Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting .264 Winchester Magnum, 140 A-Max, WC-872

Thats some great shooting!
RC - what is your seating depth for these loads? touching lands or did you have to tweak the load at all?

Thanks as always.

My 6.5-284 is a hunting rifle with a 26" Krieger. It's showing some throat erosion thru the Hawkeye with only 400 rounds. It's still half MOA.

I thought about David Tubb's TMS (throat maintenance system) if the accuracy starts dropping off.

DF

The load is showing some vertical at long range. I'm going back to the upper velocity load tomorrow and doing a seating depth test to tune it out hopefully

The best depth was .025" off the lands so far with the lower accuracy node

Rick, when you say "some vertical" how much is unacceptable? I know seeing 3/4-1 MOA is discouraging to me personally, but our rifles are on a bit different level, too.....

Yep Tanner, I'm seeing an MOA. From the Audette ladder, the last 3 shots were a fantastic node but right on the edge of pressure. I shot the middle load and it shot great at long range but sucked at 200.

Seems like I find that often with loads that are hot

I dropped it down to a load that was possibly in a node (76-76 1/2-77) but it's showing vertical. I'm gonna see if I can make the 78 gr load shoot at 200 by playing with depth. If I can't, I may accept it anyway because it seems to "go to sleep" at long range.

All that "history" for the 6.5/284 is from competition and in no way is comparable to hunting use. Most of our LR tac comp rifles in 243win get replaced between 1,500-2,000 rounds, yet hunting rifles chambered for same generally double that.

The bore scope means nothing to me. I don't care what a bore looks like, I care how it shoots.

Me too. The target rules.

BUT, when it quits shooting, the scope is a great tool to see what's happening and to aid in a rational solution to the problem.

DF

Ok, last update.

Went out today to try to tune the 78 grain load with seating depth adjustments and couldn't make any acceptable headway.

My last load was with the Berger Hunting VLD. I brought some of them with me to seat at the range just in case Mr. A-Max wouldn't cooperate. Seated some close to the lands and it liked them pretty well. Showed pressure with some ejector marks.

I ran the Berger seating adjustment test. They shot good close to the lands and at .060" off. The .060" off had no vertical, but the longer version stacked them vertically on the paper. Loaded 25. 15 at .060" off and 10 .010" longer than the long batch. My notes showed that the long test batch should have been ON the lands. I figured I'd run these 10 at .010" longer to see if I could get rid of the vertical. Shot a 200 yard group under 1 MOA with some vertical stringing.

Dialed 560 yards and shot a freshly painted plate for 3. Printed a group about 4" wide and 2" of vertical. I was pleased.

Dialed the 710 plate and shot another 4 that literally had about 2" of vertical.

I don't really get it but the bullet must be "going to sleep" as they say and getting better at longer ranges. The Berger VLD definitely shot better than the A-Max

It was close to 90 degrees today. The cases showed pressure but its a hunting rifle and will be used in lower temps. I figure today was the hottest temp I'd ever shoot the load in. The powder probably has some temperature sensitivity.

Clocked in at 3250 in Ballistic AE for accurate drops out to 710.

I'm done fiddlin'

Just cleaned and JB'd the barrel. Measured throat erosion.

.020" since the last check last year; about 300 rounds. The depth I chose puts the Berger on the lands. May move it .005" forward and see.

Update on barrel life fears with the .264 Winchester Magnum/WC-872


After cleaning the bore, took it to my gunsmith for a health checkup with a Hawkeye Bore Scope. I don't keep accurate records on amount of rounds down the bore, but I know it's at least 700 at this point.

No fire cracking whatsoever
End of the chamber looks new. He says usually they're blown out with this cartridge.
Still a little carbon, so I'll JB it again. Lands sharp.

He says that very slow burning ball powder is probably the reason it looks so good.

I'll be taking it to the Sporting Rifle Match to wring it out this weekend. We decided to take our hunting rifles only this time since it's the last match of the year before hunting season.

Bring your lightweight rifle, Tanner!

My lightweight rifle is being traded for a Swaro spotter

Should have a new one done in a week or 2.

The 243AI?

Then bring your heavy one.

Bang them and lose them.
Good on you.

Forgot.
When you dump the Swaro, PM me.
Thanks.

Importanter szchit called.
The Swaro will thank me.

Thought ball powders were harder on throats!

RC - As I have a 264 coming can you please tell me a good cleaning regime.

i.e. when do you know when to clean, how often, and how.

Yessir! Having access to a good bore scope really tells you if you are doing things right!

First of all, I'm glad to hear you have a brand new rifle coming in .264WM! If you really "hear" what I'm telling you, you will use the learning curve that "Others" before you in .264 folklore have forged.

There's a couple or three guys over on AR that really know how to make match ammo and load for the .264 Winchester Magnum. Stonecreek is the gentleman who pointed me the right direction with regards to powder in the cartridge.
The very FIRST, and foremost thing about loading for it is the fact that there never in History been a powder manufactured that is slow-burning enough to actually allow the .264 to achieve its velocity and accuracy potential. Use the slowest stuff you can find, even with the lighter bullet offerings.

US-869, about the slowest powder on the chart, is barely acceptable to me even with the 130's.

WC-872 is what stonecreek uses and he's right.

I tested 8 powders including Retumbo, RL-25, W-870, IMR 4350, mag pro, H-4831, WC-872 etc... WC yielded the highest velocities without pressure signs than any and was more predictable. I mean, with the other powders you were fine with load X, then he next shot up at 1/2 grain increase got ugly.

With WC-872, there was a flatter range of a grain or so that showed some pressure, but you could still have easy extraction and no sticky bolt. The loads up there rip along at 3250 fps with a 140 high BC muther.

We really need to talk about barrel break-in since this is a brand new tube!
I really have been following my gunsmith's "Shoot and Clean" Regimen! Here's what to do!

Shoot once then clean

Shoot again, then clean

One more time, then clean!


Then from there on out, you just shoot 5 times then clean forever.

DEFINITION OF SHOOTING ONCE
""Shooting once means going to the range and shooting as many rounds as you care to. After "shooting once", clean.

Here's how I clean,

Shooters Choice soaked patches till powder fouling is gone. Run a wet patch SLOWLY to the muzzle and out. Pick it off the jag, turn it over, soak it again and run it back through. Change patches and repeat. Use tightly fitting patches for the last few new ones. I cut a small one and use a full one on top all on a .243 jag. I like having more patch than jag.

Brush it with tight-fitting bronze brush soaked with SC for 10 end to end.

Let sit for 10 minutes, patch out dry.

Squirt foaming bore cleaner in the chamber end (Wipe Out or Gunslick foaming bore cleaner). Let sit overnight or at least 2 hours. Brush with bronze brush then patch out

Always clean the bronze brush right after you use it with any copper remover. I use carburetor cleaner spray. Helps them last longer.

Continue the above (Bore Foam routine) till no color, black or blue is on your patches.

Every 200 rounds:

JB Non-Embedding Bore Compound on a patch wrapped around a worn out bronze brush, short-stoked end to end till your arm gets tired, twice. Patch out. Finish with a patch of alcohol.

Drink a Makers Mark and smile

What contour barrel on your rifle ? Thinking the really light contour on my NULA heats up very fast. Perhaps that why I am seeing some slight fire cracking after only 150 rounds.
Received 8lbs of WC-872 today so this w/e should start working up some loads with some 140's

LC