Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Is the .264 Obsolete?

In the April Handloader, Terry Weiland's article "In Defense of Belts" loses track of the title's stated subject, and decries 6.5 MM's in general, and the new 26 Nosler in particular, despite not having any experience with it, and says the .264 Winchester Magnum is obsolete.

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?

If you have one of these pieces of junk laying around and want to offload it fast PM me.

Yes, it is. Doesnt mean it cant be put to good effect, its just not very popular.
Does it really matter, if you like it?

Obsolete depends which definition you are using of the word.

No longer produced or used: NO

To replace with something new: Sure

It ain't dead!

Haven't read my friend Terry's article yet, but he does like to stir people up.

Apparently he has.

I think it was in "The Hunting Rifle" where Jack O'Connor uses the term obsolete about several rifles/cartridges. In context, I took it to mean they were no longer available in factory rifles, or loaded factory ammo, or were on the way out...not that they were ineffective.

Just think about some of the funky old Winchester lever action cartridges. They would still get the job done, if you could find them.

I think he was trying to keep the target audience from buying a rifle it would hard to keep in factory ammo.

Not a bunch of rifle looneys, who like something because it is rare.

Sycamore

10 years from now the 26 Nosler will be more obsolete than the 264WM.

I keep trying to find a reason to go below my 30's and 7X57 in Caliber, but the only two I think would get my wallet out are either a .264 or a .257 Weatherby, and they would have to have 26 inch barrels.

I should stake a claim to wildcatting the 26 Nosler: The MCN-Mags in 14 to 25, and 27 to 577. The world needs a .4427 Nosler.

IMHO, the 26 Nosler is DOA. A local dealer has got some rifles ordered, and is trying to convince me I need one. It ain't gonna happen. My .264's do just fine. No doubt the crowd who just has to have the latest and greatest will have to have a 26 Nosler, and will sing it's praises, until the next latest and greatest comes along. Then, that will be the end of the 26 Nosler.

Once upon a time the 264 was the 26 Nosler of its time.

I'm sure there were folks proclaiming the 264 dead on arrival too. Many cartridges come along, have their time in the spotlight, then become relatively obscure.

Examples are abundant,and it rarely has much to do with whether they are good or not.

The 264 Win Mag rocks with modern powders and high BC bullets.

JD338

Of course it does...cartridges are just canisters. Even old ones can benefit from updated powders and bullets.

All most of them do is change shape and style.But like women's shoes,makers have to invent something new to sell people.

To top it off I see this same writer has a story in the same issue of Handloader on keeping classic firearms shooting, focusing on old metric rounds - OMFG.

Writers should show some philosophical integrity.

Not as obsolete as silly and useless gun writers who have to struggle to find something "interesting" to write - in order to uphold their "credibility". Apparently this poor soul does not understand the purpose of a rifle or the performance of the 6.5x55, the 6.5/06 and the .264 Win Mag that hang around here. He should interview a once-shot/dead mule deer or antelope, or elk.

It is very infrequent that I find a writer I am disgusted with, Zumbo was tops, but this two faced bastard has gotten my ire up.

CCCC, IIRC, TW took a Dall sheep with a 6.5x55. And he has written of his fondness for the .257 Wby. I'm sure he also has enough grey matter to realize that the "canister size" ,as Bob puts it, between the .264 WM and the .257 Wby is not that great and that .264 bullets offer even more ballistic potential arguably than the .25s.

These guys write for groceries so any observation, opinion, expectation, or even an aspect of one of these they have is fair game for an article. It's probably still accurate to say that in the States the 6.5s are outside looking in despite the .260 and the 6.5x284 and their adherents. And the old dog, the .264, in the right platform (no 24" tubes) while excellent is not exactly common.

Relax; it's just an article, not a something he is trying to get accepted into the canon of Scripture..

I put forth the opinion that the term "obsolete" is a positive thing when it comes to guns and cartridges and that it stirs the nostalgic and collectors among us to rush out and buy one or maybe even several... LOL

I guess I'd probably pass as obsolete in many circles and I promise not to lose a whit of sleep over it...

Bob

Ditto!

He's an azz IMO and any round from the standards will appropriately deliver with an appropriate bullet and shooter to well 98% of shooters should be shooting. Ain't rocket science.

Well there's certainly worse things today than uncommon cartridges.....seems those are the easiest one's to get brass for these days.

I have some 264 brass....but no rifle.

Just in case...

I doubt that obsolete or outdated are terms that have as much meaning as they used to.

We have bullets today that can make a given round perform over a much wider spectrum of use when combined with the powders available. I killed a 200 lb+ deer last fall with a .223 and made a 3 inch hole through the off side shoulder, tore up the lungs and left the heart loose in the chest. That using a 53 grain bullet. My 30-30 pushes 150 grain Barnes TSXs at 2400 FPS. I never tried to see, but with 3 full grans of LeverEvolution to go before it hits book max I think it will be right on 2700 FPS. 308 Winchesters with 130 grain TTSXs are really, really nice deer rounds, something a few years ago we used 150s for.

We have a lot more we can do with all rounds now. That includes high performance rounds too.