20 practical

[devster55]

[SanDiego619]

Forgive me but what does 20 refer to? .22?

[devster55]

It’s a .204 caliber bullet. A 20 practical is a 223rem case necked down to .20 caliber. Kinda like a 204 ruger.

[Trapper]

Shilen makes high quality barrels, held to very tight tolerances. Assuming the chamber was cut by Shilen you should have a great upper for squirrels.
The .20 Practical would be my top pick for a .20 caliber rifle

[devster55]

I appreciate the feedback. I’ve cruised al lot of forums online and WOA and Dtech come up at the top guys for this caliber. Im looking forward to ordering it tomorrow. I just didn’t want to be let down after a 4-6 month wait time.

[deadcoyote]

I just bought a white oak in .223, haven’t had the chance to mount scope or shoot it yet. I know it’s not helpful, perhaps I’ll do a little review when I get the opportunity.

[devster55]

I spoke with Matt at Dtech today. Very knowledgeable guy. Ended up ordering 2 22” 20 practical uppers. Now I just need to find a nice stock for a varmint rifle. I’m probably just going to toss a A2 fixed stock on it unless you all have any other suggestions.

[tuna quesadilla]

Huh, that's neat. I always thought the .204 Ruger was a necked-down .223, but it turns out it's a necked-down .222 Remington Magnum. The more you know.

[SanDiego619]

Interesting. I thought you meant a practical 20, I didn't know there was a round called "20 Practical".

Is it easy to find bullets for that? I am asking out of curiosity, what are the advantages of 20 practical over 223, in general or for your application?

Thank you.

[devster55]

Sandiego619 I heard of it from a friend and dug into it a little more. I originally wanted a 204 ruger but didn’t want to have to buy new brass. So this fit my needs. Here is a little info on it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.outdoorhub.com/reviews/2011/04/28/20-practical-a-potent-accurate-varmint-cartridge-based-on-the-223-rem/amp/

[SanDiego619]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.out...e-223-rem/amp/

Interesting, thanks! When they say better ballistics, does that generally mean a flatter trajectory? I think so, to me that would mean less drag. Given where I am I don't really have any practical application for interesting rounds, I stick with .223 and .308 for the most part because I am just shooting steel plates. One day I will buy a house where I can shoot prairie dogs and coyotes from my porch, then I'll get into these other rounds.

[devster55]

Interesting, thanks! When they say better ballistics, does that generally mean a flatter trajectory? I think so, to me that would mean less drag. Given where I am I don't really have any practical application for interesting rounds, I stick with .223 and .308 for the most part because I am just shooting steel plates. One day I will buy a house where I can shoot prairie dogs and coyotes from my porch, then I'll get into these other rounds.

Yeah we have a few places to shoot squirrels here in northern CA and I go back to my in-laws in MT for the prairie dogs. We have a cool spot there. Mounds from 50-400yds. A fun way to spend a day and about 400-500rds.

[ar15barrels]

Shilen makes great quality barrels.
I have made a few 20 practical barrels but being a fan of having the proper headstamp on my cases, I personally use 204 instead.

The main reason for 20 practical or 20 tactical is that you make it from free range brass and that's mostly high volume shooters that are concerned with the cost of the brass as they need more brass for a day of shooting than I do.
I rarely shoot more than 100 rounds of 204 in a day.
I just bring more guns rather than shooting all the rounds through one barrel.

[ar15barrels]

When they say better ballistics, does that generally mean a flatter trajectory?

Yes.
Also, lighter bullets disturb the gun less so you can watch your impacts easier.