Another rifle I want but don't need. The .264 Win Mag.

[OleRedbeard]

My dad still shoots his Pre '64 .264 Win Mag with a 26" barrel....

It's killed a pile of CA blacktails, and a few Elk too.

He just turned 83... He's got a Wyoming Antelope, California Mule deer and Alberta Mule Deer tag this Fall....The Model 70 will be there for them all....

Sounds like he's found his do all cartridge! great pic btw.

 

[Steve O]

The .264WM kicks a$$. While a M70 is the holy grail, mine is a Blaser R8. Crushed mountain goat and musk ox with 140g Remington core lokt factory loads before settling on a load using 142g Accubond LR and a pile of 7828 to take Muley, Stika, and WT deer along with a desert sheep. Western cartridge of any century…I do enjoy it.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I used to drool over the ballistics of the 264 WM in the back of the Remington catalog.

 

[MNHunter67]

I’ve got no experience with the .264 Win Mag, but I’ll pile onto the “Buy it” crowd. The proper number of hunting rifles is always n+1, especially when they’re chambered in cool cartridges.

 

[OleRedbeard]

The .264WM kicks a$$. While a M70 is the holy grail, mine is a Blaser R8. Crushed mountain goat and musk ox with 140g Remington core lokt factory loads before settling on a load using 142g Accubond LR and a pile of 7828 to take Muley, Stika, and WT deer along with a desert sheep. Western cartridge of any century…I do enjoy it.


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Those are beautiful pictures!

 

[OleRedbeard]

I’ve got no experience with the .264 Win Mag, but I’ll pile onto the “Buy it” crowd. The proper number of hunting rifles is always n+1, especially when they’re chambered in cool cartridges.

I bought it yesterday. Looking forward to seeing what it can do!

 

[antelopedundee]

Bob Hagel was a big fan of the .264 Win mag.

 

[WVmike]

I have a buddy due to age is getting rid of several rifles. One of which is a very nice Winchester M70 in 264 Win Mag. I have always had a soft spot for that cartridge and who doesn't have a soft spot for a old Winchester anyway, I digress... Nobody needs a reason to put another one in the safe so I have pretty much sold myself on buying it. Long story short... anybody using one? how do you like it?

Shot my 1st deer with a Winchester M70 Sporter in .264 Win Mag. Still to this day my favorite rifle of all time and use it when I don't use my 7mm Rem Mag. I would buy one in a heart beat especially if you get a good price on it.

 

[Steve O]

I think the 264WM got a bad rap in the beginning because of bullets, powder, and barrel twist available. 60 years has turned it into a gem. I was gung-ho to have a 26 Nosler or 6.5-300 WBY when I started this little quest. The more I dove into it, the huge increase in powder was not at all worth it for the slight increase in speed to those behemoths.

 

[VikingsGuy]

How I read OP's post title, "Another rifle I want blah blah blah .264 Win Mag."

Go for it! Nobody ever came to HT to be talked out of buying a new firearm.

 

[wvhunter304]

Traded for a mint M77 in 264. Great gun for sure.

 

[OleRedbeard]

How I read OP's post title, "Another rifle I want blah blah blah .264 Win Mag."

Go for it! Nobody ever came to HT to be talked out of buying a new firearm.

I had that coming

 

[17remhunter]

Pre '64? How accurate? From the web:

2
December 3, 2012 - 9:37 am

After 40+ years of fooling with Pre-64 M70s I’ve learned a few things about performance of these rifles. Your problems with 264 Fwts are not unusual. This style/caliber is the only one in my experience that pretty consistently performs poorly. At the end of production, I think many M70s left the factyory without being test fired, something that ALWAYS occurred previously. Prior to 1963 they were all test fired and if they did not perform they did not leave the factory. I have seen other 264 Fwts with oversize bores or loose spots near the muzzle that destroyed accuracy.
Sadly, the last 30,000-40,000 M70s made had quality control problems not seen in earlier years. Thery also had inferior quality wood, machine checkering, mis-aligned proof marks, aluminum floorplates/trigger guards on Standard rifles, etc. They are no where near the quality of the earlier rifles.

Id just pop for a custom 6.5 PRC. Call Travis Stevens at TS Customs. Call it a retirement present. That way you get everything exactly like you want it down to the stock color and cerecoating and the added bonus of excellent accuracy nothing worse than trying to figure out why your rifle cant hit a pie plate at 50 yards. Life is way to short and frustrating to live with a junk rifle

 

[44hunter45]

I have a buddy due to age is getting rid of several rifles. One of which is a very nice Winchester M70 in 264 Win Mag. I have always had a soft spot for that cartridge and who doesn't have a soft spot for a old Winchester anyway, I digress... Nobody needs a reason to put another one in the safe so I have pretty much sold myself on buying it. Long story short... anybody using one? how do you like it?

I have a 24" Ruger with a 9" twist. It's "shot out". I didn't bother reading the other posts in this thread, but I can imagine content.

"Belted cartridges are so last century" - Um no.
".264 Winchesters are barrel burners." - 118HHT Hammer took my shot out M77 from 3 MOA to 1/2 MOA. 3600 fps out of a 24"

I have lost count of the deer and elk killed with it. I think 3 elk, don't know how many deer.

Hammer now makes a two diameter bullet just like the original bullets Winchester designed for the 264WM. Smaller at the ogive to not engage the rifling before they are fired.

Who needs an excuse to buy a Model 70? Do it!

 

[17remhunter]

The .264WM kicks a$$. While a M70 is the holy grail, mine is a Blaser R8. Crushed mountain goat and musk ox with 140g Remington core lokt factory loads before settling on a load using 142g Accubond LR and a pile of 7828 to take Muley, Stika, and WT deer along with a desert sheep. Western cartridge of any century…I do enjoy it.


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What a beautiful Ram. Thanks for sharing. And a great rifle cartridge combination. How does that Blazer shoot

 

[Steve O]

What a beautiful Ram. Thanks for sharing. And a great rifle cartridge combination. How does that Blazer shoot

Hard to get anything to shoot over an inch in any barrel I have for the R8; 243, 264, 300, and 375. I’ve got a safe full of other rifles I never shoot anymore. Very happy with the Blaser.

 

[17remhunter]

Hard to get anything to shoot over an inch in any barrel I have for the R8; 243, 264, 300, and 375. I’ve got a safe full of other rifles I never shoot anymore. Very happy with the Blaser.

Do you reload for your rifles? Ive found that testing bullets seating depth can drastically reduce your group’s once you find what your rifle likes

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I have a buddy due to age is getting rid of several rifles. One of which is a very nice Winchester M70 in 264 Win Mag. I have always had a soft spot for that cartridge and who doesn't have a soft spot for a old Winchester anyway, I digress... Nobody needs a reason to put another one in the safe so I have pretty much sold myself on buying it. Long story short... anybody using one? how do you like it?

Regarding the .264 Win Mag.



About 15 years ago I rented the bunkhouse on a cattle ranch that was well past it’s prime. The owner and his wife were pretty old, they had no sons to take it over and so they just ran it at a bare minimum, just a handful of cows.



In their main house was the best ever collection of wall hanger trophy big game animals I had ever seen, all taken with his only rifle, a 264 Winchester Magnum in a Model 70. He had bought it brand new in around 1960 a few years after it was introduced.



I guess he was 75 then, real fit, still hunting some.



He had daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and at his daughter's request, he wanted to go lead free.



I had set up a small reloading bench in the bunkhouse. He had a big one in his workshop but had not done any reloading in a long time, and so he asked me if I would reload his 264 for him. I said yes.



That was in the late summer then and by early fall I had his loads ready, and his rifle sighted in. We shot right there on the ranch



I only loaded the 130 grain Barnes bullets and what I had to compare them to was the 130 grain Barnes in my 270. Any difference in BC was very slight. And the ,270 had averaged at least 75’/sec more with most powders. At the top end with H4350 my 270 was going a hair under 3,200’/sec and with just one powder the 264 was a hair over 3,200’/sec. In general however the 264 was slower than the .270.



And was the 264 a powder hog.



The old rancher did so well with his 264 because he was a natural great shot and he only hunted with one rifle.



Probably with lighter bullets the 264 could outperform the .270 ???? but any real-world difference would amount to two or maybe three dead flies in regard to game field utility.