6.5 PRC question VS 264win.

[Trnelson]

Why do think a 264WM with a 9" twist is limited to 130g bullets?
I have a few 264WM with 9" twists and all 3 factory rifles shoot a 142g ABLR just fine.
I also have a switch barrel I use for F-Class and a custom hunting rifle switch barrel both running 8" twist barrels and I also have a shipment of 7" twist Brux barrels on the way.

Cheers.

Experience.
Can it stabilize 140g class bullets situationally? Yep, and some it would not at all in my experience. Is is optimal to shoot a 140g class bullet from a 9 twist? Nope. Can accuracy fall apart unpredictably at range due to marginal stability. Yep.
Respectfully, specific to 264win, I have had and shot through just about every variation of 264win a guy can imagine going back to the early 1990's. Including multiple custom reamers, a couple of gain twist barrels, custom twist barrels and several SAAMI spec rifles. I have played with several other 6.5's over the years as well. However, I have not yet owned a 6.5PRC so I can't comment directly as to its ultimate capabilities.

 

[BrentM]

So you are comparing a short action round with a long action round and much more capacity. Generally the WM has more velocity but yes it is less efficient. Meaning the gain for powder burned isn't that great, but still if just looking for velocity the WM should beat it.

Now, the twist, a 6.5 PRC in a short action and short barrel is a legit set up that most of the longer cartridges struggle to match it grain for grain. If you are fine with LA and long barrel the 6.5-06, 6.5x284, and 264 are all good options. For me, my PRC's are wicked good in SA and short barrel.

 

[WildRose]

This will turn you off to the 6.5 PRC if you do not reload: https://grabagun.com/hornady-6-5prc-140gr-eld-20-rounds.html?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02-02-2021+-+Wednesday+Whammo-2022-02-02+20:20:00&utm_content=IMAGE+Hornady-81620-090255816204.jpg_1.jpg?quality=80&fit=bounds&height=400&width=400&sc_src=email_2522650&sc_lid=187901477&sc_uid=ChsPfnJ3L4&sc_llid=502595&sc_eh=2e52643483585c281

$99.99 for a box of 20

You aren't looking in the right places.

Rifle Ammunition, Multiple Ammo Caliber | Sportsman's Warehouse

Buy rifle ammunition at a Sportsman's Warehouse store near you or online. We carry major brands, calibers, types: FMJ, SP, HP, BTHP, SST, Ballistic Tip & more.

www.sportsmans.com

Rifle ammo prices across the board have gone insane over the last 18 months if and when you can find it at all but ammo for the 6.5PRC can still very much be found at affordable prices.

Rifle Ammunition, Multiple Ammo Caliber | Sportsman's Warehouse

Buy rifle ammunition at a Sportsman's Warehouse store near you or online. We carry major brands, calibers, types: FMJ, SP, HP, BTHP, SST, Ballistic Tip & more.

www.sportsmans.com

I love my .264's and .260's but without reloading they would be getting prohibitively expensive if and when you can find factory ammo for them at all.

 

[WildRose]

So you are comparing a short action round with a long action round and much more capacity. Generally the WM has more velocity but yes it is less efficient. Meaning the gain for powder burned isn't that great, but still if just looking for velocity the WM should beat it.

Now, the twist, a 6.5 PRC in a short action and short barrel is a legit set up that most of the longer cartridges struggle to match it grain for grain. If you are fine with LA and long barrel the 6.5-06, 6.5x284, and 264 are all good options. For me, my PRC's are wicked good in SA and short barrel.

I still cannot grasp why anyone gets hung up on short action vs med/long.

At most you're talking about 2oz difference in the weight of the action and maybe five or six overall for the rifle.

 

[BrentM]

I still cannot grasp why anyone gets hung up on short action vs med/long.

At most you're talking about 2oz difference in the weight of the action and maybe five or six overall for the rifle.

Don't recall any mention of weight in my convo but I guess ounces add up. Action, stock etc. worth it? Depends on purpose of the build. It's a short action round regardless and designed for short throw and fast cycling. Again, who cares for hunting. If you're like me and running a switch barrel set up you can be running a 223 trainer, 6 br comp, or a prc hunter in short switch time. Then it has bit more merit for debate. It's a typical short fat case with a improved shoulder and runs reasonably well for its volume and to me that seems worth consideration. Not an overall decision breaker for most.

 

[CMP70306]

I'm not drinking the kool-aid of a 9 twist being a limiting factor. My 264 will shoot 160 grain hornadys into an inch at a hundred. The 140 grain remington core-lokts and 130 grain sciroccos less than an inch at a hundred. If I think I need a heavier bullet, we'll then, I just reach into the gun cabinet and grab a bigger gun. Problem solved. And btw, my 264 is a factory barreled ruger 77 with no more than a McMillan stock added.

Winchester only offering the .264 WM in a 9 twist is the only reason I didn't buy one years ago, I wanted to shoot the heavy bullets but it wouldn't stabilize them. The two heavy bullets you listed are both short and do not require a fast twist compared to something like the 156 EOL that I would shoot to take advantage of the extra speed.

 

[BrentM]

Winchester only offering the .264 WM in a 9 twist is the only reason I didn't buy one years ago, I wanted to shoot the heavy bullets but it wouldn't stabilize them. The two heavy bullets you listed are both short and do not require a fast twist compared to something like the 156 EOL that I would shoot to take advantage of the extra speed.

You'd think the fact this is a long page would rule out some bullet choices and short range groupings as pertinent.

 

[TXTrained]

The PRC capacity is 68-69 grains, a 264 wm will crush it

Just Curious...How far do you shoot your 264? One Mile? 3000 yards? Thanks

 

[WildRose]

Winchester only offering the .264 WM in a 9 twist is the only reason I didn't buy one years ago, I wanted to shoot the heavy bullets but it wouldn't stabilize them. The two heavy bullets you listed are both short and do not require a fast twist compared to something like the 156 EOL that I would shoot to take advantage of the extra speed.

You have to remember there were no offerings to speak of in 6.5 Spitzer type bullets when the .264wm made it's debut or through it's heyday.

The only heavier offerings were round nosed soft pointed bullets specifically designed for large and dangerous game.

The new revolution that has brought the 6.5's again to real prominence and an ever growing share of the market created the demand for longer, heavy for caliber, high BC bullets and that's a relatively new development in the industry.

Fortunately the folks at Winchester have finally recognized the need for a tighter twist barrel to handle the newer, longer and heavier bullets dominating the market today.

The other thing that killed off the .264 was the "barrel burner" reputation that they were quickly handed, fairly or not. Modern barrel metallurgy has taken care of that issue.

The big problem for the .264wm is the 7 RM which quickly dominated it in the market and eventually getting it labeled as "obsolete". Fortunately it's made a nice comeback with the renewed interest in 6.5's but being a belted magnum it's never going to compete for market share with the 6.5PRC even though Ballistically it's a superior round running considerably faster and with then a lot more energy.

To me as a collector of Winchester Model 70's and liking owning rifles chambered for proprietary rounds by the same company putting them out I feel like my collection would forever remain incomplete without at least one in the cabinet.

 

[WildRose]

Just Curious...How far do you shoot your 264? One Mile? 3000 yards? Thanks

It has a considerable velocity and energy advantage over the 6.5PRC at any range.

 

[WildRose]

You'd think the fact this is a long page would rule out some bullet choices and short range groupings as pertinent.

It's also no longer accurate. Winchester finally sobered up and started putting out some 8 tw .264's in the Model 70.

 

[TXTrained]

This will turn you off to the 6.5 PRC if you do not reload: https://grabagun.com/hornady-6-5prc-140gr-eld-20-rounds.html?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02-02-2021+-+Wednesday+Whammo-2022-02-02+20:20:00&utm_content=IMAGE+Hornady-81620-090255816204.jpg_1.jpg?quality=80&fit=bounds&height=400&width=400&sc_src=email_2522650&sc_lid=187901477&sc_uid=ChsPfnJ3L4&sc_llid=502595&sc_eh=2e52643483585c281

$99.99 for a box of 20

I bought 17 boxes of these 300 PRC for $59.00 a box. At Academy Lake Jackson TX a few weeks ago.
The 6 5 PRC were $49.00

 

[codyadams]

I put together a 26" Krieger barreled .264 win mag built on a ruger M77 that was originally a 300 win mag, for my father. It is a 7.5 twist, with a SAAMI chamber. We are running the conservative/accuracy load of an HBN coated 156 EOL @ 3080 fps with 66.5 grains of Retumbo in ADG 7 mag brass. Pressure signs just started to show up at 69.0 grains, in the form of a very faint ejector mark outline on each of 3 rounds fired, going an average of 3222 fps. These are all at .020" off the lands. There was a second best load at 68.5 / 3180 fps, but it was a consistent ~.75 MOA load, where the 3080 load ranges from the .2's to .4's depending on how good the shooter does. At that conservative of a load, I suspect the barrel and brass will last quite a while. It has taken pronghorn and deer out to 850 so far. I have not loaded for a 6.5 prc, so I can't tell you what it will do, but from referencing others numbers, it is nowhere close at similar pressures. Neither is a 6.5-06.

As far as your 9 twist, I would either just replace the barrel with a 7-8 twist tube depending on the bullet you want to run, or pick something in the 130 range until you torch the tube. It certainly will run a 140 class bullet, and that may be a decent option if you live at a pretty high elevation like me (6k+) however if your lower elevation, I would be concerned about terminal performance issues when a bullet isn't properly stabilized. Just because it shoots accurate, does not mean it will perform properly.

 

[TXTrained]

I put together a 26" Krieger barreled .264 win mag built on a ruger M77 that was originally a 300 win mag, for my father. It is a 7.5 twist, with a SAAMI chamber. We are running the conservative/accuracy load of an HBN coated 156 EOL @ 3080 fps with 66.5 grains of Retumbo in ADG 7 mag brass. Pressure signs just started to show up at 69.0 grains, in the form of a very faint ejector mark outline on each of 3 rounds fired, going an average of 3222 fps. These are all at .020" off the lands. There was a second best load at 68.5 / 3180 fps, but it was a consistent ~.75 MOA load, where the 3080 load ranges from the .2's to .4's depending on how good the shooter does. At that conservative of a load, I suspect the barrel and brass will last quite a while. It has taken pronghorn and deer out to 850 so far. I have not loaded for a 6.5 prc, so I can't tell you what it will do, but from referencing others numbers, it is nowhere close at similar pressures. Neither is a 6.5-06.

As far as your 9 twist, I would either just replace the barrel with a 7-8 twist tube depending on the bullet you want to run, or pick something in the 130 range until you torch the tube. It certainly will run a 140 class bullet, and that may be a decent option if you live at a pretty high elevation like me (6k+) however if your lower elevation, I would be concerned about terminal performance issues when a bullet isn't properly stabilized. Just because it shoots accurate, does not mean it will perform properly.

well said