K, So I asked a year ago and 223 was the resounding answer. I bought, is OK, but I guess I'm more of a "Cannon for a Fly" man.
I'm rebuilding my 110--.270 and making a 264 Win Mag.
So what do you guys think of this cartridge??? Anyone shoot it in here???

Don't shoot the .264WM, but do have it's kissin' cousin, the 6.5-06.

The old .264WM had a rep as a barrel burner and suffered because Remington brought out the 7mm RM to give it competition.

With the advent of better powders and bullets, better barrel metallurgey and the acceptance of scopes on rifles, the .264WM has a niche and is a fine cartridge in it's own right.

The round was specifically made to shoot in 26" tubes for best results, so may want to keep that in mind as you build yours. My 6.5-06 has a 26 3/8" Shilen ss bbl with a 1/10 twist. It has a decided preference for the 120 gr Sierra Pro Hunter (flat base) bullets and slow powders such as Hodgdon H8431SC.

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John Barsness just did a write up on the 264 in the latest issue of Handloader magazine. He worked up loads using some of the newer powders on the market-interesting article.
Hodgdon 870 or Accurate 8700 always worked best for me with 140's. Barsness got good results with Magpro powder, IIRC.

(I guess I'm more of a "Cannon for a Fly" man.)

If You want a Cannon why not consider a 6.5 Allen Mag?
They are still in R&D right now but they are Cannons!! he started with a .257 ALLen Mag all Cases are the same it's Highly modified .338 RUM Case necked down to .257, 6.5 and he is doing a few other 7mm the test model (.257 Allen Mag) is getting 3600 from a 30" tube with 130's here are some pics of the loaded rounds compared to a 25-06
The Second pic is a .257 AM next to a .257 STW
Keith

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There is a local gunsmith up here in the sticks, he is building me a copy of his. He has some company build him 26" tubes in the white and he reams them. Didn't say who they were, but we went shooting and his accuracy was PHENOMINAL! My 10FP is the only other thing that I've personally shot that will approach that. Anyway he is doing an exact copy of his for $225, so I said why not. He did a custom muzzle break and worked a .308 Norma into a .270 for me. I was happy with the results on both. In my case When he builds hotrods for me I only have to buy the parts and tooling, no additional cost to me. He is trying to build-up his tool inventory.

The reason I don't the Allen is I have had an itch for the 264 Win Mag for a while, and I have it's older brother, the 338 WM. So gotta get the family back together
So in the mean-time I guess I'm going to the Gun show this afternoon, see If I can't hock my 700BDL and stock-up on some funds for another project.

Thanks guys!

It was my intention to go to .264WM when I had a Ruger single shot built (used a #3 action becasue I like the "American" style lever better than the "Englsh" style of the #1). Had it chambered in 6.5RM with a long throat (long enough to seat 140's so that they didn't take up any powder space). Becasue my intetion was to rechamber the rifle, left the barrel a bit long (and didn't start the barrel taper at the breech as soon)...would de-barrel cut off enough to remove any erosion, rethread, rechamber, and end up with a 26" .264WM.

Once I got to shooting the 6.5RM, foiund that with my OAL could push those 140's to a little over 3000fps without a problem, and get great accuracy...never did convert it.

BUt to get the reported velocity of the 264WM, would recommend a 26" barrel (and if you could live with longer, it would be easier to reach those speeds)...use powders slow enough to reach max. pressure just about the time you run out of powder room...and buy the best barrel you can afford.

Also pays to check your accuracy at longer range...for various reasons, the load that groups best at 100 yards is often not the load that groups best at 300yards. Have found this to be true with other big-cases/small-bores as well (like the .257Weatherby).

i have a couple and have to call the .264 as one of my all time favorites. kinda touchy to reload for, so pay attention when getting close to max, but if you are willing to pay attention to the rifle and accept what it tells you it's maximum is, it is not a terribly threatning experience. i have been using IMR 7828.

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First, I'd like to throw out a little background information. I do a lot of long range varmint and target shooting, as well as some medium size thin skin game hunting. So far, I have some decent .223's, a good .22-250, and a 243 WSSM that I like a lot. I also have several .308's, a 270 WSM, a 300 WSM, plus some big bore lever actions (.45/70's & .405 Win.).

There are a couple of other niche rifles I'd like to try. One would be a .204 Ruger for a dedicated praire dog rifle. The other I've thought about for a long time has been a 257 Weatherby Mag, or something similar.

I'm not completely sold on a Weatherby for several reasons. One reason is I don't care much for Monte Carlo syle stocks. The price of Weatherby factory ammo is outrageous ($60+ for a box of 20). I've seen match grade ammo for 50 BMG's that didn't cost that much. Also, it seems like handloads for Weatherby cartidges don't come close to matching the performance of the factory ammo.

I had been hoping that Winchester or Remington would come out with something like a 25 WSM or 25 SAUM that would come close to matching the performance of the 257 Weatherby Mag. That prospect is looking less likely all the time now. I also don't really have the time or resources to devote to trying a wildcat right now.

I recently noticed that Remington is bringing back the Model 700 Sendero II for 2006. The Sendero II is a long magnum action version of their Model 700 VS SF II varmint rifle, with a 26" fluted heavy barrel and HS Precision synthetic stock. That's a rifle configuration that I like. It's only offered in 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Ultra Mag, 300 Win Mag, 300 Ultra Mag, and 264 Win Mag. Check it out at http://www.remington.com/products/fi...dero_SF_II.asp

I know there isn't much to choose from in 264 Win Mag factory ammo. I think the only two choices are 140 grain loads from both Winchester and Remington that are almost up to 7mm Rem Mag levels. I never really thought much about the 264 Win Mag before, so I started looking through some of my reloading manuals. It seems that with hand loads, the 264 Win Mag is pretty close to the performance of the 257 Weatherby Mag with loads for the 85, 100, and 120 grain bullet weights. For example, my Sierra manual shows velocities up to 3300 fps for the 120 grain HPBT Match King. The Hodgdon manual shows similar velocities. I started thinking that possibly Remington brought back the 264 Win Mag in the Sendero as an alternative for those who've wanted something like a hotter 257.

I don't know anyone who has a 264 Win Mag, so I thought I'd ask you guys what you think about it. I'd like to hear from 264 Win Mag users, but I'd also like to hear from other 6.5mm shooters too. What are the pros and cons, how does it perform, particularly at ranges beyond 400 yards, etc.?

Thanks!

Well Gunslinger, you are about to go into deep water. The .264 Mag tends to suffer from throat erosion, But not if cared for! The case is the same as the 7mm Rem Mag, but the shoulder is longer, and the neck shorter. It is an outstanding round!! Very flat shooting, great at distance. Just clean it well, properly, and don't heat up the barrel! It will last as long as a 7mm Rem Mag. Kills just as well w/ a smaller bullet. Man does it Fly! JP

I haven't worked with a 264 Win mag, but I do have 6.5-06. Great cartridge, and is not too far behind the 264 in the velocity dept. I can't think of any cons, but in the pro column, you have a fairly good bullet selection, and the 6.5 has some of the best sectional densities in the 140+ grain bullets, and some good BC's. Mild recoil to. Another good one is the 6.5-284 that I believe Norma is loading for.

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If you want the ultimate flat shooter the .257 Weatherby would be a better choice from my point of view. There is data for 100gr Barnes in excess of 3700fps. The 6.5 would be a great medium to large game round in my opinion, but you have better bullet options in the .257 if you want to go for more of a vermin to medium game cartridge. I wouldn't bother with the Monte Carlo stock. Have Montana Rifleman put together a barreled action for you and have it sent to the stock maker of your choice. You won't spend much more than a decent Weatherby and you will have it the way you want it...in a superb action to boot.

I went to check the Win .25 WSSM. I guess they misse dby quite a bit on performance compared to the Weatherby.

Winchester .25 WSSM 115gr BST
@ Muzzle 3060fps/2392ft/lbs
@ 200 yds 2639fps/1778ft/lbs

Weatherby .257 Mag 115gr BST
@ Muzzle 3400fps/2952ft/lbs
@ 200 yds 2952fps/2226ft/lbs

I'll throw these two on just to look at

Winchester .264 Mag 140gr PP
@ Muzzle 3030fps/2854ft.lbs
@ 200 yds 2548/2018

7mm Rem Mag 140gr BST
@ Muzzle 3100/2988
@ 200 yds 2687/2245

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Volatile & Unstable

The .264's reputation as a barrel burner was appropiate back in the late 50's when first introduced. Since then, steel composition and new powders have made a big difference in barrel life. As compared to all the RUM's, WSM's and WSSM's of today, the .264 WM is no worse "barrel burner" than any other.

Don't own a .264 WM, but do have a 6.5-06 as the other poster does. Mine is a customized M1908 Brazilian Mauser with a Shilen 26" barrel. It dotes on 120 gr Sierra Pro Hunter FBSP bullets and VVN550 powder, lit off with standard LR primers. Will average 3350 fps with sub-MOA accuracy out at 300 yds (furtherest target available at my range). Last mulie deer was taken with it at a lasered 275 yds with one shot through the boiler room - entrance hole the size of a pencil, exit the size of a quarter and the insides totally messed up.

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Shot a buck last fall at a laser measured 437 yds with my 264. A custom p-17enfield with a 26in krieger and a Harry Lawson thumbhole. Pushing 140 hornadys around the 3200 mark. Take a little care in cleaning and the barrels last quite a while. I like the 264 cause it carries well in the constant wind up here.

Thanks for your input! You've given me something to think about. I appreciate it.

Thank you! You have reminded me of a round I would love to shoot again! JP

I have a winchester model 670 in 264magnum with a 24"barrel,its a long range gun.I've killed a couple of deer over
400yards up hill with it.The action,I had worked over to make
it slide like a wet ice cube.Its one gun I wish I could take with
me when I die.

Gunslinger you are comparing peach pie to apple pie! Yes, they both taste mighty good, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

The .264 Win mag is a bigger caliber to start off with verses the 257 Weatherby which equals or perhaps might better the .264 mag with 100 grain bullets. Now both will shoot 100 grain bullets at 3600fps or better depending on your barrel length.

The .257 Weatherby using a 120 grain bullet, has a sectional density of .260. The .264 win mag using a 140 grain bullet, has a sectional density of .287. Now using a Hornady 160 grain bullet, it's sectional density is a whopping .328 for oustanding penetration on big game.....Making it a much better big game getter than the 257 Weatherby caliber in my humble opinion!!!

A freind of mine has a 264 in a Sako finnbear. I got some dies to reload it for him. Nothing wild, just middle of the chart loads. It shoots like a dream, but is a bit loud. My chrony and ballistics program, if I remember right, had it out shooting a 257 weatherby ( we like the 120 grain BT's or triple shocks from barnes). Good speed with out abusing it. Good luck. Jim

Jimmer I like the .264 Win mag but today there is another caliber that has come upon the seen, that shoots just as fast, less muzzle jump and recoils less. I am speaking for the newer .270 WSM caliber, the one that really belongs in the shooting world today....in my humble opinion that is OK.
It does this with a shorter barrel as well.