why no love for the 284. win?

[AZShooter]

Another feature of this cartridge is that the reamer will clean up a 7-08 chamber without any setback. So any 7-08 package you find except perhaps a model 7 can be a candidate for this short action powder house.

All three of my previous 284 barrels were 7 Rem mag takeoffs. The threaded shank of a Rem is 1.050" and the Ruger is 1.000". Approx 3/4" or so of the shank needs to be cut off. The 284 will cleanup the remaining 7 mag chamber. The shank has to be lengthened, of course, and rethreaded. An easy job for any gunsmith. With so many 7 mag takeoffs selling for $60-75 it is worth trying one.
It used to cost me around $175 out the door.

I acquired a lathe and now do the work myself. There are so many barrels/chamberings so little time. Instead of buying more rifles I have several barrels in different chamberings for each rifle! One I have my own reamer I will most likely make a light and heavy 284 Win.

 

[nosualc]

Why is it used so much in F-Class and not in general, or even long range hunters?

Well, its a bit slower then a 7mm RM, which has a huge popularity with the hunting public.

Long range target shooters discovered .284 brass and necked it down to the 6.5x284 and ruled the roost for many years. It had the disadvantage of burning barrels pretty quickly (eg - 1000 rds). Then they found the 7mm bullets had better BCs and "rediscovered" the .284.

Fantastic accuracy at 1k yards, in a short efficient case, longer barrel life than the 6.5, fantastic brass (eg - Lapua), std. bolt size, and perhaps underestimated, no belts.

Also, even with a heavy match rifle, the recoil of a .284 with 180s @ 2950ish is about the upper end of what most guys want for a long day of match shooting (100 rds) without a muzzle brake (illegal).

I've got a 280 hunting rifle that I've never really been able to get to shoot as well as I think it should. I'll probably re-barrel it to a .284 Shehane to match my F-Class rifle. I'll be able to use the same match prepped brass, etc. In a hunting rifle I won't be able to get that kind of speed, but I'm confident the other advantages will still apply.

-nosualc

 

[Michael Eichele]

Why is it used so much in F-Class and not in general, or even long range hunters?

Well, its a bit slower then a 7mm RM, which has a huge popularity with the hunting public.

Long range target shooters discovered .284 brass and necked it down to the 6.5x284 and ruled the roost for many years. It had the disadvantage of burning barrels pretty quickly (eg - 1000 rds). Then they found the 7mm bullets had better BCs and "rediscovered" the .284.

Fantastic accuracy at 1k yards, in a short efficient case, longer barrel life than the 6.5, fantastic brass (eg - Lapua), std. bolt size, and perhaps underestimated, no belts.

Also, even with a heavy match rifle, the recoil of a .284 with 180s @ 2950ish is about the upper end of what most guys want for a long day of match shooting (100 rds) without a muzzle brake (illegal).

I've got a 280 hunting rifle that I've never really been able to get to shoot as well as I think it should. I'll probably re-barrel it to a .284 Shehane to match my F-Class rifle. I'll be able to use the same match prepped brass, etc. In a hunting rifle I won't be able to get that kind of speed, but I'm confident the other advantages will still apply.

-nosualc

Bingo. You hit the nail perfectly. The 6.5 version became much more popular on the match scene until shooters realized that the barrels changed dynamics quickly. The 284 win beats the 6.5 in every category except recoil. The recoil of the 284 is manageable enough though. With the higher b&c bullets at equal velocities and better bore stability, it's a great match option.

As far as hunting, it's gaining more and more attention and popularity. With modern bullet options and powder technologies, the 284 performs very well. It is my next project. I plan on running mostly 162 amaxs, 168 varieties and possibly 175-180s.

 

[born2kill]

thanks everyone for your input! i was just curious i guess cause the smith talks so highly about it and never hear the boys on here using it. I think it would make a beautiful lightweight long range whitetail/goat rifle! even elk for that matter. Might have to put one together!

 

[rpierce]

Id say go for it. My loads in almost all my barrels have been 55.5 gr of H4831SC, cci br2, and 180 hybrid .020-.025 off the lands. I did have a barrel that shot them out of this world at .062 off the lands. I found that load by accident. As usual work up to the load I stated.

Ryan Pierce
www.piercisionrifles.com

 

[hawk45]

I'm always looking at new rounds to try and over the years the .284 has come up many times. From my research and person thought process, this is what I came up with..

Issues:
1. There are very few factory guns chambered for the round
2. There isn't much in the way of factory loaded rounds and even less readily available at out of the way pro shops
3. It's almost a match to the .280 Rem which though still not as readily available as 7mmRM, it's more so than the .284. The .280AI has taken off as well adding more salt too the wound.
4. 7mmRM is a proven standard and available everywhere and offers more juice for the squeeze.
5. You get the optimum from a .284 in a long action with bullets seated way out, yet most guys want the .284 so they can get near 7mmRM ballistics in a short action. So you have the trade off of getting less with a short action (more power than most SA calibers), yet if going LA, why not go with the 7mmRM and get the extra juice?
6. Brass and gauges are hard to find. Not so much bullets and powder, but all the little parts needed to reload precision rounds are just tough to find. Trust me, I've been on waiting lists for years.

I'm sure some of these can be argued and everyone's needs/situation is different. If I was building one, it would be on a long action with the throat cut to get the heavies seated out far. So it's really a great round in the right setup, but so are lots of other rounds. After doing my research, I'd much rather have a 280AI or just straight 280 in a mid-range 7mm. I'm all about less hassle these days.

Just my .02

 

[AZShooter]

284 win items not that hard Hawk45:

Lapua 6.5-284 brass is readily available. It is far superior to the Winchester 284 brass. Necking up is very easy.

284 gauges? PT&G has them:


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Dies they are out there too. Top level set from Redding:
Redding Competition Bushing 3-Die Neck Sizer Set 284 Winchester

I agree that the use of LA for a 284 is crazy but it is a wonderful cartridge in a SA. Melvin Forbes has said the 284 win was the most popular chambering for his lightweight Ultralight Arms rifles model 20. A friend got one and it was the catalyst for me to get my old Ruger M77 tang safety's magazine box lengthened to 3.1". Fits and feeds like a dream with bullets seated out where they belong.

So SA go 284 win, LA go 280 or 280 AI with no discernible difference in performance.

 

[MudRunner2005]

.284 Win is a great little caliber, but if I was looking for a LA 7mm (non-magnum) I would opt for a .280 AI, just my opinion.