Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 284 Winchester Thoughts

I am wondering what people thought are on the 284 Winchester. I had read someplace that NULA makes more 284's than all other calibers. I would be interested in your personal thoughts or experiences. Why did it fail? Another marketing flop because the choice of rifle it was brought out in?

Thanks,

ddj

My buddy, Chub Eastman, has killed a slew of critters with a NULA (actually, an ULA) in .284 Winchester. Don't remember him ever shooting twice.

Great rifle and excellent cartrige. Brass is presumeably better now that the 6.5-284 is a fad ... or you could always neck up the 6.5 if it isn't.

Basically, a good 139- or 140-grain bullet would handle all American game from speed goats to moose. That's all Chub uses and it works wonderfully.

Steve

I have owned a bunch, and still own a few, but I think that the 284 was pretty much eclipsed as a bolt action rifle hunting cartridge the day that the 7mm SAUM, 270 WSM, and 7mm WSM were launched. From that POV, the best use for the 284 case is to use them for making 25-284 cases. Winchester/Olin 284 brass has always treated me right and I've probably used 6K of it over the past 30 years.

I think that the 25-284 fits into short actions with all bullet weights a little better than the parent 284 or the larger caliber wildcats. If longer shots and higher velocity are critical to your type of shooting, I doubt that you could design a better short action dual purpose varmint-medium game cartridge than the 25-284.

The most common factory produced 284s were probably the Savage 99 and Winchester 88 and 100, but none of them are particularly common today. IIRC, the only larger manufacturers that cataloged a bolt action rifle in 284 were Browning and Ruger. I don't believe that Remington or Savage ever chambered their bolt action rifles for the 284 and the only Winchester/USRA 70 that I recall being chambered in 284 was a very uncommon DM style.

The concept has merit, 270/280 performance in a short action bolt, lever, or semi-auto rifle, however, Winchester/Olin's current 150 grain factory load has approximately the same velocity as the much easier to find 308. The only 2 Winchester/Olin factory loads that I recall are the discontinued 125 grain PP and the current 150 grain PP. The 125 grain factory load had a good reputation as being a quick killer on medium game, sort of like the 270 and 130 grain combination.

I don't know if the 284 would have been much more successful if it had been chambered in the Winchester 70, since its introduction coincided with the 1964 design change and post-'64 Winchester 70 were not huge sellers, plus they were all long actions at the time. I haven't looked it up, but I doubt that the 284 survived a factory offering for more than 10 years, 1974, except in the on and off again Ruger 77 production.

The 284 is 1 of those cult cartridges that has had "magic" qualities attributed to it, rather like the 250-3000 and 257 Roberts.

Jeff

260Remguy,

Thanks for the information. I really appreciate hearing the personal experience with this cartridge. What is the recoil compareable to?

ddj

I toted around a Browning BLR in .284 Win for a number of years. Shooting factory 150gr Power Points, it left a slew of dead deer and elk in its wake...none of which required more than one shot.

I let that rifle go after my shooting shoulder gave out. Now that the shoulder has been rebuilt, I rather regret that little transaction.

Great and underrated, I've always thought of it as the perfect "mountain rifle" cartridge. It's a shame it didn't catch on, especially since the 7mm-08 seems to have now secured its place. Maybe if it had been introduced in a new bolt action it may have become popular. Who knows?

All other things being equal, I'd say that the 284's recoil is about the same as a 308 with the same weight bullet and same weight rifle. Since it has a 55mm case, it might be a RCH too long to be a great fit in a short action. I think that the 7mm-08 fit into a short action with all bullet weights a little better than the 284 and the difference in performance is probably more impressive on paper then in the field.

As Mule Deer has pointed out a time or 2, the 7mm SAUM has the same case capacity as the highly touted 280AI, so why go 284 when you could go 284 Improved?

Jeff

I'd forgotten about the 284 being chambered in the BLR!

Jeff

Well Trout, I happen to have a custom .284 Win from Rifles Inc. and with a Zeiss Conq 3.5-10 on in Talleys it weighs in at the Bantam weight range--6.25 lbs, that you are more than welcome to inspect. It's not a NULA but a competitor's same concept. But more than that, I have actually been almost flabbergasted at the performance with R17--try 3150 with a 140-gr bullet with button hole groups. Believe me, I have looked for all the traditional pressure signs and they are not there. It could be because I twisted up my mouth and squinted just the right way while eating a lot of fiber but there it is. I'm tickled.

It's no wonder cartridge-none are-but it was ahead of its time and is perfect for big game light mountain rifle concept and yes even in such a light rifle the recoil is pretty benign.

You know I wanted Lex Webernick to do it in 7mm SAUM but he wouldn't. I don't think I'm disappointed as the recoil is "enough" and what would I gain over 3100 fps...that would make a difference?

I've had several of the WSM's and a 7mm SAUM and never really liked them. I never had a problem feeding one, they shot ok (not great), they just never grew on me.

I appreciate the idea.

ddj

It makes an outstanding woods rifle!

I have a 284 in a Browning Micro-Medallion.

Its a great little gun!! loaded with a 139 Gr. Hornady it has proved to be the perfect medicine for P.A. whitetails!!

I have a Pre-64 Model 100 in 284 and think it's the cats meow. It is light and handy and plenty accurate enough for the hunting I do. Recoil is very negligible with 150gr Power Points that came with the rifle, I suppose the gas action helps with that. It's the rifle I go to when still-hunting timber. Never run into a deer yet that cared if the bullet took up a little powder space.

I have a pair of Winchester M88 rifles, both equiped with Leupold 3-9x40 VX-II scopes (one rifle is equipped with Redfield bases and rings, the other has a Weaver base and Weaver Grand Slam rings). I shoot a handload using the Speer 145 grain Hot Core in the .284 WIN, and Remington factory 150 grain CoreLokt's in the .308 WIN. I can tell no difference at all between the two in recoil. I killed three deer with the M88 in .308 WIN last season, this season I plan to hunt with the M88 in .284 WIN.

The .284 Win and the NULA go together like butter and toast. Melvin Forbes designed his short action receivers a tad longer than the others. Thus, the .284, which really is a little too long for a short action, nestles just fine in Mel's rifles.

Now, is it a better round than a 280 Rem or a 7-08? Well, not really. BUT, it shoots around 100 fps faster than the 7-08 in all bullet weights. And the 280 REQUIRES a long action, whereas the .284 doesn't.

My .284 likes IMR4350, R-19, and the defunct H205 with 140 bullets: Nosler PTs and BTs. Three-shot accuracy in the NULA (mine is an ULA) is 1 MOA, but the slender barrel heats up quickly and groups will open up, but who shoots more than 3 rounds at big game?

I had a Browning Micro-Medallion and a tang safety Ruger in .284. Like the big dummy I am I traded both of them for something new and shiny. I kick myself continually doing that.

Given the trend to short actions and light rifles, if it were introduced today I expect it would do better than it has;the WSM's give it some competition,but the 284 is a "standard" cartridge and can work well in a lighter rifle with a 22" barrel than the WSM's,which are magnum capacity cases,so most have a 24" tube, burn more powder ,and kick more.

With a few exceptions in rifles like a Kimber,a lot of WSM rifles are really not that "light".The 284,like the 270 and 280, works well with a shorter tube,and is still ample for about anything.

Just bought one today, Winchester Model 100, post 64 (1969) in 284. It has not had the firing pin replaced and has never been shot. Guess I will do the firing pin replacement myself since Winchester requires it be fired after replacement by gunsmith. I also looked at a strange pre 64 model 100 carbine 284 with barrel band, 19 inch barrel, but it had cut checkered stock. I thought Winchester 88's and 100 carbines all had smooth stocks? It this a bubbed rifle. I know Winchester only made the pre 64 in 284 in 1963. Any ideas on this rifle? Tom

Tom, I have a 1968 Shooters Bible that shows the Winchester 100 carbine that you describe. IIRC it was only made a couple years and had the barrel band for some reason I don't understand. Ward

What I am trying to point out is that carbines should not have Cut checkered stocks. I may be wrong since this rifle (Winchester Model 100 in 284 cal) Has cut checkering, the barrel length is correct for carbine (19")etc. The cut checkering indicates pre 64 so this rifle must have been made in 1963, the first year for caliber 284 in winchester model 100. Bottom line is correct barrel length and band but stock should be smooth, no checkering at all. Tom

I have a Savage 99DL in .284 Win. It is reasonably accurate (1-1/4" 3 shot groups with several different loads). I keep my loads a couple of grains below max to ease extraction and keep headspace problems from developing, so I am getting approx. 7-08 ballistics. Recoil is relatively mild. Due to mag length restrictions, I found that only a few bullets work well, the main two I use are the Hornady 154gr RN and the Speer 130gr SPBT. The 99DL is not as "slick" in operation as my 99EG in .250 Sav. Some of it is probably due to post-1960 guns not being as well fitted, but I believe the lack of taper in the .284 case also plays a part. For my part, I would say that the 7-08 would be a better cartridge for the 99.