Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Anyone shooting 264 Magnum?

Never had a magnum caliber rifle in my life, have an opportunity to acquire 264 mag built on Shilen action with Shilen barrel. What are your thoughts about this caliber? My only rifle in 6.5mm is 6.5x47 Lapua and I love it!

Yup a death ray. 1 elk, 1 shot.
I thought there was to much blood shot meat though.
Others with more experience say I need to get into
the 21st. century and use monolithic bullets at the
speeds involved. Will try that in the near future.

I am fond of the cartridge. It was one of those that always had a mystique about it when I was coming up. As a lefty (who refused to shoot RH rifles), my options were pretty limited on the chamberings available. So, when I finally got to the point that I started building rifles, the .264WM was the first, full up build I had a gunsmith put together for me.

While the rifle was being built, I stocked up on components. Bullets were easy, brass required a little more looking. I ended up with a bunch of 1x fired Winchester. When I got the rifle back and started load development, accuracy just was not there. It was a serious let-down. This is the rifle and cartridge that got me to researching some serious aspects of reloading and what the critical factors to accuracy truly were. JB's preachings at the time about consistent neck wall thickness, concentricity and runout tolerances were tremendously beneficial, combined with how to set up dies and the intricacies of expander balls in sizer dies. I even started dabbling in neck-turning as a result. I learned a TON...I also learned that all of the Winchester brass I had hoarded was total garbage.

Since then, I have focused heavily on quality / concentric brass. That is probably going to be the biggest downfall with the .264WM. There are not a lot of manufacturers pumping out brass for this cartridge. I did get a few lots of Norma and the quality was tremendously better than the Winchester I was using previously. Neck wall thickness was consistent with only 0.001" of thickness variation or less for the couple of lots I purchased.

Since all of that work, the rifle performs well. The ballistics are what they are...nothing mesmerizing in this age of fast 6.5mm's. The field is more crowded than it ever was. Whenever the .264WM comes up, you will hear a lot of talk about 140gr bullets at 3200fps. That seems to be the benchmark that serious .264WM shooters strive for. I have not been able to realize that performance though. The best I was able to consistently achieve was 140's @ 3100fps with book maximum charge weights (modern book data too, listing test pressures ~62-63kpsi).

You use to hear a lot of people talk about the 6.5GAP and how they could beat the .264WM's performance...but that wasn't a SAAMI cartridge and I am sure they were all pushing hard on the gas pedal.

I have used 120gr TTSX's @ 3350fps with great results on deer.
I have used 130gr STGK's @ 3200fps with great results on deer.
I have used 140gr NPT's @ 3100fps with great results on deer.

I have never been elk hunting but have always thought that if I did manage to go, this would be the rifle I carry. If I took that trip, I would probably load up some 127gr LRX's for the journey.

Nothing extraordinary about reloading for the cartridge. Just like other belted magnums, ignore the belt and headspace off the shoulder like any other bottleneck cartridge.

Recoil is quite tolerable. Not quite as much punch as a 7mm Rem Mag but enough to still get your attention. Ballistics are very good. You're shooting the same bullets that everyone is raving about in the 6.5x47, 6.5 Creedmoor and PRC, but you're adding several hundred feet per second with the larger cartridge.

I haven't toted my .264WM hunting for a couple of years....but that is because the rifle I built is a little heavier than other rifles I currently tote.

M70 LH
26" PacNor stainless barrel (1:8")
McMillan Supergrade Edge fill
Williams bottom metal
Talley steel rings
SWFA 3-9x42

As outfitted, she weighs 9lbs, 2.8oz. I could swap the rings and bottom metal for aluminum and shave half a pound, but right now it is pretty much a bullet proof rig and I can't motivate myself to mess with it much. After building this one, I immediately built another LH M70 in 6.5x55 with a Micky Hunters Compact Edge and a 20" barrel that weighs less than 8lbs all up. When I am tromping around our local woods, the Swede usually gets snatched just because of the weight difference and shorter, handier package. I've honestly been considering giving the .264WM a chop and threading for a can just to have a reason to get it back out and start using it more.

Having now scratched the itch for a .264WM....and if I were to build another "big 6.5mm"....I would very likely build a 6.5mm PRC. Performance of the PRC is close, but not quite that of the .264WM velocity. However, brass options and availability are FAR better for the PRC. If I absolutely wanted 3200fps with 140's, I'd build a 6.5 Nosler or Weatherby.

If there was one thing I would say you should be leery of before purchasing, it would be to confirm twist rate. Some manufacturers have used 1:9" twist barrels for the .264WM and this rate would really hamper you from using the fast and sleek bullets available today.

If you really like the rifle, I'd say go for it. There's nothing about the cartridge that would scare me off.

Mine is a M70 classic. Lots of deer...never had one take a step (125 Partitions at 3300ish). My youngest son took a nice elk with it, using 140gr Partitions..one shot, dead elk. My only issue is that it's comparatively heavy and has a 26" bbl. But it's consistently accurate and begs me to take it out of the safe and use it, so it's in the rotation.

what's stopping you from buying Peterson or ADG brass in 7mm Rem Mag ?

one pass in the FL 264 Win Mag die and you have the best brass you can get

When I bought the Norma brass, it was the best I could find at the time.

I've been on the notification list for ADG 7mmRM brass for over a year. I've only ever gotten the restock notification once, and when I finally got around to checking the site, it had sold out.

yeah that ADG notification list is usually a miss, theres 5-6 online dealers that carry ADG brass, just gotta check often and you'll get some eventually, ADG usually ships out the dealer orders first, then whatever is left is sold on their website and it goes fast

I use both Peterson and ADG 7mm Rem Mag stuff to make 338 Win Mag & 350 Norma Mag brass, much better than Win brass

There’s a guy on the site, that offers 250 rounds of once fired brass periodically for .264 . I bought some .

Peterson 7mm Rem Mag in stock at Unknown Munitions, stuff is even better than ADG

Peterson 7mm Rem Mag brass

While not the most practical choice, it is one of my favorite magnum cartridges.

My Dad has my Grandfather’s .264, a push feed M70 Winchester. The barrel was toast so we had our local smith turn a Douglas #4 1-8” twist 24” barrel on to it.

The first 3-shot group after barrel break in measured just under 1/2”!

Our favorite handload is the 140 grain Nosler Accubond and book max load of H4831.

I am considering borrowing it for elk hunting in the near future!

A guy I knew said they were fur friendly back in the original offerings. He claimed bullets didn’t expand much and they were a 2 diameter bullet. Idk.

I saw a Ruger M77 in 264WM awhile back, first one I had seen in a long time.

I have a Ruger M77 in .264 WM. It is a very smooth feeding rifle, but I seldom use it except at the range when I visit RIO7. miles

My favorite round, by far... I've had one since about '72. Gave it to my son a year or so ago and he's already taken two deer with it; both dropped like stones..

I have a couple Sako’s in 264, load 140 grain ballistic tips.

I bought a winchester 70 classic in 1998. I shot quite a few whitetails with Barnes X 120 gr over 7828. Lately, been shooting 140 gr accubonds and ballistic tips with discontinued IMR 8133. Took a mule deer with the accubond load. Took a pronghorn with the ballistic tip. I really like the cartridge/ rifle and it will be the last one I would ever sell. Good luck

I have a model 70 super grade maple 264, really like the rifle and cartridge. Just been shooting factory cor lokt in at whitetails within 200 yards, none have went more than 50ft.

I shoot an old Classic in 264 with Retumbo and 140 ABs





And a Win 70 BACO with the dark maple stock. 7828SSC and 130 ABs.







I kinda like them.

I have a classic my load is with mag pro and 140 ballistic tips. My daughter has a baco stainless featherweight in a 264 as well and it shoots that mag pro load very well. I did have a load with 120 etips but that is one temperamental bullet.

We have one in the family, a pre-64 Winchester. My wife killed her first big game animal with it…..a moose when she was 24. Her first year of hunting! memtb