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

John, an absolute dandy bull!

I'll stick to my lowly 308 Win, but I'm glad the 264 WM is in this world...

John,

Excellent work with an obsolete cartridge!

First things first!

Super Dandy Bull----even if he was suicidal!!



I repeat, I don't have anything against the 264 WM.

By definition 1. the 264 is obsolete when COMPARED by the Number of them in use TO the number of other big game cartridges in use.

Clearly the 264 is NOT "outmoded in design, style, or construction" as it varies little from the 7 RM.

My personal use of 'obsolete' is 'outdated'. I might hastily add that many of US are nearing 'outdated'.

Whether deserved or not, to many hunters the 264 is obsolete because they've never heard of it nor seen one in the field.

Even since the 264 is not popular nor widely used AND is of an older design, one thing the 264 IS NOT, 'INeffective'!!!!!



Lastly, NO definition of 'obsolete' applies to the 30-06.

Manufacturers and designers talk about "built-in obsolescence" especially with respect to electronics etc.

Maybe they mean built in unpopularity, and that's what they are trying to achieve as they get people to buy a new mobile phone or 3d TV.

But to my mind its about a product becoming superseded by a superior design, which by nature will encourage consumers to desert their old product and flock to the new one.

To that end I guess I agree with point two of John Burns' definition above ie... 2. Outmoded in design, style, or construction: an obsolete locomotive.

I can't see where nearly any of the cartridges mentioned in this thread have been superseded because the basic design hasn't changed through the introduction of the later cartridges. They all still have a brass case of similar basic shape and method of ignition, propulsion etc.

In fact these older cartridges have been constantly upgraded by new components like better powders, bullets, loading techniques. In a sense they are a different product than they were when first released.

A 30-06 using a 190g LRAB, using a full charge of R17 is a different beast to that being loaded into magazines of all those Springfield rifles many years ago.

Obsolete, no. As to the 264; unless it has been superseded by a superior product I can't agree that it's obsolete either.

Looks like a bitch of a place to get an elk out of.

It's a constant source of amusement that some guys get so worked up over someone else's opinion of a particular cartridge.

John,

I must admit to not reading you last post carefully enough so must amend my comment:

Great job with a vestigial cartridge!

I think if a words common meaning is different from the dictionary meaning, then the dictionary definition is obsolete, my point may be moot.

That's an excellent point!

Dictionary definitions are at least in part based on common usage, and meanings can change over time. Someday one definition of "like" is going to be "said," as in: "And I'm like, hey where's that guy with the obsolete rifle?"

That gave me my Chuckle Of The Day... Word.

I think this sums it up nicely. There are plenty of great cartridges that aren't mainstream by today's standards. I have several: 41 magnum, 264 Win, even the 222 Remington Magnum, which I am singlehandedly trying to resurrect to it's rightful place as a fantastic cartridge.

The virtues of each cartridge or particular firearm in it's original offering, changes from year to year and when the change isn't popular, it doesn't stop the morphisis.

Along with the obsolescence of cartridges is the state of the firearm itself when we see plastic and stainless steel replacing Chrome-moly and Walnut. I will probably be caught in obsolescence for the rest of my life as I can't accept the preferred changes in firearms to stainless/plastic...

Thanks Brad, blind hogs and acorns come to mind.



I just had the employees haul it out and even hitched a ride myself.




Vestigial is synonymous with "AWESOME", right???












Holy buckets, I just looked up vestigial and it is even worse, way worse, than obsolete. WTF is up with this crusade by all the Gunwriters to destroy the pinnacle of cartridge development for big game hunting (that would be the .264 Win Mag for those that are late to the party)???????????

All right then JB, I say the B29 is DOUBLE VESTIGIAL. Not so funny when the shoe is on the other foot.

Hey, the B29 is happy with whatever it can get! Double vestigial mythical would be even better....

Glad you are making .264's. Somebody needs to.

Well that is unfortunate news that the .264 WM is obsolete. I have a new one in the gun room and a flat rate box full of once fired brass I was hoping to play with this spring.

First of all, why waste your time and effort on an obsolete round.

Secondly, all your components won't do you any good since you can't get bullets.

Thirdly, so I'll PM you my address and you can send that obsolete rifle/cartridge and components to me. I'll take it off your hands and leave you more room in your safe/storage.

That's the least a fellow loony can do for another!

Mule deer has probably forgotten it entirely, but he wrote a really good article about "semi-wildcats" several years ago. A Semi-wildcat is a factory round that is so hard to find that you have to handload it to get decent (or any) ammo. I'll bet there aren't a hundred .264 shooters who don't handload for it, so it would qualify as a semi-wildcat.

If you have to handload it to use it, it just might be "obsolete." If you have to buy used brass to handload it, it just might be even more obsolete.

If you have to make your brass out of 7 mag . . . then we know for sure it's obsolete.

Hey, I do vaguely remember that article!

Though it took your reminder to dredge it out of my semi-obsolete memory.

Nah, just don't need to compensate

I recently found a .264 Pre Garcia Sako for under 800 and the rational side of my brain said you have this covered in your current battery. Now that I am becoming a Sako looney I am kicking myself over it every day. Wonder if they still have it. Bet someone recognized it and swooped in on it.

Be sure to borescope the throat.

Just kidding - I think.