger. The shoulder was also slightly altered towards the front and designers increased the angle by 30 degrees.
In order to reach such high velocities, Hornady uses a specially formulated proprietary powder composition. They also included a new de-coppering agent to prevent the new design from fouling. This was the second time Ruger teamed up with Hornady to create a cartridge, with the .480 Ruger revolver cartridge as the first collaboration in 2003.
When the new model was released, it was an overnight success. The .204 is extremely accurate and is a great choice for small game hunting. It’s best paired with flat trajectory bullets. Rugers marketed the 204 as the velocity king because it was the only high performance 20 caliber cartridge to become commercially available. Even though it uses less power and less heat than larger cartridges, the 204 yields incredible range topping 500 yards.
