The fast, the flat, the forgotten!

[BGHNTR416]

I played with some Nosler 150 ABLR's but the results were not impressive. Need to try some different powders and seating depths. Will also try some 129 barnes LRX. I have been having good luck with that bullet in other rifles.

 

[WyoBull]

I played with some Nosler 150 ABLR's but the results were not impressive. Need to try some different powders and seating depths. Will also try some 129 barnes LRX. I have been having good luck with that bullet in other rifles.

I shoot the Barnes 145 gr LRX in my 7mm RUM and love that bullet. I load a number of different Barnes bullets for that rifle and it is my favorite of all the bullet weights and styles.

 

[colorado]

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!!!

I bought a very used Mark V (japanese vintage) in 270 Weatherby from the Cabela's gun library for $800. It shoots about .5 MOA if you take a minute between shots with Weatherby Factory 150g Partitions at 3200 fps as measured by my Garmin. It's a nice rifle. It's got a 4x16 Zeiss Conquest on it now. I've hit the scuba tank at 845 yards 5 times in a row with it Haven't hunted with it yet, still partial to my 500 Jeffery.

 

[flatwater bill]

I bought a case of Win 140 grainers for my 264 Model 700 when that was issued as the "Classic" in about 1981. They killed like lightening. When I got my first Chronograph, these loads averaged only 3008 fps in the 24' bbl. I was able to easily juice that up to the full advert 3200 fps......and wear the bbl out. But it was a great rifle and a great cartridge. ......not much improvement in the Nosler series IMO.....FWB

 

[PAUL_MAUSER]

I have 2 Weatherby's, both MKV Deluxe versions. One is in .270 WM and the other is a .340 WM.

Haven't hunted with either or even scoped them yet but got them purely just because as a kid working his first job at a gun store in the late 90's I always drooled over those nice rifles on the rack and wanted one but at the $4.75 hr minimum wage back then it wasn't going to happen.

 

[FlyGuy]

I don’t get the whole barrel burner thing when it involves hunting rifles.
1000-1500 accurate rounds down the pipe is a hell of a lot of meat in the freezer.

 

[hoytcanon]

I shot an old Ruger Tanger in .264 WM many years ago... it was great in the NorOnt cuts for moose and up in the Tundra Muskeg on caribou... it sure heated up the barrel fast and I eventually burned out the throat and didn't replace it... ended up using the receiver for another build.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I don’t get the whole barrel burner thing when it involves hunting rifles.
1000-1500 accurate rounds down the pipe is a hell of a lot of meat in the freezer.

Agree 100% but Joe Average is going to torch the throat on large capacity, small caliber cases the first time he goes to the range. Saw it too many times, especially with 7RMs. How's a box of 20 in a half hour sound? Then the guy tries to put it back in the case by with one hand on the barrel.

 

[FlyGuy]

Agree 100% but Joe Average is going to torch the throat on large capacity, small caliber cases the first time he goes to the range. Saw it too many times, especially with 7RMs. How's a box of 20 in a half hour sound? Then the guy tries to put it back in the case by with one hand on the barrel.

Yeah… also seen guys ruin them by putting a hot rifle in a bag and forgetting about it for a while.
Worst I saw was a Sako A7 that looked like it had been left outdoors for years.

 

[C.W. Richter]

'Wanted a lightweight, long-range mountain shooter, so in 2006 (inspired by the knowledge of the 264 WM, shooting many 300 WMs and 257 Wbys (and a knowledge of handloading/ballistics) I necked down a 300 WSM to 264 WSM (best thing I ever did, ballistics-wise) and asked Mark Bansner to make me a gun to my specs. 3200-3400 fps 130-140 gr, 3150 160 gr-has taken game all over the world (and some impressive shots 450-750 yds at times in bad weather and good.) The original win mag was my goal, but riflewise and ballistically, the shorter case/action/bbl won out. 'Shot the bbl out of it (Lilja) after 3,000ish rounds and just had Bansner re-barrel it w/ 2" longer (25"), faster twist/less grooves and now it seems to have adopted the even more superior bc/sd 150-160 gr pills at increased V. 'Wasn't sure Mark would have my pet redone by deer season this year, so put together an equally nice 6.5-300 Wby (slightly larger package but very, very nice long range, all-weather shooter!) both shoot nearly one hole groups. And I am reminded above the original carbon steel barrels would get burned out prematurely by the original 264 especially when hot hand loaded. High quality stainless is the way to go in these high velocity guns. Also the selection of 270 bullets was unimpressive for a very long time. The only reason for the higher velocity rounds is to extend the effective range. If suitable high BC/SD bullets are not available there's just no point. 140 grain is the beginning of good in 6.5.

 

[C.W. Richter]

This is how the high velocity semi custom 264s shoot with factory ammo. You can expect even better with hand loads. This was with a crosswind at a public range with the sun in my face very first time I shot the weatherby! And for those of you that are unaware there are at least three 6.5 weatherby's and the least marketed 300 is the king. It has been used in 1,000 to 3000 yard competition.

 

[CZDiesel]

'Wanted a lightweight, long-range mountain shooter, so in 2006 (inspired by the knowledge of the 264 WM, shooting many 300 WMs and 257 Wbys (and a knowledge of handloading/ballistics) I necked down a 300 WSM to 264 WSM (best thing I ever did, ballistics-wise) and asked Mark Bansner to make me a gun to my specs. 3200-3400 fps 130-140 gr, 3150 160 gr-has taken game all over the world (and some impressive shots 450-750 yds at times in bad weather and good.) The original win mag was my goal, but riflewise and ballistically, the shorter case/action/bbl won out. 'Shot the bbl out of it (Lilja) after 3,000ish rounds and just had Bansner re-barrel it w/ 2" longer (25"), faster twist/less grooves and now it seems to have adopted the even more superior bc/sd 150-160 gr pills at increased V. 'Wasn't sure Mark would have my pet redone by deer season this year, so put together an equally nice 6.5-300 Wby (slightly larger package but very, very nice long range, all-weather shooter!) both shoot nearly one hole groups. And I am reminded above the original carbon steel barrels would get burned out prematurely by the original 264 especially when hot hand loaded. High quality stainless is the way to go in these high velocity guns. Also the selection of 270 bullets was unimpressive for a very long time. The only reason for the higher velocity rounds is to extend the effective range. If suitable high BC/SD bullets are not available there's just no point. 140 grain is the beginning of good in 6.5.

How does it feed? I know there has been a lot of issues with the smaller WSM’s feeding properly

 

[C.W. Richter]

How does it feed? I know there has been a lot of issues with the smaller WSM’s feeding properly

we have 2, and admittedly the factory action is NOT the smoothest (lol as it's akin to shoving a coke can into the chamber at a 45 degree angle using a pencil!) but the custom actions (Bansner, Borden, etc.) feed very well, as I believe they corrected the situation at the ramp. Never had a non-feed, but you feel its pain in the factory actions sometimes! With their accuracy, all you have to do is get the 1st on in the chamber!

 

[wolfhunter]

my 1st big game rifle was a 270 weatherby mag. (1983) after studying all the ballistic tables that was the one I picked at that time black bear deer elk moose was all I thaught I was after 160 gr. partiton took a moose shoot through the goods and sounded like a ricochet after i went through the right front leg bone.

 

[264]

Im a big fan of the 264WM, currently running a pre 64 in 264. Gets plenty of use on game. I run 130 TSX 120 ACP, 140 PPSN
Young buff bull,140PPSN

cow 2x 140 gr PPSN

boar

winchester pre 64 featherweight 264WM

 

[BryceM]

They're both great rounds, perhaps initially hampered a bit by bullets that didn't always handle the velocity at close ranges. I think this, probably more than anything else gave most hotrods a bad name in Africa. I personally think the .257 WBY with 100 gr TTSX is potent medicine, and would be just fine for 'bout anything in Africa but the largest of antelope and DG. Faster-twist barrels and slightly heavier bullets (like Hammers) are even better. Older cup/core bullets - nope, not a great choice for these. For consideration of use in Africa, the magnumitis craze was in full swing around this same time. The beautiful .264 and .270 WBY were probably found guilty by association with the other, which have been associated with poor shooting in the hands of many.

That said, there is also something to be said for using what works..... and for many decades now, many PH's favor a .308 (or bigger) bullet at more modest speeds. I suspect we'll see the smaller, faster rounds catch on in Africa, eventually, but it will be a transition over many decades.

I'm quite thrilled with a .260 AI that I've been playing with recently. It's supremely accurate, and the selection of 6.5 bullets is marvelous.

 

[CZDiesel]

my 1st big game rifle was a 270 weatherby mag. (1983) after studying all the ballistic tables that was the one I picked at that time black bear deer elk moose was all I thaught I was after 160 gr. partiton took a moose shoot through the goods and sounded like a ricochet after i went through the right front leg bone.

Do you still have that 260 WBY? What rifle was in on?

Im a big fan of the 264WM, currently running a pre 64 in 264. Gets plenty of use on game. I run 130 TSX 120 ACP, 140 PPSN
Young buff bull,140PPSN
View attachment 655964
cow 2x 140 gr PPSN
View attachment 655962
boar
View attachment 655963
winchester pre 64 featherweight 264WM
View attachment 655961

You are taking some large game with that 264! What is the reaction on those Buff you have shot with it?

They're both great rounds, perhaps initially hampered a bit by bullets that didn't always handle the velocity at close ranges. I think this, probably more than anything else gave most hotrods a bad name in Africa. I personally think the .257 WBY with 100 gr TTSX is potent medicine, and would be just fine for 'bout anything in Africa but the largest of antelope and DG. Faster-twist barrels and slightly heavier bullets (like Hammers) are even better. Older cup/core bullets - nope, not a great choice for these. For consideration of use in Africa, the magnumitis craze was in full swing around this same time. The beautiful .264 and .270 WBY were probably found guilty by association with the other, which have been associated with poor shooting in the hands of many.

That said, there is also something to be said for using what works..... and for many decades now, many PH's favor a .308 (or bigger) bullet at more modest speeds. I suspect we'll see the smaller, faster rounds catch on in Africa, eventually, but it will be a transition over many decades.

I'm quite thrilled with a .260 AI that I've been playing with recently. It's supremely accurate, and the selection of 6.5 bullets is marvelous.

No doubt you’re right! The 257 WBY is a screamer! With the new bonded and mono bullets these cartridges shine brighter than ever!

 

[DLSJR]

I inherited a pre-64 ‘Westerner’ in .264 from my father. He never shot it much as he favored a 243; but I really loved the .264. I put a Brown Precision fiberglass stock on it and found it to be a great rifle for western game. My son and I used it enough that we eventually shot the barrel out, probably got 1,200 or so shots on the original barrel. Since I needed a new barrel, I decided on a complete overhaul…

I had a local rifle builder install a 26” Krieger stainless match grade barrel with 1 in 8” twist, he then pillar bedded the same Brown Precision stock, installed a Timney trigger set to 2 3/4 lbs, and we topped it with a new Leupold VX5HD in 3-15 with CDS turret and Firedot reticle set in Talley bases & rings. The load I shoot is a Barnes 127 grain LRX at 3,220 fps and groups to 0.335”. It’s been a great rifle, especially since the re-build. Next hunt with it will be in Zambia later this year for a big Sitatunga.

 

[CZDiesel]

I inherited a pre-64 ‘Westerner’ in .264 from my father. He never shot it much as he favored a 243; but I really loved the .264. I put a Brown Precision fiberglass stock on it and found it to be a great rifle for western game. My son and I used it enough that we eventually shot the barrel out, probably got 1,200 or so shots on the original barrel. Since I needed a new barrel, I decided on a complete overhaul…

I had a local rifle builder install a 26” Krieger stainless match grade barrel with 1 in 8” twist, he then pillar bedded the same Brown Precision stock, installed a Timney trigger set to 2 3/4 lbs, and we topped it with a new Leupold VX5HD in 3-15 with CDS turret and Firedot reticle set in Talley bases & rings. The load I shoot is a Barnes 127 grain LRX at 3,220 fps and groups to 0.335”. It’s been a great rifle, especially since the re-build. Next hunt with it will be in Zambia later this year for a big Sitatunga.

Nice! Pics?!?!

 

[BeeMaa]

The 264 WinMag and 270 WM are both great calibers. For me, here in Wyoming, I wanted something to not only shoot longer distances but hit hard when it got there. So, years ago I stepped into a 7mm RUM. Today I have so much brass and components for it that I will take it to my grave and quite frankly, I just do not want to start over with a different caliber.

I have a friend who bought a Remington 700 stainless & synthetic 300RUM not long after they first came out. He did what you did and stocked up on ammo (doesn't reload) because it's such a great shooter. Has used it to take a 6x6 bull elk at 260 yards running up a hill.