Ok, here’s the dilemma. I have effectively lost my ultralight 6.5x55 to the wife. So now I get to do it all over again.
I found a Model 70 264 WM for 1100.
I also found a 30-06 for 900. New barrel, chamber, install runs about 400, bringing the total to 1300.
I already have all the components and equipment for reloading the Sweed. I will need brass and dies for the WM.
Do I rebarrel to 6.5x55 or keep the 264 WM?
I’ve ran the numbers and it looks like the WM will get me about 150 yards more effective range with 10-15 more grains of powder.

I love my 264 WM at 3200 w a 130 grain accubond.

I do not see the point in less and would go bigger if I thought I needed more.

I’ve been busting milk jugs at 300 yards getting ready for my Chamois hunt in October.

recommend a 6.5-06 if you choose to rebarrel. I am very close to same fps as 264 Win Mag

Taking an 06 action to a Swede is a waste of action length and it may need alteration to feed well. You would also have to have the bolt face opened up, the case heads are not the same. The downside to the 264 is shes a barrel burner, but if you can confirm the condition of the bbl I think it would be the better choice. Or you could get the 06 and keep it as such. Save $$, outstanding round, great ammo availability and can shoot heavier pills. For the $ you save you could add a set of dies and some components. If you must have a 264 caliber then SWM is right, 6.5-06 is a great option. Another nice thing about the 06 is much better brass is available.

xactly as above.
nuthin wrong with the 0-6, why piss more money into the project unless it shoots 5" groups.
if it does I'd take it back.

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:
Taking an 06 action to a Swede is a waste of action length and it may need alteration to feed well. You would also have to have the bolt face opened up, the case heads are not the same. The downside to the 264 is shes a barrel burner, but if you can confirm the condition of the bbl I think it would be the better choice. Or you could get the 06 and keep it as such. Save $$, outstanding round, great ammo availability and can shoot heavier pills. For the $ you save you could add a set of dies and some components. If you must have a 264 caliber then SWM is right, 6.5-06 is a great option. Another nice thing about the 06 is much better brass is available.

The 264 WM is no more a barrel burner than the 6.5 PRC. The 6.5/06 within spitting distance of the WM is not much better. You are looking at 1200ish rounds w the 6.5/06, 140 trainers and 3000 fps.

Shoot whichever you like and do not worry about it.

Unless the barrel is already shot out, I would leave it in 264 WM. Powder may be expensive but it would take a lot to cover the cost of a new barrel.

With moderate loads you can equal the Swede's power and probably extend the barrel's life.

Stick to the Swede.

Learn to shoot it well, and any advantage the 264 has would be irrelevant.

You won't get a new barrel machined and installed for $400 unless you do it yourself.

Go with the .264, the big difference being that wonderful bullet shape compared to anything else. I had always admired the .264 bullet then got a couple 6.5 PRC's and realized all the hype was indeed true. Good Shooting.

I have shot a dumptruck load of game with the 264 mag.
whitetail, muledeer,pronghorn and caribou.
Have well over 2000 rounds through the barrel, although, I have freshened up the throat a couple times.
That said, my 6.5/284 gives the same vel with 10 grains less powder. My 6.5 gibbs with a 26" barrel beats my 264. A super smooth Lilja barrel might help some with that.
Then too, the difference between a 6.5 swede and a 264 with the same bullet at 400 yds... 2-3" more drop. If you cant hold that amount, better not shoot that far.
My favorite the last few years, the 256 Newton on a re heat treated danzig small ring. Right between the swede and the magnum in velocity.

I love the sweet. It throws 100 partitions through Texas deer all day. And it shoots the 130-140 accubonds accurately so it would kill an elk too. The biggest reasons to re-barrel is I already have the dies and brass, and my wife and I can carry the same ammo. Going with the WM, I will need new dies, brass. I have also never reloaded a belted magnum. Don’t they headspace off the belt?

Headspace off the shoulder like other cartridges,
otherwise brass life will be very short.

As Wstrnhuntr said, if you change to the Swede, you might need a new bolt, as well as a barrel. That or whatever is needed to close up the face of the existing one will probably cost more than a set of dies and a few cases on its own. I started reloading my 'new' 7mm Rem mag with cases found in the range's brass bin.

If converting to a magnum needs rails to be widened, restoring steel would be even more trouble.

Converting a long action to a 6.6x55 was easy for the CZ. I didn’t even have to open up the bolt face. The standard 270/30-06 is .473 and the 6.5x55 is .480. This is 7 thousandths of an inch and the CZ bolt face was larger than that already. I can use long (140 grain) bullets and seat them long. They would have to be shot single in a short action. I removed the floor plate and changed it to a blind mag well, increasing the capacity by 1 and lost 9 oz of steel. Having said that, I think I’ll stick with the 264 WM. ‘Cause you can’t get a new barrel installed for what you could 10 years ago… YIKES! Even with new dies and brass, it’s still way cheaper than a re-barrel. Maybe if I do good enough work on it, the wife will trade me the 6.5 back. Long live the sweed!