Of course there is no definition of obsolete that would satisfy many at the fire, but I hold that the .264 Winchester Magnum is still one of the finest long range options out there for Western Game.
Some of the finest hunters I know carry nothing else in the field for Moose, Deer, Bear, Elk, Goats, Sheep, and Antelope. And any of the various 264's would kill the same range of game.
Would anyone here refuse to hunt because they were going to have to use a .264?
I own one - a 24" M70 Featherweight - and hunt it. It's a good cartridge. It would be better with a default 1:8" twist, but the 1:9" is OK. In a vacuum I'd rather have a 6.5mm short magnum (any of the three would do), but right now they're poorly supported while the .264WM is well supported. So I convert the cases to headspace on the shoulder with the first firing and call it good.
The 26 Nosler is well designed, but really has ultra-magnum capacity and wants a slow Retumbo-like powder that doesn't exist to make best use of it with 160 Weldcores (which is all I would consider shooting in it). It ends up with a lot of empty space with most non-50BMG powders and heavy bullets.
I'd call the .264WM a niche round. If it does get obsoleted by a superior non-belted short or long action magnum with good support, I'll be happy the world has made something I've wanted for a while and buy the replacement.
