.264 Win Mag

[pgothro]

Well I'll chime in here. My .264 has been in the family since 1958 Model 70 Winchester with a 26" SS bbl.
When my dad the engineer calculated MV (mathamatically chronos were too expensive) he figured MV at 3200fps (with sd adjusting to 3180fps) this was also factory from WW. he was able to get better than factory with 140gr Sierra BTSP. Well 53 years later I have the chron and bot loads new (1970 box WW 140 gr and his pet load) and shure enough 3200fps, but groups were @ 2" groups @ 200yds. the twist is 1 in 9. he always loaded these 140's with IMR 4831 62gr.
I have since found that 130gr Barnes TSX and Berger 130 VLD shoot consitently .500 inch groups with 62gr. of IMR/H 4831 at 3144fps. i have done some testing with H1000 but they don't shoot as fast. I also load Woodleigh 160's and they shoot fine. The 90's are smoking fast but dod thought too mush at a a estimated 3700fps would shoot the baarrel out.
The gun has many 1 shot kills but none past 500yds my dad would not shoot meat past 200, but many coyotes and other game at 500yds. I can't think of 2 shots i had to make with it. I don't like the 129's and think the 130's from Berger and Barnes are the best for this rifle. I dont believe 130's were even avaliable when my dad loaded this, but i have ben told that if math is applied then the 130 just shoots better. I'll keep this gun forever it doesnt shoot like my new 300WM but that has only had 200 rounds down the pipe and no blood.

 

[WildRose]

Well I'll chime in here. My .264 has been in the family since 1958 Model 70 Winchester with a 26" SS bbl.
When my dad the engineer calculated MV (mathamatically chronos were too expensive) he figured MV at 3200fps (with sd adjusting to 3180fps) this was also factory from WW. he was able to get better than factory with 140gr Sierra BTSP. Well 53 years later I have the chron and bot loads new (1970 box WW 140 gr and his pet load) and shure enough 3200fps, but groups were @ 2" groups @ 200yds. the twist is 1 in 9. he always loaded these 140's with IMR 4831 62gr.
I have since found that 130gr Barnes TSX and Berger 130 VLD shoot consitently .500 inch groups with 62gr. of IMR/H 4831 at 3144fps. i have done some testing with H1000 but they don't shoot as fast. I also load Woodleigh 160's and they shoot fine. The 90's are smoking fast but dod thought too mush at a a estimated 3700fps would shoot the baarrel out.
The gun has many 1 shot kills but none past 500yds my dad would not shoot meat past 200, but many coyotes and other game at 500yds. I can't think of 2 shots i had to make with it. I don't like the 129's and think the 130's from Berger and Barnes are the best for this rifle. I dont believe 130's were even avaliable when my dad loaded this, but i have ben told that if math is applied then the 130 just shoots better. I'll keep this gun forever it doesnt shoot like my new 300WM but that has only had 200 rounds down the pipe and no blood.

Sounds like a sweet rig. I'd probably use it for hunting only and be very kind to it so it'll last another lifetime.

 

[pgothro]

Here is a photo (not a good one) my dad put a custom Myrtle Wood stock on it in 1964 after a fall chipped the original, i put a Leupold 4-12 on it a few years ago. i do take it to the range for load work but it goes hunting regulary.

Thanks,

pat,

 

[Dano1]

That's a prety nice rifle....Love it!

I don't have a .264 Win mag, but I do have a 6.5-06 AI. Rfignt now, with all of the work that I've done with this rifle I would hope that a .264Win Mag could shoot a 140g Bullet at leat 3200FPS.

I wa able to get 3150 with a 140g Berger and a 140g Sierra GK out of mine. There was no pressure either.

I dropped those two bullets because my bbl is a 1-9 twist and I couldn't get either one to group less than 1" and I messed with 3 diffrent powders and seating depth.

I switched to 129g Hornady SSTs and Interbonds (these are ballistically interchangeable) and I was able to achieve 3300fps, I have since droped the max load down 1 grain. I had 1 lot of thicker brass and didn't know it I blew some primers. I am using RL-22. The velocity and accuracy is great, but RL-22 Burns dirty in this rifle.

All Factory .264 Win Mags have 1-9" Twist bbls. It's a rare one that will shoot a 140 or bigge bullet accurately. I guess Winchester, when they standardized the twist for the cartridge, thought 1 inch accuracy was acceptable. They should have had a 1-8" or 1-8 1/2" twist...Just my opinion.

I built the 6.5-06AI Versus the .264 Win Mag due to the effency of the case. I give up some velocity, but it works for me.

Dan

 

[pgothro]

Well i certanly can push the MV out past 3200 but there is history it is a pre 64 Model 70 purchased new in 1958 the first year offered, the same year i was born and it has a factory SS bbl. too much history to have a shot out barrel i estimate that there have been @ 4000+ rounds down the barrel so pushing the MV for distance is not worth it. That is what I had a new 300WM built for. I agree with you on the 140's neither factory or handloads will shoot the consistent 1/2" groups the 130's do.

 

[apexmtnman]

The 140 grain Bergers will shoot in my 9 inch twist Rem 700 CDL SF, here's a group I shot the other day at 300 yards, 68.5 gr Retumbo, WW cases, Fed 215M primers right around 3200 fps. Not benchrest accuracy but good enough for a hunting rifle.

 

[WildRose]

The 140 grain Bergers will shoot in my 9 inch twist Rem 700 CDL SF, here's a group I shot the other day at 300 yards, 68.5 gr Retumbo, WW cases, Fed 215M primers right around 3200 fps. Not benchrest accuracy but good enough for a hunting rifle.

That looks very close to a perfect 1.5" equilateral triangle and at that range, that's more than "good enough" for a hunting rifle when you do the math on it.

 

[apexmtnman]

I bought a Kreiger 8.5 twist barrel thinking I would put it on the CDL so I took it to the range to verify my thinking, but I think I'll just leave it alone and look for another build. I mounted the action in a HS Precision stock that I skim bedded and I adjusted the original Mark X trigger and it shoots very good considering its a stock Rem barrel.

 

[daerhldgs2]

I shoot a custom 264 Win with a 26 in ss barrel in 1-10 and until I could no longer get it was using 77gr. of H870 with a mag rifle primer and Hornady 140 BTSP in a ww case and chronographed over 3150 at 6ft. with no pressure signs and .75in. 3 shot groups. Now I need to find a new powder. Any suggestions?

 

[apexmtnman]

Try Retumbo, I tried a bunch of different powders and got the best accuracy and speed with it.

 

[daerhldgs2]

thanks I'll give it a try.

 

[OKIE2]

I shoot a custom 264 Win with a 26 in ss barrel in 1-10 and until I could no longer get it was using 77gr. of H870 with a mag rifle primer and Hornady 140 BTSP in a ww case and chronographed over 3150 at 6ft. with no pressure signs and .75in. 3 shot groups. Now I need to find a new powder. Any suggestions?

RL 22 works fine in mine

 

[BillR]

I've been working on getting 2 different .264 Win Mags to shoot. Both are Remington Sendero II's and except for scopes their identical up to a point. One has just a wee bit less freebore and that is about it. Both actually have too little free bore. Both have oversize firing pin holes. One is a bit larger than the other and no mater what load I use on either of them I get cratered primers. I'm trying to get them both to shoot with the Sierra 142 MK and Retumbo.
I started out 1.5 grains below book max and started working up. 61 grains is where I started. I was using Federal 215M magnum primers. With new Nosler custom brass, Retumbo at 61 through 65 grains, 215M Mag primer it shot patterns, not groups. No problem with bolt lift ever. I kept going carefully and worked my way up. I was getting a lot of soot coming back along the neck on the lower loads and as I worked up I was seeing less and less. About 67 grains it really started to come around. I was down to about a 1" group but just could not get it any better. I kept going and at 68 it seemed to act like it knew what it was supposed to do but was still getting around a 3/4" group. I talked to my gunsmith about the bolt's problem and he said after hunting season we can bush it and cure the problem or send them back to Remington. Neither are blowing primers. I showed him the target and he advised me to change my primers to Winchester Magnum LR primers. Didn't give me much for reason except he said it would tighten up my groups.
So yesterday I did just that.
Both rifles are shooting right at 1/4" groups
68 grains of Retumbo
3 times fired brass. (Neither gun likes new brass and really come into their own with 2-3 times fire brass) Dies set to neck size only.
Winchester LR Magnum primers.
142 grain SMK's
COL is 3.33
Any longer and they both have trouble with accuracy again. This is about 10 thousands off the lands for both guns. Neither gun will chamber a factory 140 grain cartridge which I still had a box of Winchester ammo.
I'm getting around 3190 FPS with single digit spread except for 1 round decided to do 3210 which I think I can blame on the chronograph or maybe it was just a fluke.
Anyway that is where I am at with both guns. Neither seem to like anything different for OAL and neither seem to want a different primer but the load works very well for them.
Like everyone else says, start low and work up as every gun is different.

 

[436]

So true for the old books I lost all my 1960 books in a fire still miss them.
most people don't even know there was a 2 diameter bullet ever made
they were the first low drag bullet on the market. wish they still made them.

I would agree 100% the old books are worth their weight in "what every money worth theses days" The double running band surface bullets of the old day's… that Remington could only get their hands on in 6.5mm to give the 140gr it bite… are long gone… but not the Lawyer's as was pointed out.
I've always been a "big" fan of the .264 Win Mag; when you think Winchester M70 Western it always pop into ones mind.
Today bullets in 6.5mm give the .264 Win Mag a whole new shot at the game…. but you need old school recipes to make some of it happen.
Here's a few books I've kept over the year and glad I did, especially for the older established cartridges like the .264 Win Mag.
Good luck with your efforts.
436