Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Question for JB - 264 Win Mag

Awesome. What velocities are you getting and how accurate? I will have a switch barrel installed/crafted onto an awesome rifle sometime in late November and was thinking of using the 127Gr LRX as the bullet of choice. It will have a Bartlein 2B, "27" finish", 7" twist.

I don't have access to my data right now, but will check tonight and get back to you.

Awesome. Thank you.

Am I the only one who read the OP's post?

He asked "DOES LENGTH AFFECT ACCURACY?"

I can say it DOES affect popularity with the ladies.

.264 WM: Come for the velocity. Stay for the BC.

This is true to some degree. You only benefit from the modern "slippery" bullets if you twist 1:8 or faster. I found out the hard way when I had PacNor put on a 1:9 (kinda the old standard). I doesn't work too well with anything over 140 gr.

My .264 Win Mag is still a .338 Win Mag but it’s sending a 160TSX at 3300 from a 26” or 3150 from a 20” .338wm…

I ordered a 1:7 twist Bartlein 2B stainless 5R at 26" finished. Looking forward to seeing it perform

good answer with a 8 twist

I doubt you'll be disappointed

In the late 60’s I was offered a 264 or a 7mm RM both 700’s as a gift. I took the 264. I still had 4831 that was the cheap stuff - government surplus. I think that was the only powder that I used. I didn’t have a chronograph, I had to rely on the reloading manuals as to the velocity might have been getting. I remember two bullets that I used, 120 grain hollow points (manufacturer??) and 140 grain partitions made on a screw machine. Both bullets were pretty accurate. I shot a lot of crows and jack rabbits with the rifle. I shot a lot more 120 grain hollow points than those spendy partitions.
A friend bought it from me. He used it on pronghorns and prairie dogs - mostly prairie dogs. If I were to get another 6.5, it would be a 264.

With the same contour barrel, 2 inches in extra length will result in a barrel slightly more whippier whether free floated or not. ( loses rigidity with length ) Dropping a down a contour has a similar effect .

Whether or not that 2” is perceptible to the average shooter….. probably not.

I pure dee Love Commercial FN Mausers and the old Browning Safari models. I Used to drool over Browning's catalog as a teen! Even then I questioned WHY Browning put a 22" barrel on their .264? I finally saw on GunsInternational a Browning with a 24 inch 264. Only one in 60 yrs!

I used to work with a HS friend and he had been given a Mod 700 BDL with a 24" barrel, of course. I would jokingly tell him that I would give him a $150 for the rig (3x9 Redfield) one day he said OK, (fight with wife) except I had 3 yr old very ex[pensive twin girls and a Classy wife with good taste in clothes! ha But a young friend of mine ( 4 yrs younger) was looking for a good deer rifle. He grew up shooting an old Eyetalian 6.5. He bought it and has used nothing else since! I and another friend loaded ammo for him. My friend loaded 140 Partitions pretty hot. I loaded the Speer 140 HC about 3000fps ( I didn't tell him that was 270 country, ha) he and later his 3 boys have killed a dump truck full of deer and hogs! About 15yrs ago, he finally had a gunsmith clean the bore (which he "never" does!) It came right back to less than an inch!

I moved off to Bible College in '87 and our older handloader friend ( he taught me how to use/set up the Rock-Chucker press/dies I still use!) just up and died around 10yrs ago. My 264 Buddy just uses 140 Corlokts now. He did tell me awhile back that he hunts near the Big Bend of West Texas now and then. My point being that 24" seems sensible to me, but I too would want a 26" just for grins. Biggest 6.5 I ever owned is the short time I spent with the 6.5/284 and the 6.5 PRC, I have used a handful of smaller 6.5s. I hunted with an Outfitter that personally used a 6.5x300 Wby. Now that is a big one, but I would take a plain 264 WM factory or a 6.5/280AI Wildcat over the big Weatherby, just me.