Does anyone shoot the .264 Winchester Magnum? I have a Winchester Model 70 XTR, with a 6x-18x Redfield. It is one of my long-range varmint rifles. I am working up loads.

Welcome to AR. Where everyone has an opinion on most everything.

You will find a number of 264wmag owners and shooters. What bullet are you looking at?

Thanks, I like the Sierra 140gr SPBT. I have a load from a gun magazine that gives it 3,300 FPS, but that surplus powder is long gone. I want to work up something like that with a modern powder, going by chamber pressure. I have a ShootingChrony Alpha Master to test loads with.

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Sierra 140gr SPBT. I have a load from a gun magazine that gives it 3,300 FPS

That is more than my buddy gets from his 140 Accubonds in a 26". I know he has bought some RL33 to try but I believe his results are 3150 or less with a 140.

The only powders that will give you top velocities with 140's are US 869 or VN N570.

I use N570 in my 264's with heavier bullets, but you won't get 3300fps even out of a 26" tube with safe loads.

And RL-33 won't give you the velocities you are after either.

Compromise and use the 130's. RL-25 will work fine with them.

I have had excellent velocity and accuracy using IMR 4831 with 140's. My current load is IMR 7828 and Barns 120 grain TTSX.

What year was that article published?

I had a .264 back in the late '60's and '70's. It was quite common to have 140 gr. bullets above 3200 fps back then, but loads got throttled back significantly when more accurate pressure measuring equipment began to be used. Apparently those earlier loads generated much more pressure than gun writers and bullet company ballisticians thought....

Clarence

I'd give Retumbo a chance if I were you.

Just for fun a couple years ago I picked up a Box of Winchester Super X 140 grain yellow Box ammo at a Gun show. My guess is it was from the late 1960's.I took it to the gun range and ran it through the chronograph.My first shot registered 3084?My next shot was 3141.The rest averaged around 3120. The final average for 10 shots was 3118 fps.

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Originally posted by Slider:
I have had excellent velocity and accuracy using IMR 4831 with 140's. My current load is IMR 7828 and Barns 120 grain TTSX.

That's a good powder for the 100's in the 264

140 grain Speer HotCor seated to 3.34" COL
Winchester brass, 2.49" trim
CCI 250 primers
58 grains IMR4831 START
64 grains IMR4831 MAXIMUM 3225 fps

64 grains...that would blow the arse out of the case with todays brass

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64 grains...that would blow the arse out of the case with todays brass

QL calls it about 73500 and still 50fps short of his reading.

Just for an info. Adjusting the burn rate to get a 26" barrel to move that bullet at 3225 the pressure is over 79000. YES QL IS ONLY A CALCULATION!!!

.264 Winchester Magnum from HL 233
Warning! Notes: Accuracy is an average of three-shot groups at 100 yards. All the Speer bullets were selected with the use of a Juenke Internal Concentricity machine. A few bullets with a Juenke number over 15 were rejected; 15 is about the average for hunting bullets. At velocities between 3,000 and 3,150 fps with the 140-grain bullet, Reloader 25 provided the most consistent accuracy. It also proved the fastest-burning powder tested, the reason it was chosen for the 120-grain test. In this rifle, Magpro and Magnum provided the best combination of velocity and accuracy with 140-grain bullets, but Magnum loads didn't group well until pressures reached near maximum. In a test with the 130-grain Barnes bullet, Magnum velocities proved slightly erratic, suggesting it's better suited for heavier bullets. All tests were conducted at temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. (Handloader Issue 233)
Be Alert: Publisher cannot be responsible for errors in published load data.
Wt. Bullet Powder Manufacturer Powder Charge Velocity (FPS)
120 Nosler Ballistic Tip Alliant RL-25 66.0 3,440
Remarks: accuracy (inches): 1.06
130 Barnes TSX Accurate Magpro 66.5 3,326
Remarks: accuracy (inches): .84
140 Speer Alliant RL-25 64.0 3,130
Remarks: accuracy (inches): 1.04
140 Speer Norma MRP-2 65.0 3,114
Remarks: accuracy (inches): 1.66
140 Speer Accurate Magpro 65.0 3,207
Remarks: accuracy (inches): .87
140 Speer Hodgdon Retumbo 65.0 3,171
Remarks: accuracy (inches): 1.70
140 Speer Ramshot Magnum 69.0 3,240
Remarks: accuracy (inches): .88

I have wanted a 264 WinMag for a long time. I bought a Remington Model 30 Express in 35 Whelen from the classified section here, to turn into a 264. I picked it up at the FFL/gun shop today. In the consignment rack was a 1917 Enfield sporter in 264 WinMag, with 60 rounds of ammo and a set of reloading dies. I took them both home.

I take 264 WM brass and neck it down to 257 then fireform it in a 257 Wby- does that count? I like H870 best for hunting loads.

Back in the 60' and 70's I helped work up loads for several 264's with 100-140 gr bullets... because I had the only chrono in the area and I was developing data for all the guns I could get ahold of...wannabe gun scribe cum cartridge developer.

All the powders we used are long gone...H570, H450, RL21, OLD H870 and the loads came out of ANY manual we could find...mostly Speer...and of course a bit extra powder added for sweeteners.

I was getting some amazing velos and case life was a bit short sometimes. Benchrest techniques were used to develop the ammo and the rifles were "medium" tuned as they were hunting weapons.

24" barrels sucked and a few dustups resulted from agitated participants whose reloads were a bit wimpish when I had the chrono set up on weekends at the range...basically on the level of a 270 Win...ouch!!!

Winchester had their Western Hunter???(nom de plume something like that) with a 26" bbl that did well and the 28" bbl were a good 200-225 fs better than the 24's.

Accuracy depended on the load combo, seating and was basically what the rifle liked...all loads started a couple grains below max and went up with bullets seated just off the lands depending on the bullet and mag length...and hovered from .5" to 1" and stopped when a accurate load was found for whatever bullet weight was wanted by the owner.

140 was the heaviest used and a two diameter bullet found its way into the process.

I got my fill of the 264 Maggy during that time and don't want any more of it and as there are a few WSM wildcats designs with similar case capacity's I would go with one of them if I wanted another magnum...in a LA and one of the new powders with 140 gr bullets seated out, 28" bbl. I took a few bean field cull deer with borrowed rifles during the process...no bang flop krap but only a few steps or just a wobble/crumple on all...mad a ton of venison jerky during that time also.

WW780, IMR7828, H1000, and RL22 are all good powders to try and Hodgdon's reloading section has some data for the latest powders.

I don't have anything against the cartridge...it's a bit inefficient tho' and I like my 7mmRM better, but I just like the 7mm's over most other cals for what I used to shoot...later on in life I went to the larger, slower, heavier bullet calibers...Now I'm back to the 6 and 6.5's.

AS always...what shoots well in one rifle may or may not shot well in yours but those loads(checked against a loading manual first) are good places to start.

Luck

I've hunted with a .264 since 1985. It's an old model 70 'Westerner' that I inherited from my father. I re-stocked it with a Brown Precision fiberglass stock and it became a fantastic shooting rifle. I've shot a pile of deer and antelope with it using a variety of loads. I'm currently using a 142 grain accubond LR over either 58 or 58.5 grains (can't remember and don't feel like going to look) of IMR 4350. I get a bit over 3000 FPS; and with that bullets .770 BC, it is a great long range load.

Alas, accuracy has degraded over the last few years as the barrel is pretty worn out, lots of throat erosion, but I still made a 1 shot kill on a B&C pronghorn last fall at 398 yards.

I love that rifle.

Been shooting "Betty" (one of only 2 rifles I own that has a name) since I was about 16 yrs old, about 44 yrs. Best powder was H870 but they don't make it no more. Next best that I've found is Win 780. I've tried almost everything else. I want about 3050 to 3150 out of a 125 Nos Partition or 130 Acubond. Kills stuff way better than it ought to.

When loading for the .264 you need to understand two things:

First, the standard chamber has ZERO leade -- Winchester created an unusual (and dumb) design which for which no one seems to have an explanation. Original factory loads used a "two diameter" bullet; the bearing surface of .264" diameter stopped at the case mouth, while that part of the bullet protruding from the case was only bore diameter of just under .256". This allowed a bullet of normal length while still having the riflings start immediately at the case mouth. A result of this weird chamber is that bullets of normal shape and ogive taper have to be seated rather deeply to keep them from jamming into the lands, and the effective volume of the pressure vessel is smaller than it otherwise would be.

Second, consider anything as fast as IMR7828 or faster as suitable only for very light bullets. If you're going to achieve optimal velocities with the 140 grainers appropriate to the .264 then you're going to have to look for unusually slow powders -- typically those best adapted to the .50 Browning. Years ago when you could get it, H570 (stick) and H870 (ball) did pretty well, but those two are long gone. I've done very well with WC872, but some of the commercial powders now available for the big .50 might do well, also.

But first, do yourself a favor and have your throat reamed out by about a quarter of an inch. Also, a .264 built on an action with a magazine that allows you to go to 3.5-.3.55" LOA (Rem 700, Sako L61R, etc.) will allow you to utilize the longer throat. No need to "freebore" it like a Weatherby, just make the throat long enough that you can seat that 140 Nosler out so that its base is about even with the base of the neck.

If you do all of that and use a slick barrel of 26 inches you can get the 140's up to the 3200 FPS which was what the factory specs so optimistically called for. Settle for 3150 or so if you use a handier (and usually more accurate) 24" barrel.

By the way, I done went and learnt this stuff by shooting a .264 since 1965, and having owned a chronograph since 1969. However, most of it was learnt in the first 30 years, so if you want to disregard my comments and go learn it for yourself it probably won't take you the full half of a century.

My 264 likes 125gr Partitions with 7828. No need for 140's, at least for deer.

Try Rel 33 with 140 grain Nosler AB....PM me for the load if you'd like. In my 1959 westerner Win Mod 70 26" it runs them at 3190fps. I haven't hit anything with it that was able to go more than 20 feet. My favorite hunting rig.

I second the throating post. I did that with my very slow 24" xtr win .264. I seat 120 nosler solidbase out to magazine length and 70 grns of IMR 7828 to get 3250 fps. My 6.5/284 will do that with a lot less powder, but 35 yrs and a lot of game still makes it a go-to rifle for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
When loading for the .264 you need to understand two things:

First, the standard chamber has ZERO leade -- Winchester created an unusual (and dumb) design which for which no one seems to have an explanation. Original factory loads used a "two diameter" bullet; the bearing surface of .264" diameter stopped at the case mouth, while that part of the bullet protruding from the case was only bore diameter of just under .256". This allowed a bullet of normal length while still having the riflings start immediately at the case mouth. A result of this weird chamber is that bullets of normal shape and ogive taper have to be seated rather deeply to keep them from jamming into the lands, and the effective volume of the pressure vessel is smaller than it otherwise would be.

Second, consider anything as fast as IMR7828 or faster as suitable only for very light bullets. If you're going to achieve optimal velocities with the 140 grainers appropriate to the .264 then you're going to have to look for unusually slow powders -- typically those best adapted to the .50 Browning. Years ago when you could get it, H570 (stick) and H870 (ball) did pretty well, but those two are long gone. I've done very well with WC872, but some of the commercial powders now available for the big .50 might do well, also.

But first, do yourself a favor and have your throat reamed out by about a quarter of an inch. Also, a .264 built on an action with a magazine that allows you to go to 3.5-.3.55" LOA (Rem 700, Sako L61R, etc.) will allow you to utilize the longer throat. No need to "freebore" it like a Weatherby, just make the throat long enough that you can seat that 140 Nosler out so that its base is about even with the base of the neck.

If you do all of that and use a slick barrel of 26 inches you can get the 140's up to the 3200 FPS which was what the factory specs so optimistically called for. Settle for 3150 or so if you use a handier (and usually more accurate) 24" barrel.

By the way, I done went and learnt this stuff by shooting a .264 since 1965, and having owned a chronograph since 1969. However, most of it was learnt in the first 30 years, so if you want to disregard my comments and go learn it for yourself it probably won't take you the full half of a century.

In my expirience the Nosler Accubonds perform much like the Partitions on game but with a higher B.C .

quote:

Originally posted by Blair 338RUM:
And RL-33 won't give you the velocities you are after either.

I hit 3200 fps easily in a 26" barrel.

Both of my Ruger 77 stainless have that weird throat and it sucks .You can't shoot any.other .264 bullets without seating.them way down in the case .I.just bought two 260 Remington in a savage model 11 they shoot any bullet alot more fun and accurate .I.need to throat my.Rugers.I like the 264 win mag Lot it.needs a 26 inch.stainless barrel with.a.long.throat .I like lapua 155 grain mega tip bullets they are awesome accurate and killing power !

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Originally posted by nyrifleman:

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Originally posted by Blair 338RUM:
And RL-33 won't give you the velocities you are after either.

I hit 3200 fps easily in a 26" barrel.

That's better than what I've seen listed.

Good stuff

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Originally posted by olarmy:
No need for 140's, at least for deer.

Fully concur. I've been using Northfork 120 grain hollow points and deer seem to just fall over. If one wants to take his .264 elk hunting then possibly the 140 grain bullets will be better.....but I'd favor the .30-06 for elk any way!

I've been told that the 264 gives us little more than a .270 Winchester......and I believe it. I've yet to kill a deer with mine that I couldn't have killed with the .270.

But if practicality was the issue, then most of us would have quite a few fewer guns!

The 155 grain lapua mega tip is mAde for moose in Sweden so it's a tough bullet.I have had awesome luck with it on pronghorn and big deer .I would use it on caribou.but not.elk .That's what I.have my 338s for .I would use the 155 grain lapua on deer ,pronghorn ,black bears ,sheep ,hogs but not elk or moose or grizzy bears.It knocked a fist sized exit hole in every thing I shot.and killed it in its tracks .The 264 win mag is either the biggest small bore or littlest medium bore.I really like it on long range deer and pronghorn hard to beat.How many rounds are y'all getting.out of the barrels of your 264 win mags?