Hunting & Fishing 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

[bowtie4x4295]

I just acquired one and have never played in the 6.5 mm game much. Seems like its just a 6.5 in a necked down 7 mag case. What I have read seems impressive. There is also a metric shit ton of bullets that didnt exist long ago that could make this one hell of a hunting round. The rifle is a 700 bdl high gloss with a green laminated stock, it is a sexy bitch. Please opine on this for me guys as I have always been a 30 cal slut.

Mike

Re-located from ballistic section

 

[HTR707]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

One reason I can see to get into 6.5's is that, when driven in the 3200 FPS + range, and with their very high BC's, you will have an exceptionally flat trajectory, and these bullets fly a long way, remaining stable. Of course, bullet weight is less than with the .30's, and total energy will be slightly less, but dead animals don't seem to know much about FPE. As you already know, bullet placement and construction trump speed, and size, any day.

The less one has to worry about bullet drop, the better. This allows for the "dead nuts" hold father out, and thus, more confidence and less over-thinking of the shot. Flat cartridges have point blank ranges which result in a more "compressed" trajectory, IOW deviate from the line of sight less at a given target range.

So, if you are into shooting medium sized animals at very long ranges, then this is a great cartridge. If you shoot animals at very short ranges, then it offers no real advantage over a simple .308, IMO.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

The 264 Mangle-um, I've listened to my grandpa tell amazing stories of one of his favorite guns. He has shot deer and elk with it for decades, and thinks it is Thor's hammer. I've never seen it in action but the stories sound fantastic. He never was much of a long range hunter, so couldn't say anything about that.
I can say what he has told me, nothing has ever gotten away from it, it always kills em. and with todays powder and bullet selection, you can take full advantage of it. Good luck!

 

[montyb]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

i've killed a lot of stuff with mine. don't use cheap bullets for hunting. i like the TSX. and every so often Crod1972 has once fired brass for sale in the classifieds here. don't get impatient when reloading for the .264, as pressures can rise fast and some of the old manuals have loads that QL shows to be way over pressure.

the load i'm using in my LR rifle started like this. i picked a load from a manual, reduced it by 10% to start working up. that first 10% below max load showed pressure signs i'm comfortable using, but not exceeding, so i use that load. then when i got my QuickLoad software, it shows the 10% reduced load i'm running is right at max SAAMI pressures. don't know what another six grains of powder would have done...

but with a little caution and the right bullets, the .264 is a wonderful cartridge.

 

[rcr]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

What powder was the pressure too high with?

Have you tried a slower powder?

 

[Billk]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

A few weeks ago my amigo busted a cow elk at 700 yards with a Sendero in 264 with no problems. The next day the same rifle took a 5x5 bull at 400 yds with ease. I think he is shooting a 140 Berger, but not totally sure on that.

 

[montyb]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rcr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What powder was the pressure too high with?

Have you tried a slower powder?

</div></div>

the powder was IMR 7828. the powder is good, the data was bad.

 

[stickboy]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

Good ole 264. There are a few of us on here that shoot this round. My dad has shot one since I was young and I loved to watch it in action.

One critque that I have heard is on barrel length. Some feel it is important to hit the 26" mark at a min.

I picked up a Sendero a few years back and love it. I also prefer the TSX for bullets, I shoot 120's. I tried a few powders and settled with H1000.

Great round. I think you will come to favor it.

Good luck!

 

[sixfiveguy]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

H-1000 & Retumbo will give you the results you are looking for. Make sure your chamber is throated for the longer VLD type pills. The 264 Win Mag is one bad sombitch!! Enjoy

 

[bowtie4x4295]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I have some Retumbo left over from the 300 Ultra Mag I will have to try. It work great with the 115's in a 25-06 as well.

Mike

 

[bowtie4x4295]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

Any other opinions.

Mike

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I shoot the .260, and the .264WM is in an entirely different league. My family has had one somewhere or other in its possession for several decades. It's what we bring out when we want to really reach out and touch.

I am one of those guys who probably goes overboard with the KISS principle and hunting. I like a factory sporter, preferably on the no-cal/no-frill end of the spectrum, preferably in .30-'06; and I feed mine basic stuff, like Remington Core-Lokt Express loads.

The .264WM is a special case where factory ammo is concerned. Factory chambers are quirky, and factory ammo in the chambering utilizes a special two-diameter 'bore-rider' projectile. This results in fairly odd results when you try to load in relation to the lands, and has safety implications if one is trying to stretch the envelope.

The reasons are off the wall, and relate mostly to how the product department found itself having to live up to marketing department claims.

Unless you know considerably more about the round's history and feeding than the average handloader, this is one of those instances where sticking with factory ammo makes sense for a lot of additional reasons.

Greg

 

[retrieverman]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I have been shooting a 6.5x55 and have killed a few head of game with it (very efficiently). I am using 120 gr Rem Corelokt bullets and RL-22 powder.

 

[Red Ryder]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I am <span style="text-decoration: underline">NOT</span> disputing 1sikpuppis' comments on load data found in older manuals now showing up as excessive loads in QuikLoad. But the question I have is "WHY" are they now dangeous loads? Have the powder makers changed the chemistry of the powders <span style="font-style: italic">that much</span>? We know that powder makers are terrified of liability litigation but surely the powder chemistry couldn't have changed that much. It's like the 260, all of the manuals that I've looked at are showing velocity numbers in the 2600 - 2700s but there are guys on this forum that are getting a lot more velocity and safely.

I have a couple of 264s and if I had the money, I'd have three. Great rifle but indeed tricky to reload.

I will relate one story, a kind of "Word to the Wise" - years ago my brother developed a load for a 264. It used H4831. Flash forward 40 years and now I'm reloading for the same rifle. I look in the old manual and in his handwriting he has XX.X grs of 4831. Well I don't have any 4831 so I bop down to the gunstore and pick up a can of IMR4831 and happily go back home and begin reloading. Pretty soon, I'm blowing primers out of the pockets and I can't figure out why. I always double weigh all my charges so I know I'm not screwing up there. I finally get a chance to talk to him and tell him what's going on. Well you readers have probably already figured it out - years ago when he developed that load, <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">H</span></span>4831 was the only 4831 powder around. <span style="font-style: italic">IMR</span>4831 was developed later. When he wrote those notes, there was NO other 4831 around other than H4831. I can still remember him looking at me and saying "Boy, you are lucky."

 

[bowtie4x4295]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I am not looking for a light speed laser killer, just want to load to hunt with, probably in the 120-140gn realm. Will more than likely be mimicking factory loads tuned for accuracy. Just seemed like something interesting to use as a hunting rifle vs. the 15+ lb 308. We shall see.

Mike

 

[chris_p]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

i shoot a 6.5 wsm i have shoot 130 vlds 140 vld 140 vld target(thick jacket) and the 140 accubonds. if you want a good heavy game bullet that is still very accurate then the 130 or 140 accubond is a great.

The 140 vld will be a very flat explosive bullet some guys like exit holes some like all of the energy delivered. I am in the process of testing on hogs and deer the new target (thick jacket) vlds in 140 6.5 cal so far the bullet nose blows up about 3 inches is and the core punches a quater size hole out the other side (100lb deer 180lb hog). The gun i shoot has a 24 inch bbl so i stay around 3100 fps with reloader 17 in the 140 gr bullets. Will be heading to kansas in a few weeks will test some more target vlds then.

 

[goat53]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I have been a lurker here for a long time, but just signed up. I have had a .264 Win Mag for close to 30 years and I love it. I have never shot anything larger than Texas deer with it, but it does a number on them. I call mine "Meat". I shoot Winchester 140 gr. in it but with the price of ammo these days, I can see reloading coming to the front when the present supply is exhausted.

 

[JamieD]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I got my Sendero about 4 years ago and love it. It is restocked in a Holland thumbhole stock and crowned but other than that she is factory. I wanted one for a long time and when Remington re-released it I had to buy. She shoots under a minute and loves the 140 A-max. Not a hot load - 59 grains H4831sc.

How did the original add go "makes a hellava boom packs a hellava whollop"

Took my Elk from Idaho with it at 645 Yards with 140gr Hornady SST's.
JamieD

 

[Gregorsway]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I think I got a lot of learning to do. I picked up this Ruger Hawkeye in this chambering for a beanfield gun. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Not trying to hijack your thread- I've just been having a hard time finding many guys using this caliber.

 

[264win]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

i used a 264 for several years of hunting , i only shot 1 deer and a couple coyotes , but i think its a great caliber my winchester was very easy to load for and seemed to like h4831 with the 140 gr. happy to share more detailed loads via pm . adam

 

[D Baker]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I load 6.5mm bullets in the 260 Remington and the 6.5mm Rem Mag. Have had great luck with the Nosler Accubond bullets in both calibers and would expect them to perform equally well in the 264 Win. I have also loaded the Nosler Partitions which perform extremely well on the business end but give up some accuracy to the Accubond. Any of the 6.5mm chamberings are outstanding choices for hunting as the SD and BC of the bullets are hard to equal.

 

[Brians708]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

My 2 cents.

Used a buddies rig for 2 years as a backup Mangrum (This was 20 yrs ago). It was a pre-64 win. Had a 20x leupy on it. It was the first weapon that ever Scope Bit me. Needless to say but I shot the rest of the original sight in with Duck tape over my Eye.

The guy who owned it did not hand load. Hated the cartridge and said he and other family members wounded a half dozen deer with it. Even the few they put down ran a good bit.

That said it was not the Cartridges fault. They were using heavily constructed "hunting" bullets and not all shots were perfectly placed. And most shots were 50 to 100yrds from a deer blind. This all meant the obvious. Super fast-long skinny boolits- not hitting hard tissue= might as well been using FMJ's. The boolits never got to do their Job.

I used it twice on deer at the 200 yard mark. One under the chin shot and the other was a center neck-broad side. Both cases I hit way more muscle than they ever did with rib cage shots and had sizable exit holes. That was 20 years ago with "hunting boolits".

Today there is a shit ton more options for 6.5 pills. I would bet that if my friend would have had used today’s bullets back then, he and many other .264 WIN MAG'ers would still be in love with the cartridge.

Lastly- it is the hardest, sharpest kicking rig I have ever shot short of a 340WBY WITH OUT A BRAKE!

 

[BrianNV]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

I shoot a pre-64 M70 Westerner, took it elk hunting in Colorado this last season. Took a cow elk through the top of the heart at 211 yards. She ran about 30 yards before piling up.

My guns favorite load:
120g Barnes TSX
CCI 250 Primer
62.6g H4831sc
Chronographed just shy of 3200fps


I'll second or third the whole using premium bullets. Another gentleman in the same elk group that I went with was using a 264wm also, but with factory 140g loads. He got his elk through the lungs and shoulder. Completely destroyed one whole shoulder. His shot was around 100 yards.

 

[Jayhawker]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bowtie4x4295</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Seems like its just a 6.5 in a necked down 7 mag case.
Mike

</div></div>

The .264 Win. Mag. shares the same case as the 7mm Rem. Mag., the .300 Win. Mag., the .338 Win. Mag and the .458 Win. Mag - and they all grew from the .375 H & H.

It's not always been easy to find .264 brass and in those times I've simply necked down 7mm R.M. brass - works just fine.

I've been using a .264 W.M. for a couple of decades now, and it's a wonderful round. Started out with an M-70 Westerner and now have a M700 that was part of a short run of .264s that Remington did back in the 60s.

Factory .264 ammo has always been kinda anemic, therefore one doesn't realize all the potential of the cartridge unless you reload. My Remington is quite partial to 129 grain Hornady SSTs.

It's been quite the beanfield rifle for me.

 

[Jayhawker]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JamieD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Took my Elk from Idaho with it at 645 Yards with 140gr Hornady SST's.
JamieD

</div></div>

Dude! what happened to your elks nose?

 

[JamieD]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

A fellow we were with rushed down to were the elk went down and pushed him into the Alders at dusk. I left him go until daybreak. Blood trail was like following a bucket with a 2 inch hole in the bottom. He went 300 yards into the Alders and collapsed (Holly shit is that thick stuff!)

Best we can figure is coyote or mountain lion. Got a little of one of his hind quarters too. If the fellow would have relaxed for 15 or 20 minutes it sure would have saved alot of work : )

Great time though - first Elk hunt and now I've foreever got the bug.

JamieD
Wolf Precision
All Hogs Go to Heaven

 

[strick9]

Re: 264 Win Mag for hunting, what do you think

Saw three elk in three days taken with the 264 wm out to 700 yards, can't remember the grain but I believe twas a tsx.