does an improved case really improve

[WeiserBucks]

If I'm presented with a larger game temple shot to 600yds, the percentages are far in my favor.

What percentage of your large game is shot in the temple at 600 yards?

 

[ARlife4me]

What percentage of your large game is shot in the temple at 600 yards?

100% when it gets shot there

 

[VinceMule]

Bob, I run a 280 AI also, Lapua brass with 175 & 180g bullets, and I will not even mention the loads other than to say that Lapua brass' primer pockets are tough!

 

[Bob Wright]

Bob, I run a 280 AI also, Lapua brass with 175 & 180g bullets, and I will not even mention the loads other than to say that Lapua brass' primer pockets are tough!

Better than Nosler. Way better. My Nosler all had donuts/soft brass, went to Peterson and working thru the first 100 of them. No problems but they do have thicker brass as I think Lance was alluding to.

 

[Mike D Texas]

It's an extreme for the cal already.
Nothing is going to improve barrel or brass life, or efficiency for it.
Or put another way, by the time you did improve these things, it would no longer be anything like a 264wm.

I consider lasting accuracy (not fleeting) as the most powerful of ballistic attributes.
With this, the 260AI with a 140VLD can drop anything a 264wm can in my mind.
So that might sound crazy, but not to a another groundhog hunter.
If I'm presented with a larger game temple shot to 600yds, the percentages are far in my favor.

I also have a 260AI and I agree, it's the perfect intermediate cartridge.

The 264WMI is on another level though if you need to stretch it out a long way.

 

[VinceMule]

264 Winchester Mag is one of the most underrated cartridges made. H1000 in this cartridge makes the throat last a lot longer! My last 264 Win mag was one of those el cheapo Winchesters made around '65-66. I shot the barrel out with a 129g Hornady Sp with IMR 4831 with a velocity around 3150, nothing exceptional, but this load killed very well shots to 350 and less with half a dollar size out the offside, breaking bones all the way.

Brother's custom 264 WM shoots the 140g Bergers and 142g Nosler long-range accubonds at 3250 with amazing groups at 500 yards.

 

[ARlife4me]

264 Winchester Mag is one of the most underrated cartridges made. H1000 in this cartridge makes the throat last a lot longer! My last 264 Win mag was one of those el cheapo Winchesters made around '65-66. I shot the barrel out with a 129g Hornady Sp with IMR 4831 with a velocity around 3150, nothing exceptional, but this load killed very well shots to 350 and less with half a dollar size out the offside, breaking bones all the way.

Brother's custom 264 WM shoots the 140g Bergers and 142g Nosler long-range accubonds at 3250 with amazing groups at 500 yards.

I'm running 61.3gr of imr4831 with Sierra 140Sbt. That's .5 over #5 data book. This is in a pre'64 ('61 to be exact) with most of those loads down the tube and some S 85 and 100gr also. The throat looks like southern Arizona asphalt after 2,500 or more rounds and still shoots less than 1moa. Winchester will not put a new barrel on it unless it shoots more than 1.5moa. So, no luck on that department!

 

[WeiserBucks]

You expect Winchester to put a new barrel on a 63 year old rifle?

 

[ARlife4me]

I was looking at the difference between the 22-250rem and the improved version, but the AI has less pressure and swades me towards the 22creed. What looks to be a good choice is the 22br (Remington) in an AR with 85gr and up.

 

[Mikecr]

Sorry to offend the 264wm folks..
I didn't need to pick that particular cartridge to get my point across.

So back to my point: once a cartridge is already a pretty extreme design, a simple AI conversion is not likely to 'improve' anything.
I can't picture an AI conversion hurting anything but it's not always the right way to go. There are limits to everything.

 

[VinceMule]

I'm running 61.3gr of imr4831 with Sierra 140Sbt. That's .5 over #5 data book. This is in a pre'64 ('61 to be exact) with most of those loads down the tube and some S 85 and 100gr also. The throat looks like southern Arizona asphalt after 2,500 or more rounds and still shoots less than 1moa. Winchester will not put a new barrel on it unless it shoots more than 1.5moa. So, no luck on that department!

I think my load was 61.5g of IMR 4831, Rem case with Rem 9 1/2 with the 129g sp at 3150...my '65 model 70 was a junker, but glory be...the memories with it were really something. The 140g Hornady Sp is a very, very tough bullet compared to the 129. The 140 Hornady sp flat base, I considered too tough for deer. Running deer are often hard to find where I hunt.

 

[VinceMule]

260 AI with 140's, 2950 is real world-H4350

264 Win mag, 140g, 3250 fps is real world, R26

300 fps worth it? Your call....

H1000 with the 140's at 3150 serves much longer barrel life, additional 400-600 rounds. I suspect that N160 and N165 would do the same, while N550/560 eats barrels like you are shooting battery acid....really hot stuff.