I just picked up a M70 Leftie Stainless/Wood Sporter in .300Win. I don't need another .300 so this one's gonna become an antelope/mulie rifle for hunts in New Mexico primarily.

Without doing creative gunsmithing I'm looking at a .264 Win with a 25" bbl, prob #2 contour for weight/carrying purposes, and filling the barrel channel with bedding. What other cartridges should I be looking at in this range and for this application? I currently have a 7mm-08 and the .300 Win ... how about something in the middle that would work well for goats and mulies?

In the .264 I'm considering putting a 4.5-14 Conquest on it ... other options I should consider around the same price range?

For my $$ for what you are looking for the 264 in a 130accubond is hard to beat. A 7STW would have a few yards on it but not much. I would make the barrel 26. That extra 1" doens't add much weight and the 264 can use the extra piping. If you have much channel to fill add light weight filler to the bedding to reduce the added weight.

quote:

What other cartridges should I be looking at in this range and for this application?

I think the 264 is a great choice. The other cartridges I might also consider are the 257 Weatherby and the 270 Weatherby. All three are very flat shooting and I think all three will fit your current bolt face and magazine.

I agree with your choice of 25" barrel. I have a 26" barrel on my 264 and I wish it were a bit shorter.

I like what you are thinking, if you reload you might consider a 6.5-284, will do much of the same stuff with a bit less powder and recoil.

I agree with ramrod340, might as well get the 26" barrel, mags really can use a long tube.

Thanks, guys, for the quick replies. Glad to see you think I'm not off my rocker.

Larry, I thought the .284 was a short-action round...wrong?? I'm all for efficiency but I want to keep the action work to a bare minimum.

Paul, great idea on the light weight filler in the bedding. I'm not sure how much room I'll have in the barrel channel til I get the new barrel, but that's a good idea!

I'd like to keep the whole rig at 8.5 lbs scoped if possible. With the wood stock I don't know if it'll be possible but that's the main reason for going with a #2 barrel. Going with the 44mm Zeiss over the 50mm will save a quarter pound, too.

Post, I believe the .284 was designed for a short action but will work quite well in a long action. If I remember correctly there were regular length bolt actions made up for the .284 to take advantage of longer bullet seating to max out powder capacity. If any special work will need to be done it will be to the feed rails to make some room for the fat .284 case, but is not necessary in many cases.

My 6.5-284 is an Encore so the question is mute there. I always wanted a .264 but decided on the 6.5-284 for the reasons I've already given.
That said nothing at all wrong with a .264, good luck with your project and let us know how it works out.

regards,
larry

You'd have to change the bolt face for a 6.50-284 anyways from what you have. The 257 Wby, 264 Win Mag, 270 Wby, and 7mm STW are all great choices for doing exactly what you're looking for. Nice thing is you've got the length to be able to seat bullets out a bit longer if need be, and pending the throat will take it. If you reload, all 4 are great...if its factory only, I'd almost say go with the STW, seems to be a bit more as far as options, funny as that may sound. There are options with the Weatherby rounds, but they are REALLY expensive, especially those 2 calibers.

Yes, the 264 is a great choice! However, I 'd go with a 26" bbl. Lou

The 264 with 125gr Partitions or 130 Accubonds at about 3300fps is impressive on deer in open country!

In my limited experence, the .257 weatherby mag is a very satistying cartridge to loads for.
Probably no better than the .264 Win, ant the win does have the hevier bullets available...tj3006

quote:

the win does have the hevier bullets available...

and that's an important distinction.....

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

the win does have the hevier bullets available...

and that's an important distinction.....

Agreed......

But do you really need more than a 120 gr. NP for goats and mulies??

quote:

But do you really need more than a 120 gr. NP for goats and mulies??

The .264 can double for elk.....the .257 weatherby is a bit short of that.....it's been used but I'd rather have the .264 with a 140 any day.

In the last two years I've used the 6.5 X 55 with 120 Northforks and killed a 5 X 5 whitelail and a 4 X 4 Mulie with a total of two shots.....but neither of these shots were of a target quartering away from me.....when that shot is the only opportunity presented and the animal is a trophy I'd prefer a 140 for some serious penetration.

Is the 140 needed?.....no.....but then the .264 gives youthe option....the .257 doesn't.

Now the question must be asked:

What does the .257 offer that the .264 does not?

I have three 264's in various configurations....it's a great round and as Vapo said you have the option of the 140 and even heavier bullets.

Make it a 26 barrel with a 1:9 twist and you are in business.

For light bullets try 7828, RE-19, N560 and Re-22.

For anything at or above 130grains go with RE-25.

You'll love the thing

I would opt for the .300 RUM. You have your choice of three levels of ammo with it. 30-06, 300 Win Mag, or .300 RUM

Hey PostDriver

I have rebarreled 2 of the 300 win mags into 6.5 rem mags. Essentially it is a shorter 264 win mag with a case capacity just a little larger than the 6.5x284



I shoot 140 gr bullets between 3000 and 3100 fps with no pressure signs and am on the 7th loading of cases. That is with the 1 in 8 Douglas barrel. With the 1 in 9 Shilen I shoot the 130 Accubond at 3100 fps. Both use RL25.

One big advantage of the 6.5 rem mag over the 264 win mag is that powders like RL22, H4831, IMR7828 and RL25 are just right, with the 264 win mag it is hard to find a powder slow enough (I've had a 264 win mag).

I have not had feeding problems with either and no matter how short your mag you will be able to seat those long 6.5 bullets out as far as you want

Th.264 Winchester Magnum is a perfect choice!

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:
The 264 with 125gr Partitions or 130 Accubonds at about 3300fps is impressive on deer in open country!

Everyone who loves the 264Win loves those 125's and 130's at 3300fps...

then one of us converts to the 7mmMags points out that the 7mmRemMag will drive 140's to those speeds.

Several years ago my brother was so hyped that
his 257Wby would do 3600 with 100's and 3300 with 120's until I shattered his little bubble by explaining that my 7mmMag would do 3550 with 120's and 3350 with 140's and still be pushing 160s along at 3100-3200.

of the people who "hate" the 7mmRem a common saying is that "7mmMags are like belly buttons", everyone has one... ignoring the fact that there's a whole bunch of damned good reasons for it's popularity,

thge 30-06 is also popular but nobody lips off about the 30-06 for fear that someone will stick a garand up their pooper. (and their fears are well founded)

There's a reason why there are several used 7mmMags on every used rack in the country
(and new ones going out the door daily)
but 264's are far less common.

Frankly if I were suddenly given a CRF Win70
in either 7mm or 300Mag and I wanted something else a 264 would be somewhere down near the bottom of any top twenty list of chamber caliber options BELOW the 7mm or 300 chambering the rifle already had... while 338Mag would be near the top if not THE first choice.

But then again my gun cabinet doesn't currently hold a mid-bore bolt gun in that class

257Wby? No. Expensive to feed and a high wear item.... Of course I can say the same thing about the 264....


Yeah it's a real Formula1 cartridge, but I wouldn't want to commute to work in one.
(Or feed and maintain it)


As for chambering that rifle in anything other than a .534head cartridge (with or without belt)
would be an act of self flaggelation.

The "Classic" (264-338 & 358Norma)
or one of the newer beltless biggies
would all likely work....


If it's a CRF 300Win and you have "Too many" 300's why not change one of your other 300s into something else?

Frankly another bore diameter gains you nothing
and since you've already got a 7mm-08 I presume you've already got a stock of 7mm Bullets?

What you seem to want to do is "split the difference" in terms of power, and for that frankly a 7mmRem handloaded with 120's is closer to the mark.

a 7mmRem Mag is an easy conversion for a 300Win
but what a 7mmRem will do with 120gr TTSX's is
what everyone exaggerates about their 264win doing

AD

Allen: I'll agree that with 140gr or less weight bullets, there is not a lot of difference between the 7Mag and ghe 264. Which is what you would expect for cartridges that share the same case and have similar bullet diameter.

For deer, IMO the 264 has a SLIGHT advantage in that it can propel bullets with similar BC's at similar velocities (e.g. 125 partitions vs 140gr Partitions) with very similar effects on deer-size critters. But the 264 will have less recoil due to the light bullet.

But we could both probably use either one for the rest of our lives and no deer would know the difference.

Oh, and, BTW, 264-guys NEVER exaggerate!!

This is good reading. I'm picking up a push feed M70 tomorrow to build a 264 on. My plans are:

#2 or #3 Krieger CM barrel at 26"
McMillan Edge stock probably Supergrade pattern
blind mag maybe, add bottom metal probably
Talley rings, probably QR's
Trigger worked down to 2-2.5 lbs.
VX-III 3.5-10 or 4.5-14x40
Built by Roger Ferrell
Bedding based on Roger's advice, probably front to rear

Hoping to get in around 8lbs. or real close. Good luck with your build and keep us posted.

David

Edited to say: My plans are to run the 130gr. Scirroco II's. That high B.C. should give a pretty impressive flight path. Retained energy and velocity look pretty impressive as well.

Guys, thanks for all the input. I've been unable to post for a couple of weeks due to a problem in changing my email address so I'll use this one in the interim.

I've decided to go ahead with the .264. I have a Lilja 8" twist on order (8" recommended by my 'smith for shooting primarily 130-140 gr bullets). It'll be finished at 26". I'm planning on the Scirocco II in 130 gr as a primary deer/goat bullet, with the possiblity of using a 140 or even heavier bullets for other game. It'll depend on how they shoot, of course.

Again, thanks for the input !

You are more than welcome our friend. We try hard....

I think you'll enjoy it, though I got rid of my M70 "Westerner" in that chambering. Just found there wasn't room for it. Had a 6.5x60 S&H wildcat, and 5 other, smaller-cased 6.5s, so something in that bore size had to go....

Never thought I'd ever say this, but I think when/if I ever build another 6.5 "magnum", will make it on the .30 Newton case (.375 Ruger/Hornady brass will do the trick). Would be nice just to try a big fat magnum capacity 6.5 with no belt. 'Course one COULD go for the factory 6.5x68......but Nah! More fun to build your own.....and use brass available from Nebraska!

"...then one of us converts to the 7mmMags points out that the 7mmRemMag will drive 140's to those speeds."

Allan, then why stop at 7mm when you could have a 300 mag shooting 150-165s at those velocities? Lou

Thirty years ago, I bought a beautiful Mauser 98 in the Winchester Westerner Caliber (.264 Win Mag). Not only was it a beautiful rifle but it shot those smoking hot rod .264 bullets in excess of 3,200 fps and faster if I reloaded and it was such a deal! I was stoked! I was warned by my friends that the caliber had a reputation of burning out barrels....I skoffed, how could a rifle this good looking possibly have that kind of problem? I took the rifle to the underground 100 yard shooting tube at Huntingtons Sportsmans Store and discovered that it shot a 30" groupe at 100 yards, one round even hit the 36" tube about 2/3rds to the target...

The rifle never left the store, I had it rebarreled to 7mm Rem Mag and never looked back.

Please pay close attention to the advice of Mr DeGroot with reguard to the 7mm Mag.

Scope is perfect. Go with a .300 Weatherby Magnum.