Many years ago there was an article with this title about the 264 WinMag and the 270 Weatherby. Back when I got serious about hunting here in the US West, Arizona and New Mexico, these two cartridges were the gold standard for long range work as they could reach way out there! They both were considered the best long range big game cartridges along with the 257 Weatherby but the the 257 didn’t have the same juice as the 264 or 270 did on heavier game…
By the late 90s a slew of long range cartridges started to flood the market that included the 7STW, 30/378, and all the short magnums and the 264 WinMag and 270 Weatherby were forgotten! Yet most of them would only duplicate the performance standard that they set! Yes some did have improved performance but most didn’t…
The 264 WinMag is my personal favorite for Western US big game and is still an incredible long range cartridge! And with today’s bullet technology it has put a bonded bullet with well over the 600 B.C mark in the 6.5 class! These fly very fast, very flat, and have serious punch on target at range!
A lot was made of the 264 not making its 3200fps mark and being downloaded to 3030fps and also about it burning out barrels? Well I have 500+ rounds down the tube of my 264 and its barrel still looks new! Now I did have the barreled action cryo’d but it still looks new.
Also I’ve always been able to reach the 3200fps mark with its 26” barrel and with the newest powders I’d bet that mark can be surpassed!
All of this is the same for the 270 Weatherby and both are still incredible in the US West and for plains game in Africa! Yet one hardly ever, if ever, hears about them today?
I am an old soul, old school guy that will always prefer walnut over synthetic and laments the fact that when I walk into every gun shop now all those beautiful wood stocked rifles have been replaced by black ones…
So here is to the fast, the flat, the forgotten!!! The 264 WinMag and the 270 Weatherby! They will never be forgotten by me!!!