Love the early A-bolts, have a Medallion in 300wm. That rifle you have would be on a very short list of rifles I'd love to have. Strange how the 284 floundered for so long and now gets the proper recognition it deserves.
284 Winchester For Hunting
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COBrad
Well-Known Member
An update on my NULA 284 Winchester. Took a bighorn ram at 675 yards with it in September. Great little rifle and a really good cartridge.
Would love some details on that. Bullet, load, scope, etc. My NULA .284 arrived last week. Just missed out on hunting season, so I have a lot of time to shoot it and work up loads for next year.
cabelasken
Well-Known Member
I have 3 284's, the first was a browning a bolt from the mid 80's a factory original barrel had 6000 rounds thru it and then 5000 have been put down the shillen SS match #3. It now needs another barrel!! The second 284 is a Model 70 DBM from the mid 90's. and the third is a herters U-9 that I bought off a friend in the mid 90's. All three are now retired as I have fell in love with the 280 AI. Although with careful reloading, the 284 is very close to the velocities of a 7 mag - in factory form, the velocities I have gotten from the 280 AI are just too good to be ignored. With good brass and careful loading, 7 RM factory velocities are easily achieved.
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cabelasken
Well-Known Member
I have taken 3 cow elk with the 145 LRX and performance has been perfect so far. This year the entrance was in the middle of the near side shoulder and the exit thru the middle of the ribs was the 2 1/2" diameter. In between there was a solid would channel but not much blood shot meat. About a 3 ft diameter blood spray against the hillside on the exit and the cow dropped 20 ft away. This bullet has been extremely accurate in four different 280 AI's that I have tried it in. and at 3100+ fps at muzzle, it is extremely flat shooting.
More of an open-ended question ... Published loads for the .284 Winchester are limited to the lower pressure of the SAAMI specs, derived at a time when the cartridge was primarily for the Winchester Models 100 and 88. In a bolt rifle there seem to be no reasons for that limitation. Given the new propellents we have today, is there a source for higher pressure loads which could produce higher velocities? I realize the .284 is and always will be quite niche, but I'm looking for the best hunting loads possible today. Thanks for any help.
To answer your question as simply as possible… YES… the 284 Win can outperform its original configuration by putting it in a long action and loading it to longer OAL with modern powders.
You will get noticeable gains in performance.
It is a very efficient cartridge in regards to performance for given powder capacity compared to others in the class above and below.
Timnterra
Well-Known Member
The accurate shooter website has a 284 load data page with good data on it.
COBrad
Well-Known Member
My load has been 160 grain Accubond seated -.030, 55.3 grains H4831sc. It's been a reliably 1 moa load and frequently better. I've killed elk from 20 to 380 yards and the ram at 675 yards with this load.
Tom Gresham said:
Would love some details on that. Bullet, load, scope, etc. My NULA .284 arrived last week. Just missed out on hunting season, so I have a lot of time to shoot it and work up loads for next year.
Just noticing you have a NULA and likely on a short action with 2.995 COAL limitation... you can still load 140-160 Nosler BT, Accubond or Spitzer SP with a good powder and still get very good velocity and accuracy in the 284.
Would love some details on that. Bullet, load, scope, etc. My NULA .284 arrived last week. Just missed out on hunting season, so I have a lot of time to shoot it and work up loads for next year.
Just noticing you have a NULA and likely on a short action with 2.995 COAL limitation... you can still load 140-160 Nosler BT, Accubond or Spitzer SP with a good powder and still get very good velocity and accuracy in the 284.
Yes, the NULA magazine will take a load out to that length. I have a good supply of BT and AB 120, 140, 150 ABLR, and 160. I am getting 2780fps with the 160 AB in my ULA 7mm-08. Hoping for a bit more with the .284. Not sure which bullet weight I'll settle on.
I'll go back and look at my notes but H4350 is what I'm using with 150 ABLR, 150 NBT and 154 interlock.
150 ABLR run 2930 FPS, 150 NBT and Solid Base run 2910 out of my 26" barrel
I get 2840 with 154 Interlocks and 150 NBT out of my 22" suppressed barrel.
Those are easy safe loads using H4350.
You could excite it with RL17, 26 or Vit N550-560 if your looking for more.
Hybrid 100V has shown promise as well.
150 ABLR run 2930 FPS, 150 NBT and Solid Base run 2910 out of my 26" barrel
I get 2840 with 154 Interlocks and 150 NBT out of my 22" suppressed barrel.
Those are easy safe loads using H4350.
You could excite it with RL17, 26 or Vit N550-560 if your looking for more.
Hybrid 100V has shown promise as well.
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A follow up from my previous post:
I'm going to my annual Texas hunt... and because now they only allow suppressed shooting...Today I went out and shot the 284 Win with 150 NBT and 150 Nosler Solid Base in my Tikka 22" Lilja barrel with suppressor.
Both loaded the same... they hold dam near the exact POI.
The 5 shot group average speed was 2848 fps with about .5 MOA group with one off of the clover... then smacked the 200, 300, 400 and 500 dead center with...(Get ready nay sayers)... the Burris Ballistic Plex LRS scope.
One of my favorite hunting scopes!
I've dicked with the load enough to put the velocity in the place where it and the Ballistic Coefficient of the bullet summation equate to the exact drop point of the reticle.
I'm sure many of you have done that before! This is the exact reason why we handload...right!
Anyhow... I'm going up to hunt for my personal best Aoudad.
I'm going to my annual Texas hunt... and because now they only allow suppressed shooting...Today I went out and shot the 284 Win with 150 NBT and 150 Nosler Solid Base in my Tikka 22" Lilja barrel with suppressor.
Both loaded the same... they hold dam near the exact POI.
The 5 shot group average speed was 2848 fps with about .5 MOA group with one off of the clover... then smacked the 200, 300, 400 and 500 dead center with...(Get ready nay sayers)... the Burris Ballistic Plex LRS scope.
One of my favorite hunting scopes!I've dicked with the load enough to put the velocity in the place where it and the Ballistic Coefficient of the bullet summation equate to the exact drop point of the reticle.
I'm sure many of you have done that before! This is the exact reason why we handload...right!
Anyhow... I'm going up to hunt for my personal best Aoudad.
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