Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 270 Wby or 264 Win Mag?

OP might have to consider the 26 nosler and a host of others if he were to go through the exercise again today, a decade later. By now he has probably worn out the barrel on his 257 wby; and andrews1958 has probably even had a chance to shoot his Kampfeld custom.
Always enlightening to read what Bob had to say on the subject. Others in the thread ... well, they are consistent!

I like reading Bob’s old posts too, I have 264’s, 270 Weatherby’s, 270 WSM’s, 7 Rem mags, throw them in a barrel, reach in, grab one, all great cartridges!

I had always hoped the .264 win would become more available. A friend of mine used one in the 80's and It performed exactly like my 270 wcf. We shot bull elk together, quite a few. I don't think I would like the long barrel these days.
The ,270 wsm & Weatherby need that long barrel.
I quit using the 25/06 for the same reason.

I'd take the .264 over the Wby every day and twice on Sunday.. FWIW..

The mid-caliber cartridge landscape has dramatically changed since this .264WinMag vs .270Wthby question was asked in 2009. The 6.5mm caliber has really taken off in popularity, and there is now a huge variety of bullets available. While a great caliber in its own right, the .270 cartridges haven't received near the same amount of developement.

Plus, with modern improvements in bullets and powders, the great-but-niche .264WinMag is now an absolutely outstanding cartridge for anything from antelope to elk.

Not to mention that, with the introduction of the 26 Nosler, the .264WinMag is no longer the king of high speed 6.5mm cartridges, giving the speed-obsessed shooter even more options to consider.

All JMHO.



Below is a Winchester M70 Extreme Weather in .264WM, bedded and with a 2.5lb Timney trigger:

That is good shooting!

Because? I'm interested in your reasoning.

“Minimal freebore”? Why bother with 270 Wby. It’s true colors and speed are based on generous freebore (like all Wby chambers) and ammo that is high pressure based on generous freebore. Changing those specs makes it only a hand loader at lower pressures. That’s what Wby is famous for, high pressure and enough freebore to use it. Nothing against it or the 264 WM in the field, but neither can outperform a 7mm Rem Mag down range and the 7mm can do it with 2-inches less barrel. Plus 7mm ammo can be found anywhere on the planet and hand load recipes and bullets abound beyond anything the other two offer. I suppose if it’s a choice between those two, 6.5mm is now the cats meow. If I chose a 270 Wby I would want the stock chamber, wouldn’t want someone loading Wby ammo in one that is not unless you want big problems. Only my opinion.

The Weatherby "freebore" was commonplace maybe thirty years ago, but with the advent of modern powders, it continues to be exaggerated. Completely agree on your 7 mag assessment.

The freebore used on a 270 Wby std chamber is 0.378”. That’s pretty significant compared to any std .277 chamber. Was just trying to notify OP if you go down the path of altering the std Wby chamber make sure the operator (may pass the rifle on someday) understands trying to use Wby ammo can present a danger.

I chose the 270 Wthby. I’m shooting the 129gr LRX at just under 3500fps and RL-22!

I love it ! Nothing wrong with a 264 Win Mag, but I’m a Weatherby guy!!

Elk Country

I have both and very much like both. Ammo and reloading can get expensive for both, but the factory offerings for both are relatively close in price, depending of bullet make and type.

What does enough freebore to use high pressure mean?

A friend has used a 264 for 35+ years and it has served him well. I would say it's a good calibre based on his results.

It is said that the freebore is how Weatherby's reach the higher velocities than the standard caliber counter parts. It is also said that most bullets are not long enough the reach the lands in weatherby chamberings, it also stated that if you were to remove the freebore then the pressures could or would increase to unsafe levels. Just my understanding of what I have read, in no way am I am expert. The actions are supposedly built to withstand the higher pressures than what the factory ammo is loaded at, but I am not sure that those specifications have ever been released.

I understand about Weatherby and freebore. I'm being a pain in the ass about technical terms.

Holy resurrection Batman!

.264 plus .013 equals .277. I don't think a critter in the world can tell the difference.

It's the 264 hands down for far better bullets, and brass all over the place. No it does not have to say 264 on the headstamp. It works just as well if it left the factory with a .284 neck.

Mine runs the 130 AB at 3300 fps with magnum and a CCI 250.

Check the speeds with similar bullets - they're nearly the same. Also, the brass for the .264WM is a bunch cheaper to obtain than the Wby.. Last - I'm not a fan of the (usually) large freebore that Wby rounds have..

Only caveat re: the .264 is the rather short throat - however, 5 minutes with a throater can change that minor beef..

JMHO...

You can say that again, this frickin thread is over 10 years old!

still, there are some interesting comments in it.

It is indeed a timeless question.