264 Win Vs 7mmRM preference & why?

[Lefty7mmstw]

Not sure what books you're using, but the 7 Rem Mag is right around 300 fps faster than a 270 Win with equal weight bullets according to Nosler (and all my other resources and personal experience loading both)...

Click Here for 264 WM 130 gr ≈ 3200 fps, 140 gr ≈ 3050 fps
Click Here for 270 Win 130 gr ≈ 3150 fps, 140 gr ≈ 3000 fps, 150 gr ≈ 2900 fps
Click Here for 7 Rem Mag. 140 gr ≈ 3300 fps, 150 gr ≈ 3200 fps

Even if you ignore B.C., 270 doesn't beat 264 Win Mag, and it's not even in the same zip code as the 7 Rem Mag.

270 Win, 140 Accubond @ 495 yds ≈ 2100 fps, 1350 ftlbs

264WM, 140 Accubond @ 535 yds ≈ 2100 fps, 1350 fps

7 Rem Mag, 140 Accubond @ 625 yds ≈ 2100 fps, 1350 ftlbs

7 Rem Mag 160 Accubond @ 555 yds ≈ 2100 fps, 1550 ftlbs

When you consider B.C., the 264 slowly walks away from the 270 as it goes down range, and the 7 Rem Mag can deliver 15% more bullet on target with less drop/drift than the 270 Win.

O.K.... you are using the Nosler book... Do you realize the load I mention for my 7rem is already 2 grains OVER Nosler's book and still only clocking 3,000 fps; Nosler is over 3300 with a 140 and rl22... We've seen this time and time again with the 7rem no matter the powder or bullet weight. Serious overestimation of the velocity potential. I don't worry about it; I've got bigger toys in the safe and refuse to wind up a cartridge for a couple hundred fps. If it's your only rifle though, it can be a hassle. I load for a buddy's 300roy that is the same way. A bit slow, but a good shooter.
The load for my 270 is running 50 fps or so off from book. I consider both the 7rem and 270 mid range cartridges so I really don't care about better than 400-500 yards and any pointy bullet is fine to that point.

 

[SteveO]

I'm going to answer before I go thru the 7 pages so my opinion won't be swayed. I think the 264 Win got a bad wrap when it was introduced because of the powders of the day and it was set up and marketed more as a varmint rifle than big game.

A couple years after the 26 Nosler was introduced I decided I wanted one. I ended up with a Blaser R8 with a 300 Win and 243 barrel. I was going to have a 26 Nosler barrel built to fill that gap. After much study, I saw a properly twisted 264 Win would do close enough for me with the 142-156g bullets and wonderful powders we have today. No regrets at all with the 264 Win! This ram was only 300 yards but to say the results were devastating would be an understatement

Deer, sheep, mountain goat, even up to musk ox it has done a fantastic job on game. 7mm Mag was not even a thought. Maybe it is too versatile for me. Like a 30-06.

 

[Philward]

I have had many 7RM's but not a 264 YET A MAJOR reason I havnt had a 264 is because I am LH, and availability for 264 leftys Sucks im now 55 so older ones know how availability for leftys has been. It is better but not great.
For a working rifle I prefer stainless synthetics. I hate when I dent my fancy wood stocks.
When one looks at the 264 case its very EASY TO SEE where Remington Totally Copied the 264 and added .020 to the diameter.
I know both, especially the 264 needs a 26" pipe or better, the 7???
What is your opinion on 264 vs 7RM??

Last year went out with a couple friends to the range to sight in rifles and one of them brought a left hand 264 WM in an early 60's Savage 110. He had inherited it from his father who had hunted quite a bit with it. Merely sharing because you are left handed

 

[30378wbymag]

Take a look at the Weatherby 6.5 RPM, it out paces the 264 Win mag and they make a plethora of lefthanded rifles, made in America too!!!

BEE Rifles

 

[Mike Matteson]

Mine's better that your's! It's kind of pointless. I have them in 264WM, 7mm Rem Mag. 308NM, and 338WM. Iike them all.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I've always liked the idea of "gapping" calibers. If you're a 6.5/264 person it makes sense to skip the 7's and go to the 30's. If you're a 7 person it makes sense to skip the 6.5's and go to the 24/25's and to skip the 30's and go up to the 33-37 caliber cartridges for an appreciable difference in the power bands given a similar class of cartridge.

What's "best" is subjective to where and how you hunt… and also what's legal. For larger game like Elk many states out East implement minimal calibers like 27 caliber and up. While many might argue and have proof they've killed with smaller calibers that would be a discussion their lawyer would have to advocate for them on their behalf.

So I settled on 7's as my baseline and gap from there.

This is kinda where I am at.

.224
.264
.308
.338

Sure there's not much gap between the .308 & .338 but I'm just getting into .338 so we will see if it's any better than .308.

I invested heavily in 6.5 caliber a long time ago but really 7 outshines it at really long distances. 800 and under, call it a wash.

 

[Trooper1]

I bought a 264WM while waiting for a 280 Ackley to get finished. It is a Model 70 Extreme Weather with the 9 twist barrel. It shot Nosler 130 Accubonds very well out of the gate. Because (unfortunately) I live in the People's Republik, I need to use all copper - so I grabbed a box of 121 Hammer Hunters and loaded them up. It loves those things! Fast and accurate! I was going to rebarrel to an 8 twist Bartlien, but it's shooting so well, there's no reason. For deer and antelope, it's perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to use it up to elk, as long as I could call the shot. As far as a 7 mag, with the 280 Ackley nipping its heels - with less powder and recoil - no desire to get one. I also have a 300 WM, if I need something with more punch. My personal limit is 500 yards for any game animal. As a few others posted, it depends on what you're going to use it for. But all being said - I love my 264!

 

[264WM]

I've owed and shoot a 7 Rem mag and while I don't have a 264 win mag I do have a 6.5 PRC and it's similar in performance. The 6.5 magnum calibers are nice but I think it depends on what you're wanting to do with the gun. At the end of the day the
7mm Rem Mag will do everything a 264 win mag can do and more. You can compare velocity and BC all day but keep it in the same class and the 7 wins. What I mean by that is if you compare heavy for caliber 6.5 bullets to heavy for caliber 7mm bullets, the 7 will beat it. A 140 grain 6.5 may shine vs a 140 7, but compare it to a comparable bc bullet like a 162 or 168 and that 7 will beat it. 7 Rem Mag has a lot of versatility. Really light and fast options and some very heavy high BC. Either will make a good choice for hunting. I just see more options for the 7 Rem mag on components when I'm out and about.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Is this actual velocity? That's seems very fast for a 160 grain bullet in a 264WM.

 

[Lee7588]

Is this actual velocity? That's seems very fast for a 160 grain bullet in a 264WM.

While actual velocity may be different, the numbers are computer generated

 

[cajun]

3200 with a 160 in 264 win mag is about 400 fps faster than any load from hodgdon who does by the way list pressure for their loads.

 

[264WM]

3200 with a 160 in 264 win mag is about 400 fps faster than any load from hodgdon who does by the way list pressure for their loads.

The Hodgdon manual No 20 load data for the Hornady 160gr round nose is 3067fps with the old H570 powder which I have 3 lbs of so I bumped the load up but then I used my crono. It is a dangerous load but then I can back it off some and be fine around 3200fps. I only fired 3 rounds to test the fps. The Woodleigh PPSN is a core lok style bullet designed for Moose.

 

[cajun]

The Hodgdon manual No 20 load data for the Hornady 160gr round nose is 3067fps with the old H570 powder which I have 3 lbs of so I bumped the load up but then I used my crono. It is a dangerous load but then I can back it off some and be fine around 3200fps. I only fired 3 rounds to test the fps. The Woodleigh PPSN is a core lok style bullet designed for Moose.

Thats 50 year old data.

 

[264WM]

Thats 50 year old data.

Which works fine as I am 77 years old and still working fine. All the new books have been backed off to stop the idiots from taking them to court. I also shoot 85gr hp at 3830fps and the 100gr BT at 3709fps. Who needs a 22-250 when a 85gr bullet will splatter any ground hog all over the county. LOL