24" or 26" barrel? And I'm thinking about going with a 1 in 9" twist. Plan is to shoot Barnes and Swift bullets. 100-120 grain range. Any advice? I was planning on having another 257 wby built, but wanna be a little different and try this round.

i'd go 26", but i'd also go 1-8" or 1-8.5" to open the option of using the heavies later. 1-9" will be fine with the 100-120 grain bullets, though.

but you will need the 26" barrel to get the most from the .264

What he said.

Agree w/ 26" bbl; mine has this length, is ideal antelope rifle. I like 120 and 130 grain bullets; the Nosler Accubond is a favorite. A 1-9" twist will stabilize them nicely.

.264 caliber 140g bullet is one heck of an elk load though ...

27.5", 1:9 is what I have, and it shoots everything well, but I haven't tried anything over 140.

I have owned 2 264's, I still have a custom that has given me fits, I have found the 264 case to be the most tempermental round I have ever worked with. I wouldn't do one up again. if I had it to do all over again I would go with a 6.5-284, with the new RL 17 you can get some pretty sporty speeds out of it. honestly I think you would be within 100 fps or less of the 264.

with the 6.5-284 you will have much better brass quality, which means you can run higher pressures and have more durable brass. 264 brass sucks from what I have found, my latest is necking down norma 7 mag brass to see if that gives me better brass.

some folks claim 3200 fps from a 140 with the 264, yeah it can be had, but at that speed I haven't found any accuracy in either 264, I have also tried about 7 different powders, so far my accuracy load is with magpro running a 140 at about 3070ish, that is very close to 6.5-284 performance. bottom line in some claim a ton of speed, but don't count on it. if you look at the published data all I have seen doesn't even list a 140 above 3k, there must be a reason for that.

My 257 WBY's have all had and currently have 27.5 inch bbl's. Go with it. 1 in 9 is plenty fast and I predict you will not need over a 120 in the 264 for Elk with the Barnes TTSX's as I have used the 120 in 7mm with perfect effect. A great caliber with not enough love for all it can do. Good choice, do report back!

i see the 1-9" twist in the .264 as a concession, and i have one. it will shoot 140s, but nothing longer. not even the 142 SMK. i do not like to rule out using the 156s (Norma Oryx, Alaska, or Vulkyn) or the Hornady 160. even though i'm a Barnes fan, some of my rifles don't like to shoot them.

i also have 1-8" and 1-8.5" .264s, and three more barrels on the shelf (those are all 1-8")

the .264 does require your full attention when reloading, but 3100 or 3150 with 140s from a 26" barrel is usually do-able without crossing the line. my 28" Krieger 1-8.5" delivers 3200 fps with the 142 SMK, which gets me from 100 yards to 1K with 20 MOA elevation.

If you are looking at something different, maybe look at the 270 Weatherby. Brass can be a touch pricey, but if you keep your eyes open it can be had quite reasonably. Besides you can always neck up your 257 brass if you still have it.

It's a wonderful round - still my favorite today..

1-9 twist will do to 140s - I never felt the need for anything heavier.. If you think you might go heavier some day, then opt for a 1-8 twist.. There's simply no need to hot-rod this round. 140's should be at +/- 3100 out of a 26" tube.. Getting another 100 fps can usually lead to problems with eiather accuracy or pressure or both.. I have an old M70 that still places 'em on the nose using Sierra Spitzers, 140 gr., IMR4350 powder loaded to 2950 fps (24" barrel) and the results are fabulous..

We just got in two of the new Remingtons. One blued, one stainless. Both have 26 inch barrels.

Who needs 140's? A 120TSX @ 3400 or a 125 Partition at 3300 will go end to end thru a WT. Great open country deer cartridge!

Those 120 TTSXs work well on elk too, from what I can tell. And with Win 780 they are doing a little over 3500.

ive got a rem 700 cdl sf in a .264 win mag great gun. i use 140gr sgk's in it.26" barrel is what you want for sure.

What species will you be hunting with that one?

stumpy

sf?

I've had very good experiences with 130gr A-bonds with matte fluted CDL 700. 3275fps through my Chrony and very accurate.

Cool deal. 26" barrel it will be. I was sort of leaning that way, anyways. Now before I call pac-nor, I gotta decide between a #3 fluted stainless barrel or try their #2 stainless barrel. And I'm going to need to get another EDGE from Rick. Good thing for tax returns.

I would gently suggest the #3.. Stiffer is better with that round, IMHO..

remington calls it semi fluted or sf its a limited run from a few years ago.

Yeah I've got one, not sure the box says SF though. Always thought that was stainless fluted.

I do like the rifle.

bearstalker,

If you are going to stick to 100-120 grain bullets, why are you going to a .264 Win Mag instead of staying with a .257 Wby? The real advantage to the .264 WM over a .257 Wby comes from the higher BC 6.5mm bullets like the 120 gr Ballistic Tip (which I'm not sure I would use at full-blown .264WM speeds), 130 gr Accubond, 129 gr Hornady, 130 gr Berger VLD, 140 gr Partition, and even the 125 gr Partition. Granted one can get more muzzle velocity out of the 100-120 grainers, but the wind is the bigger issue, and the bullets with the bigher ballistic coefficient will help a lot with minimizing wind drift. Minimizing wind drift with high BC bullets is where the .264 WM's biggest advantage over the .257 Wby lies.

Hello, I had a 264 built on a new Sako action and had Pac-nor barrel it using 9 inch twist. I used a longer throat so I could seat heavier bullets without wasting powder capacity. I found Magpro and their maxamin charge perfect. My three shot group averaged 3/4 at 158 yards off my veranda. On these match grade chambers my question is by turning necks so chambering is easier does this negate the purpose of tight chambers?

they came in both, the matte was more rare i guess. i wanted stainless, when my ffl ordered they told him they were out of stainless so he ordered the matte. fine with me.

I'm gonna get the parts all ordered up, but I'm thinking I might have you do the fitting.

bearstalker,

Lee, Redneck, and I have been talking the last couple days about a similar build for me. Mine will be on a M70 pushfeed action currently a 7mmRemMag. Ordered a Supergrade Swirly for it today and Williams bottom metal. Lee and I have decided on a Pac-Nor #5, 8 twist, 1.25" cylinder length, with 5 flutes, finished at 26". FYI, this barrel, according to Pac-Nor's weight calculator, will weigh very close to the same as a #3 unfluted.

Sounds like Lee better get his .264 reamer sharpened up. Just wanted to point out the barrel weight similarity by fluting the #5.

Maybe these will come together close together and we can share some load data. The 140gr. Accubond and SST are appealing, as well as the 130gr. Scirroco and the Woodleighs.

David Walker

I would go with the 26" tube. After all, you want velocity and lots of it, right? I have my Dad's old pre-64 Mod. 70 in caliber .264 Win. Mag. It has a 26" barrel. He loaded 140 grain Nosler Partitions in it and tipped over sheep and quite a few antelope, deer, caribou and moose with it. It was his favorite caliber and his 30-06 and .375 saw little use. My understanding is the 3200 fps mv with a 140 grain bullet is hard to attain. The 6.5 bullets have a good reputation for long range shooting. I want to get a .260 Rem. for my Grankids. If I did not live in Alaska I would probably pull it out of the safe and hunt with it.

I've got the time, AND the reamer..

David, on the Scirrocos, start those loads out near minimum and watch for the pressure to jump.. A very experienced rifleman and reloader near me wasn't able to get decent speed w/o pressure signs.. Max he could safely load ended up about 150 fps under book.. Just FYI..

Thanks for the heads up Lee. I'm pretty set on the 140gr. Accubond. Seen lots of good things about those the last couple years. Some guys I shoot with occasionally, that spend a lot more time "perfecting" loads than I, have been amazed at the accuracy and consistency of the Accubonds. I've put a few through my 300 Roy, but none on game yet.

David

Lee, Been meaning to ask you about throating. I've got some interest in possibly using 160gr. Woodleighs at some point, however un-needed that may be. Should we talk about cutting this chamber with a long throat for that purpose? Since we have to get a mag box anyway, I was wondering about a H&H length box to accomodate stretched out loads. May all be completely unnecessary, but now that we're rolling on this thing, the wheels are turning. Scary, really!

David

With 26" you can expect low to mid 3100 FPS & 140gr bullets with powders such as RL25, Retumbo, IMR7828.
If you still have some H870 you will push the 3200 FPS mark with a 140gr.
Very curious to see how the new RL50 will do in a 264 WM.
US869 seems too slow for a 264 WM & 26" barrel. Mine would take a max charge of 78gr US869 which gave me just over 3100 FPS.

AA8700 & US869 seem very close in the performance department. I don't know why H870 does so well in a 264 WM, it just must be the perfect burn rate.

I had my 264 WM opened up to a 6.5mm-300 Win Mag. I need to do more testing yet, but so far I am at 3275 FPS with a 140gr Accubond in a 24 1/2" 1-8 twist barrel.



The cluster was my last 3 shots.





Here are the seating depths of different bullets fit for the throat in my rifle.

Thaks Wookie. Good information.

David

I use the 130 Scirroco and push it with 67 grains of Retumbo The data that I have says 67.5 as max but at 67 I got 3225 fps and excellent accuracy so I stopped there. A bullet that you may want to give a try when the become available is the new 120 GMX from Hornady. And if you want to spoil a coyote's afternoon try the 95 grain V max. A charge of RL-25 works good in mine.

26", 8.5 in 1, 3 grove barrel

8mmwapiti

Every research article I've read to date has indicated little benefit in going to 160s.. If that weight is needed, it's best to go to a .30 cal.. The .264WM has a rather narrow band of good-performing bullet weights compared to other chamberings..

Got it. Figured you had enough experience with the 264 I could get some good information. Realistically, there's little in North America that can't be taken with a 140gr. bullet.

Is your reamer to SAAMI spec, or is a custom? What I'm asking is if I'm gonna have to turn necks for this rifle, or will factory Winchester brass work?

Thanks,

DW

Why settle for a mere 26" barrel?

+1

Hey Tom, How are loads coming along in your behemoth? You support the muzzle with shooting sticks? Probably just whack most critters in the head with the muzzle, huh? Makes load work-up easier that way I guess. ;-) That build did turn out nice. Post up a couple of pics, maybe some targets. We all need some motivation.

DW

I have not even loaded ammo or shot it yet. (I know I need smacked) it balances quite nicely for such a long barrel.

This spring baby! this spring.

No new pics but I will post one of the old ones.

OMG, Tom, If you weren't in prison, one of us would have to smack you. Wouldn't want Bubba thinking we's beating on his little biaaatch!

Karl does a fantastic job, for sure. What does she weigh? Got her scoped up yet?

I just bought a postal scale and will have to weigh her, I have a Leupold 4.5 x 14 x 50 Mark 4 on it with turrets.....looks bad to the bone.

I think I need a nice day and take some new pics.

Bubba is a nice guy.

Reamers are all SAAMI spec.. Winchester brass will work just fine.. I still have 200 new pieces comfortably stashed away..

Because you have no need for a pole vault??

Thanks Lee. I was hoping for a SAAMI reamer. Accurat enough loads can be made without all that other nonsense. We're not building watches here, they're hunting refles. I'm building my stash too by the way.


I'm used to 22" and 24" barrels, so this 26" is gonna be a bit of an adjustment for me. Can't imagine lugging around a 30" "pole" like Tom.

DW

'Course, mebbe he's 6'7" and it just feels 'right'..

I went with a 27.5" 1 in 8" twist Kreiger #4 fluted on my .264WN. It's very accurate with 129gr Hornady SST's and a healthy dose of Ramshot Magnum powder.



Terry

Yep, Terry, I like that one a lot. Sweet rig. Got some of those SST's in the loading room. Think I've got some Magnum as well. Hell, Terry, I don't think you own a rifle that I don't like, especially some of those with the nice wood handles, like the mini-mauser.


Lee, maybe you're right. Never met Tom. He may be one of them Big 'ol Boys. I'm 5'-8 and I prefer not to hunt with a rifle I can't see over. Of course if the muzzle stuck up above your head, that would be a safety factor of sorts.

DW

Blueprinted Rem 700, 27.5" Lilja 1:9 #3, teflon coated, maple stock, weighs 9.2 pounds scoped.

what i'm surprised at, is how light the recoil is with my model 70.

i guess i'm used to more, and thinking that mine was running light loads.
i gotta break out the chrono, and see what i'm running 130 tsx's at.

Lol, I'm 6' even but I have ape arms....yeah it just feels right.

The 264 was designed around the 140 for long range energy,velocity and wind drift. A "normal" throat makes it much less spikey. A 264 to be worth while has to be both fast and accurate. Mine has given me 1/2" 3-shot groups at 3150 with a 24" barrel.And I have skinny barrel.Ramshot Magnum and 140SSTs.

Man, I love the 264 mag- you guys surely know how to make a guy happy!

downwind2,

Wanna share some load data? Sounds like you've got one worked out there. Terry (TC1) said he likes Magnum as well. Gotta get a can of that.

Any other "must have" powders for this round?

David

you will want some IMR 7828 if you run the .264.

I bet that would be a good powder for 26"+ lengths. I've been using IMR4350 but only out of my 24" barrel.

A slower powder should work well for a longer tube..

I was mostly using 7828 also, but found the new Win 780 to really deliver good velocity and accuracy for me from 120-140 grains. US869 is pretty good with the 140s, H4831 with the 100s, H1000 is a good all arounder.

i was almost ready to accept the fact that my .264 wasnt much of a shooter until i tried h-1000. before h-1000 1.5" groups was the best i could get, and i tried three different bullets in three different weights from three different companies. now with the h-1000 im pretty close to 1" groups. now if i could figure out why every time i take it hunting nothing comes out i would be good. i take any other of my rifles out even the same day i will see a deer to shoot. its like the rifle is cursed. im tempted to find a medicine man on the rez to do a chant or dance or something over the rifle.

deer are smart, they know how deadly a 264 is, and they are skeered!

In that case, we got a lot of stupid deer just east of Minong... Taken mucho deer with the .264 - and not ONE with any other rifle.. Never even see one..

Weird..

Well, I got all those except H1000 and US869. Guess I'll start with 7828. Anybody got a pet load they like? Or with R22, H or IMR 4350 or 4831? I got 'em all.

DW

What bullet weight? 140? Up to 65 grains of 7828 is a common one, but my gun can't handle it. Even 63 grains is a little warm, but I get half inch groups and 3200 fps. Win 780 and 140s up to 65 gr is accurate and will push 3250. Remember, I do have a longer barrel and quite a bit of free bore. I seat my bullets out to 3.4".
120 TTSXs and 67.5 grains of 780 at 3515.
130 gr Accubonds and 66 grains of 780, just 3250 but super accurate- .5-.7" range.
75 grains US869 with 140s, 3215 fps.
71.5 gr H4831 and 100gr Ballistic Tips is my accuracy load, sub 1/3" stuff mostly, 3730-3750 fps. 62 grains of H4831 with 140s shoots pretty well, but velocity is a bit lower in the 3150 range in my gun.
Reloder 22 I've only taken up to 58 grains before moving on to other stuff. Velocity with that attempt was just under 3100. Never accuracy tested it.

exbio,

Thanks a lot. I copied that and pasted into a Word file and saved it for later. Good info and places to start.

And, yeah, 140gr. Accubond probably. Got some 129gr. SST's to play with, but if they'll shoot, the AB's will probably get the nod. Feel like the bonded bullet at high speeds will hold together better, not to mention that hihg B.C.



David

My only caveat is to stay away from any load that's 'compressed'... This round has a high enough pressure curve w/o that little additive..

I try to find loads for the magnums whereby the case is roughly 85-90% full.. Pay close attention to the books recommended starting loads and work up carefully.. Every rifle will have it's own little foibles.. oh, and use a chrono...

24" and 26" are close enough together that if powder A noticeably outruns powder B in a 26" barrel it will do it in 24" as well.

oh, and use a chrono...

Always! A chrono is a priceless piece of equipment for a handloader. Don't know how I did without as long as I did. I ALWAYS compare folks' "pet loads" with book loads before I fly into building cartridges. Usually pick a good starting point and load 1 or 2 of each chargeg up to what I think might be max. I'll take those and shoot them through the chrono checking each for any pressure signs. If none, and speed is acceptable, I'll pick a couple and load a few of each and test for accuracy, shooting over the chrony as well.

I read somewhere that the 264 has a pretty spikey pressure curve, for whatever reason. Little extra precaution is due I suppose.

Thanks guys,

David

Yes, due to the shorter throat from the original bullet designs that were 'stepped'..

I've never had problems reloading for this round.. Just gotta pay attention is all..

Someone else here sent me these from a John Barsness article using 140 Speers in a pre64 M70. 64 gr RL25 at 3130, 65 gr MRP2 at 3114, 65 gr MagPro at 3207, 65 gr Retumbo at 3171, 69 gr Magnum at 3240.
For what it's worth, my rifle couldn't touch the Magnum or MagPro loads, Retumbo pretty much mirrored my gun, MRP2 velocity was shy in my gun but safe, RL25 was safe but the velocity was a bit shy of JB's.
Oh and I forgot H50BMG, 64 grains at 3000 fps.
I think the only slow powder I haven't tried is N170. Used N165, N160, RL19 in the lighter bullets also.

Nice. I'm getting some great info here, guys. Keep it coming.

My 264 has a 26", 1 turn in 8.5", 3 groove barrel. My loads that I have been using are 130 grain Swift Sirocco with 67 grains of Retumbo for 3225 fps. And the 95 grain Vmax with 72 grains of RL-25 for 3600 fps.

8mmwapiti

This is the second barrel,the first one was high pressure and slow.Greydog throated the second barrel"normal",so I use more powder than JB did and without the spikes I had before.With my powder exploration,with a 264 and new powders you kinda on your own,I found Magpro and Magnum to be the best for groups.

After reading most every post on the 264,this is after all the home of the 264cult,we all seem to have a lot of different best powders. I think maybe 264s are much more picky about powders than the run of the mill cartridges.

From what I've heard it seems a bit finicky.

DW

I'm really looking forward to trying that 130-grain Swift bullet.

AWESOME info. Guys I scraped my 6.5x284 build to do a 264WinMag!!!

The Cult264 picks up another victim. Welcome to the club.

David

Sorry Bearstalker, we kinda hijacked your thread didn't we? Working out good for all though, I suppose.

The 264 WM can be Love/Hate for sure. Once you find the "sweet" spot you'll love them. Sometimes getting there can make you hate them though

Great thread. I've had a pre-64 model 70 in .264 for 25 years now. It loves 63 grains of H4831 and 120 bt's and 125 partitions - both are .5 inch loads.

Just picked up a Montana 1999 in a McMillan and 26 inch barrel off the board here a few months ago and working up loads for it. Last weekend I had the following results:

68 gr. Magnum with 130 Nosler AB's = 3279 fps but 1.2 inch groups
63.5 H4831 with 130 Nosler AB's = 3217 fps and .805 avg. groups
67.5 gr. Retumbo with 120 Barnes TSX= 3182 fps (don't know why so slow) but .566 avg groups.

Going to try some RL25 and Magpro based on some posts here. Thanks!

Sell it... Life is too short to befriend unlucky rifles.

Yer a good man, obviously..

Great thread, he says. Best as I can tell, this thread is gonna cost me a couple thousand dollars over the next few months. Oh, but I bet the fun at the end will be worth the cost. Dang ya'll are a bad influence.

DW

Cha-CHING...

The good part is I'm helping the local campfire economy: Redneck(build), Matt Williams(bottom metal), RickBin(stock), CAS(Cerakote). You're all welcome! LOL!!!

LOL, your lucky if that's all it costs you. when i decided to build a LONG range .264, it probably cost me $4500.. this is one of three custom .264s with a fourth in parts on the shelf...

Toad,

I'm thinking maybe our definitions of LONG range may differ a bit. Mine won't be nearly as tricked out as that. Just a M70 pushfeed, #5 Pac-Nor supreme fluted at 26" w/8 twist, McMillan Supergrade, Williams bottom metal, Talley steel rings, Leupold VX-III4.5-14x40 B&C reticle, cerakoted by CAS, all put together by Redneck. I'm sure there's something I left out, but that pretty well covers it.

Nice rig by the way. Helluva brake on that 6.5!

DW

Why such a heavy barrel?

that rifle is just a range toy, not a hunting rifle, so not much downside to the heavy barrel. it is a Krieger 1-8.5" that was in stock at Midway, so it was not a tough sell.

but my others are more portable. i just wanted something to play with at 1K-1 mile while my eyes are still up to the task. i'm glad i did, as it is a learning experience.

but i hunt for the short shot just like everyone else.

Thanks Toad, I could tell that's what that was for. But I meant x2mosg. Sounds like a sporter weight stock, with a hefty barrel. Just seems like a contrast in styles to me.

It's more or less a "semi-bean-field" rifle. Redneck and I talked about it and he said if weight wasn't of great concern, he felt a heavier contour would work much better. I don't know how accurate it is, but Pac-Nor's weight calculator says that with the flutes, it'll be less than 1/4 pound heavier than a same length #3. And because ever since I rebarreled by 22-250 with a #3, I wish I had gone a touch heavier. I don't mind another pound of weight for the gain in accuracy and stability. Just personal choices I suppose. It is still a sporter weight contour, but a heavy sporter for sure.

DW

Somewhere along the line here I read a less than positive post about .264 brass. I've never had issues with the WW brass, but hopefully most of you know that Nosler is now making .264 brass and it is superb. Weight similarity is excellent and it's very consistent. Lasts longer too.

Joe

I bet you will be happy with it. The 264 ain't supposed to be a handy little brush gun, anyway!

Good to know.. I had forgotten about Nosler making brass now, and since I have enough .264WM brass to last my lifetime I didn't search for it there..

Thanks for the tip..

I've been using Winchester brass, but I heard a couple of times that the Nosler brass was really soft, which made for loose primer pockets a little too easily. However, it's the only .264 brass I can find around me right now and I'm tempted to pick some up anyway.

I've heard stellar reviews on the Nosler brass as to consistency, and I think it's a little heavier than WW or R-P brass. Only primer pocket stretch I've heard of was with Hornady brass, but never been a problem for me. Of course mine's 416 Rigby which is a low pressure round to start with.

Any special loading techniques that ya'll use with the .264? I'm looking at bushing neck sizing dies and thinking of going that route. Otherwise, SOP. I due use a Hornady COL gauge to determine seating depth.

DW

Well, I rethroated mine so the 140s didn't take up so much case capacity, which ruined the accuracy, until I seated my bullets way out there again. Most bullets are loaded to 3.4-3.5". I've got .47" of freebore now. I also now use a Redding neck sizer.

exbio,

Bushing or standard? I'm trying to decide now for myself.

It's not a bushing die, but I've heard good things about those collet neck sizers from Lee. But it was shooting half inch groups before I started necksizing. I've shot some sub 1/3 inch groups with the neck sizer, but that's also with a different bullet that I hadn't tried with the full length RCBS.

I use the Lee collet sizer with my 22-250 and like it a lot. They don't make it for the 264WM, or I'd have one on order. And the custom job runs about $60 or $70 I think, and a couple or 3 months to get it.

Sending a dummy round to Lee today for a crimp die as it's not a stock item. Seated three last night to measure for bushings in neck die and they came in .295, .295, .294. Pretty consistent.

DW

I'm thinking about a #3 contour(BROUGHTON) as well would ANYONE oppose a #3 for a lightweight 264WinMag? If so why................does anyone have a #3 264WinMag.

I've owned 4 of them and keep going back.

YES SIR!!!!!!!!!! I knew someone had one and GLAD it was you MAN that's pretty what is the twist and how and what does it shoot best Guy!!!

What does their #3 measure at the muzzle? I've got a #3 Lilja that is more or less sporter weight. Measure .625 and the muzzle. Works well, but if you plan on doing a ton of hiking with it, I might consider going to a #2.

Here's A Sako .264 WM w/ a #3, and With it is a pre 64, also a .264, but a factory 26"

Popapi,

Just a regular 700 SS Factory all the way except for the
BC stock. 1/9 twist.
It loves 130 AB's and 130 Swifts at 3,300.

Broughton's #3 is also .625 at tha muzzle. Just want something around 6 1/2 - 6 3/4lbs W/O scope. Thinking of a Stiller Predator, Bansner High Tech SheepHunter Stock, and of course the #3 Broughton.

Fantastic!!!!! Powder? Weight of rifle? Doggone it I LOVE that B&C stock I have one on my 257WBY!!!!

Probably will be hard pressed to get into the that range with a 26" #3. My Rem 700, aluminum bottom metal, Talley Lightweights 18 oz scope (Nikon Buckmasters 4.5-14x40 because I hate the look AOs), 27.5" Lilja #3, maple stock weighs 9 lbs 2 oz or was it 9.2 lbs? Something like that. Don't know what the stock weighs, but maple isn't very heavy.

WHOA...... I was thinking the ADL Bansner 17.2oz, Talley low lightweights, Swarovski z5, with Broughtons tube weighing 3 1/4lbs(3.25) BEFORE thread, chambering, fluting and crowning would be doable at the weights above.

That's a really lightweight stock, fluting should help a little too. Might be able to pull it off. My .358 Norma with BC Alaskan II, Talleys and a 12 oz scope went 7.2 lbs scoped with a #3 Douglas 24" tube, but that's a big hole in the barrel, removing a lot of steel. Still, if my stock was 27 ozs, it seems like that might actually be doable.

Though many don't seem to like 'em, I'd love to rebarrel a 8400 Montana to 264 Win Mag. With a sensible scope, one should be at about 7.5 pounds I'd think. I'm thinking it would hunt...

I hope so Ex we'll see!

Yeah, I love the idea of doing a Kimber action for a custom, but I can't stomach dropping $800 or $900 on an action yet. My two Remingtons were brand new at $300 each as 700 ADLs from WalMart. But if you want to step up in features and weight there's the Montanas, and you're still nowhere near what it would take to cannibalize a Kimber. Price you pay though, as folks do Dakotas, heavily 'smithed Mausers and Tis all the time. Maybe one of the these days...
Mean time, I better get started on this year's project before summer shooting season and elk season rolls around again.

From my seat in the cheapies, $1000 Montana and a $500 rebarrel puts one in the same ball park as a customized 700. I've got half that in my 223AI and still have the factory barrel. Plus, I'd really want the 3pos wing safety. There's multiple other routes that'd be a bit cheaper and have all the same features (Win 70, Ruger), but I'm not sure one could hit that weight as cheap.

OH?
What might that be my friend?

Dunno, no donor yet, so I'm not stuck on anything. I do need a new elk rifle, but I'm really digging the idea of some custom Mausers. However, I want a lightweight also, and I dang sure wouldn't be caught dead with a synthetic stocked Mauser. Plus I need a new muzzleloader for elk and the thought of doing a full on track of the wolf .58 cal long tom custom kick ass maple stock jobber in addition to one or two other rifles (lightweight elk gun, nice wood custom Mauser) is a bit much. So I need to compromise somewhere, probably just go with a Lyman GPR .54 cal with upgraded sights, and upgraded wood later. But I still want something elky in a centerfire, preferably lightweight. Basic answer, I don't know!

How much does this rifle way Guy?

With Leupold DD's and a Leupold Mark 4 4.5x14.x50 it weighs a scant 10 lbs 6 oz on a postal scale.

I figured it would be 9lbs or better scoped. 4 contuor right?

Actually it is basically a copy of Weatherby's Accumark contour just stretched to 30"

I was told it was basically a #3 contour.

Tom,

I'm no expert for sure, but that barrel looks much heavier than my #3 Krieger'd 22-250. I'm thinking more like #5 or so. Measure it at 26" and lets see what it works out to be, if you don't mind. Whatever it is, doesn't really matter, it's yours and your happy with it. I'd just be interested to see the dims. on it. Mine is back on hold for a little while now. The bottom metal is at Lee's place and the stock still on order. The rest will have to wait 'til work picks up again. Amazing what a couple weeks can do to your work load.

Anyway, back to the .264....

David

Well here is what I had Dan Lilja do...

Its my custom contour.

"378W30"
same as wby378 contour above but for a 30" finish length, muzzle .670" at 30"
30
1.25

Pretty sure my #3 Lilja is .625 at the muzzle

Just looked at Dan's website and his sporters are on a .008"/inch taper. His #5 is .700" at 27", so that's pretty close to yours Tom. #4 is .650" at 27", so that's a little thinner.

So you're pretty close to the same countour I'll be going with. That helps a bunch.

David

That's a pretty sonafahgun!!!!!

Whichever action you choose.......use a 26"> barrel.

A 1:9 twist will stabilize everything up to 142's. You don't need anything else even for elk or in Africa; kudu. Use the 140 Lapua Naturalis or A-Frame for big game.

I've found that RL-25 is good for every bullet weight up to 130..........anything heavier than that use VN N570 with a 215M primer. Or AA8700/H870.

The REAL advantage the 264 has over the 257 and 270Wby is no freebore.........mine have all been sub moa guns with very easy load development.

i've run .264 Win Mags in 1:9", 1:8.5", and 1:8"

1:8" and IMR 7828 is where you wanna be.

Yep, I agree.

Howdy guys looks like I am new to the 264 Win Mag group I traded for a Remington Sendero SFII it has a 26" Stainless with blue fluting with less then 300 down the tube and H&S stock. From our conversation yesterday it sounds like he has had a hard time getting good groups with it and not sure why. He has only tried a few powders and 1 or 2 bullets so I told him we should trade and I will give it a go. So last night I found this thread and began reading till I fell asleep. Guys you all are great there is a huge headach load of info here if you try to take it all in but WOW.
Keep it going

Lots of things to look at to improve the groups. First check the scope and mounts for fit and tightness. then check the stock fit as it may have a pressure point that is moving the impact point when the barrel heats the stock. A good cleaning can't hurt. Check the crown for dings. Don't over heat the barrel. Usually one of these issues will solve the problem. Also a quality powder scale when measuring loads for consistancy. You may have already considered all of these but just in case it doesn't hurt to check.

i'd try a known good scope and a trigger tweak.

my Sendero SFII .264 was a .5 moa rifle to 500 yards+ with a good trigger/scope

Bumping an old thread- Just got my .264 back from the smith, 28" benchmark barrel with 8.5:1 twist, cerakoted, laying in a choate stock. Looking for some load data for the 140 gr berger VLD's if anyone has a good starting point.

I wouldn't even know where to start with data for the fastest twisted barrel I have ever heard of...8.5 revolutions for every inch of travel...wow!

Use Retumbo, I'd start around 62-64 and work up; you'll max. out somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 grains, maybe less.

This looks like the place to share some load results.

I am still working with my first 264, but it is on its second tube.



The model 70 is a 27 inch Pac-Nor #4 three groove in 8 inch twist, in case I want to try the 142MK etc. The scope is an FF II in 4.5-14 ballistic plex.

The no 1 is my 7STW.

I have only just begun to wring out the barrel. So far I have been trying to make 3300 fps with 130 gr AB's.

71 gr of H1000 max (load from Hodgdon 26 at 3187 fps) actually gave me 3300 with the barrel well warmed previously.

On another day through a cold tube, it averaged around 3275 fps.
with accuracy right at 1 moa.

I am sure the rifle can do better so I continued to explore.

71.5 gr of Retumbo produced 3300 fps, but I have not grouped it yet.

I also have a string of cartridges loaded with various weights of Magnum. Probably get them over the Chrono this week end. And shoot a few groups.

I have a 340 Wea (Pac-Nor) in hand which I need to run out to 700 yds for a friend. I am hoping I can try the same with the 264 this week end.