el matador
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- Jul 30, 2008
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Do you realize the .264 WM is a long action cartridge? I thought that would be obvious to most readers.
Hornady 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge
- Thread starter Gray
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WildRose
Well-Known Member
Yes, just as is the 6.5-.300wby you referenced to which I replied.
"There is definitely a niche for a factory 6.5 in between the Creed and the 26 Nosler/6.5-300 Wby size cartridges, and I think the PRC is most likely the one that will fill it."
Do you not realize those are also long action cartridges?
ZSteinle
Well-Known Member
Very true. Africa is mostly 30-06, win mags, and h&h
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Even our neighbors to the south strictly limit what rifle and handgun calibers you can legally own.
Yep, more often than not "freedom" and "choices" are taken for granted.
The problem with the .264 is the lack of fast twist factory rifles and affordable factory ammo. Quick check on Midway shows that the only instock ammo is Nosler at $3.50 a round compared to $1.70 for the PRC.
I've been trying to talk myself into either a new or pre-64 Model 70 in .264 WM for several years but at this point the standard 9 twist is a deal breaker. I have a buddy with a 28" 9 twist .264 WM barrel on a Mauser action, it has been really finicky developing loads for and he can't shoot anything longer than the 129gr SST without hitting the target sideways. That leaves me with a custom barrel as my only option but with the scarcity of brass I'm hesitant to dive into the .264 WM.
Unless the rifle and ammo manufactures really embrace and breathe new life into the .264 WM or even the 6.5-06 like they did with the .260 Rem I'm pretty sure the 6.5 PRC will move into and take over that niche.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't want a 9 twist either but before long I will do a custom on a Classic SS or Pre 64 with either an 8 or 7.5 twist.
It wouldn't be practical for a high volume shooter but as a hunting rifle and one I'll load for anyway it will be well worth it to myself just to complete my collection of Model 70's.
Brass is not a problem and if a guy ever got desperate enough he could roll his own from either .300H&H or .300wm or .300wby.
Whether it ever actually takes off again depends on whether or not any of the big guys decide to put out factory rifles in the faster twists to take advantage of the better, higher BC bullets we have today.
This industry suffers from repeated fads and has now for more than half a century.
lee31
Well-Known Member
Oh come on. I had two 9 twist 264s one was a Winchester model 70 classic sporter. The other a Sendero sf2 both shot 140s under 1moa. I shot 140 Bergers outta the Sendero and 140 accubonds outta the Winchester. I swear some of the crap you hear on the internet. Hell there is 1-9 twist 6.5x55s that shoot 140s just fine. Come to think of it. I bought my first 264 the Winchester when I was 15. I worked all summer to buy it. Dad took me down to the gun shop and sign the paperwork. This was about 2 years before I started reloading. So I was shooting 140 Remington coreloks and they shot pretty dang good. For cheap ammo anyhow. My cousin has a 9 twist 700 Remington stainless synthetic in 264. He shoots 140 grain partitions under 1 MOA. Bullets hitting side ways lol. Take a look at Noslers reloading manuals. Shows load data for 264 with a 1-9 twist barrel.
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lee31
Well-Known Member
Nosler brass is readily available. Usually there are seasonal runs of brass by Remington and Winchester. And if people are hard up buy some 7mmRemMag brass and run it through a 264 die.
I believe my words were longer, not heavier and while not exactly sideways his holes scattered across the paper were oblong not round which shows his bullets were not fully stabilized. His rifle shoots 129gr SST and 129gr Interlocks sub 1/2 MOA and all the Cutting Edge, Sierra, Barnes and others bullets between 130 and 143grs he has tried shoot between 1.5 and 4 MOA. Most of these bullets however shoot great when he loads them in his .260 Rem, which has an 8 twist.
Considering that is the only .264 I've had personal experience with and that his 9 twist .264 shoots patterns with the same long pointy bullets that his 8 twist .260 Rem shoots tiny groups with at a much lower speed has led me to the conclusion that a 9 twist will not work for what I want to do with it. That is what I have personally seen and I trust my money to experience more than what somebody on the internet tells me.
Your rifles in 9 twist shooting the 140gr partitions and Corlokts may work for you and that's great but those short, round nose, flat base bullets are terrible for the long range shooting I'd use the cartridge for. For me and my goal of shooting the really long, heavy, high BC bullets I'm not real keen to dump a grand on something that only kinda sorta might work if I'm lucky. Since all the factory Model 70's have 9 twists and putting an 8 twist .264 WM barrel on my heavy Mausingfield target rifle would be a step down in performance from the 300 WM barrel I already have on it I most likely won't be adding a .264 to my safe unless I get around to building a hunting rifle with the correct twist.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Keep in mind that unless you're shooting over 600yds the ballistic coefficient difference between 130's and 140's isn't going to make you any difference in the field.
In reality it's been less than a decade since the 130-135's were pretty much the gold standard for 6.5's.
We here tend to get more than a little bit obsessed over the latest, greatest, highest BC bullets to come out.
Accordingly about 3 years ago I started recommending to everyone planning to build a custom that they at least seriously consider going 1-1.5 faster on the twist rate than what was generally recommended for their preferred caliber.
lee31
Well-Known Member
Did you miss the part where I shot 140 Bergers outing a 9 twist.
lee31
Well-Known Member
I would say a 9 twist isn't the best. But I've never seen any of what you're saying. My current 264 has a 8 twist Brux
Well it's a custom built on a Mauser action so without knowing who made the barrel I imagine there is a chance it could be slower than 9 twist which could be causing the issues. However since it's not my rifle all I know is that it shoots the 129gr Hornadys good and anything longer terrible based on what I've seen him shoot at the range.
