Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer - .284 Win

John:

Nice write-up in Handloader on the much-neglected .284 Winchester. That's always been a cartridge I've been curious about.

Mike

Same here Rev. Not sure why having a couple 280's, a 7x57, 7-08, 7 WSM and Mashburn but it still interests me.

by chance were there any newly introduced powders tested in the article

Hunter and VihtaVouri (N555, N160, N560) are about the newest. IMR4350 and Hybrid 100V were the other two. None of the newer IMRs were in the list.

I often kick myself for passing on a Savage 99 in 284. It was in a local shop for a very modest price. Bore was pristine but the exterior was well used. Not much blueing nor much stock finish. No pits or stock damage. Apparently the former owner used it for everything in Alaska as his only rifle and was quite religious about keeping the bore in good shape, according to the shop owner. Don't know why I passed on it but wish I hadn't.

N555 works great in my 284 with the Speer 160's.

I've always wanted a .284, just never could decide what action to build on.
Anyone ever do a Montana in one?

In about the late '80's I had a Winchester 100 in 284. I sort of wish I had not let that go, but it threw brass and I got tired of looking for the sort of expensive brass. Handy little rifle with a punch. If a guy were a factory ammo only guy, that would be one good way to go, in my opinion. However, besides the brass, the trigger took some getting used too.
I'm sort of heavy on the 7mm's now and prefer bolt or slide actions in my 7mm's. If I were to make up a 284, I think I'd buy a 'surprise' 700 and re-barrel it. I'd avoid a controlled feed action as I think there would be some feeding issues that would have to be done to feed those fat cartridges. But maybe if one were to buy a short fat cartridge rifle in a controlled feed version the re-barrel would be easy.

The 99 I have shoots great with 120 TTSX and IMR 4350. I enjoyed the article also.

About 3 ( or more ? ) years back there was a discussion here about just that.
Might’ve been a 6.5x284 in a LA .

In any event, I believe the consensus was that the ULA/NULA was a more natural “fit”

Let us know what you discover, please.

It’s funny. The 7-08 and the 280 AI get a lot of ink but the 284 splits the difference perfectly. And R17 is tailor made for it. Its one of the best cartridges not in widespread use. And still one of the best among those that are.

My pal loves 7 mags, but inherited a 88-284, and then build a nice bolt gun last fall. He loves it.

Seems it could be long-throated like the 6.5-284 Norma, and loaded to more spirited pressures than the Saami 56K psi.
In the appropriate length bolt action , of course.

338Rules,

One of the things I point out in the article is that CIP (European) pressures for the .284 are considerably more "spirited" than SAAMI's.

The probable reason for the SAAMI maximum average pressure (MAP) is the .284 was originally designed for the Winchester Model 88 lever-action, and the Model 100 semiauto--which I also point out, and that Europe has a distinct lack of 88s and 100s.

I also discuss "long-throating," and bullets seated out further. The advantages of each are vastly exaggerated--and I also explain why in the article.

When a buddy bought a 7mm WSM Montana back in the day I kinda thought about the 284 Winchester as being the same. Though the WSM family was sort of a new thing. This buddy was nuts about weight as he did lots of diy pack hunting. Even shortened his toothbrush handles.

I read JB's article and now am horned up considering a 284 project. Hoping this goes away.

Love a 284. It's about ideal for me. I don't know how many I own but they all look like this group of .284's.

Cream usually rises to the surface, so if the 284 was really a better choice, more people would have chosen it. Of course, the fact that Winchester chose not to catalog the Model 70 in 284 didn't help it any and JOC's treatment of it in THE HUNTING RIFLE couldn't have helped it either.

I still have 8x 284s; 4x Savage 99 and 4x Winchester 88. I've also owned 284s in the BLR, Ruger 77, Winchester 100, and a few bolt action part guns.

For the guy who doesn't reload, the 150 grain Winchester/Olin factory ammo has about the same performance as their 150 grain factory ammo in 308. From my perspective, the 284 with factory ammo is just an expensive to buy and expensive to feed 308. It does win the "cool factor" category, but the average guy has never gone out of his way to own a rifle that requires any extra effort.

Or so it seems to me.

I have an Interarms Mk X in 6-284 that someone put together. I acquired it in a swap about 12 years ago, and it's a good shooter. I don't know what---if anything---was done to the feed rails but it has never given me any feeding problems. I can only get three or four rounds in the magazine, though.

I have liked the 284 W long before I was able to get one. I liked the idea of the 284 performance in a Win 88 action.
I didn't find one that was in good enuff shape OR at a price I felt was reasonable.

I got this one from a Campfire member / Friend. It's a Mauser 98 (standard action) not magnum nor short action.
I also have never had a problem with feeding, extraction or ejection.

Without pushing the limits - Using H 4831 I'm getting 3000 fps with 139 HBTSP -- sounds 270 ish. It works.




Jerry

The .284 was my first deer rifle and the first rifle cartridge I handloaded. The Model 100 was the launching platform and it served me well but, like bugger, I got tired of looking for my brass so it was traded.