My gun is twisted 1:8. Average accuracy is an acceptable 1.54 inches. It does not penetrate like the Accubond but has never let me down either. 3400+ from a 24" Bbl. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for elk to be approximately 200 yards. Run what ya brung! Too many statistics make my head hurt, and they surely can be used to misrepresent facts, but let me try and simplify this and compare one good, aerodynamic .264 Win. My choice of the "economy" loads (both the Winchester and Remington loads are priced $47 per box at the local Cabela's) is Remington's 140-grain Core-Lokt round. So, I have an opportunity to grab a NIB model 70 featherweight in 264 Win Mag at a fire sale. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I know there a couple forum member on here who use them. One of my hunting buddies has a 6.5Creedmoor and was telling me on a mule deer hunt how much better it was than my chambering, going to take it elk hunting as well. I left it out because with its gargantuan powder capacity its almost too much of a good thing. overflow: hidden; They'd rather see a hunter show up in camp with a .270 he can shoot lights out than a large belted magnum he can't. Behind the Bullet: .264 Winchester Magnum "So much of this business of hunting turkeys, you stupid it up right at the last. If a 150 gr. If you want fast .30-caliber authority coupled with compact-rifle ergonomics, this is your poison. Thanks to current long-range shooting trends, hunters have more and better options than ever. The only thing I would do differently at the 264 win mag velocities would be to use a stouter bullet for elk such as the ACCUBOND or similar. The three sometimes neglected variables are the human factor, the weather factor, and the fact that you are shooting at a wild animal, not a stationary target. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; . Run the data on those 140 and 142 gr bullets out of that 9 twist barrel through JBM Ballistics Stability (Sg) calculator and I'll bet you get a surprise. 50 Stck NOSLER Partiton #16320 Geschosse 6,5MM/.264 - 125gr/8,1g > Jagdgeschoss 70% Restgewicht! I mentioned that a bullet may not perform well under 2,000 fps. padres hats. A rule of thumb I use is if an animal is walking, shots need to be twice as close. Mag. If you load it has some mighty good new bullets we didn't have back then. Mag. The Bigger Question is, whats YOUR maximum? overflow: hidden; Mag. . Win. While Im generally not a fan of short magnum cartridges, this one has proven itself a very capable elk cartridge and deserves a place on the list. In other ways 0.277" bullet development has lagged behind both the 6.5 mm and 7 mm. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Every post you see about the 6.5 Creedmor declare it plenty for elk, if shot placement is right, if the angle is good, I don't see why a 264wm(6.5mm) wouldn't do the trick. It'll maintain nearly 100% of its weight and plow an impressive furrow. Introduced in 1959, the .264 Win. font-size: 14px; background-color: #333333; It has less drop, less wind drift, and more maintained energy. If youre one of those all-American .30-caliber guys, get a 30 Nosler precision rifle with a good brake, pair it with a tough, accurate bullet and never look back. Mag. text-align: center The 270 Winchester, 270 WSM, 7WSM and 7mm Rem. Having said that, it will not be my first choice. bought new in 1964 & still shoots great.. I would like to try Barnes TSX, but the heaviest 6.5 is 130 grains. Shot him thru the neck at 175 years and down he went. I have a box of Winchester .264 mag cartridges sitting on my bench. Mag., the .300 Win. Shaw barrels) currently produce factory rifles chambered in .264 Win. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Also around 30 Mule Deer, It kills them dead!!! That results in a 500-yard drop of 42.3 inches when zeroed at 200 yards. But dont try to punch a raking shot through a bulls hipit doesnt have the juice for that. Please opine on this for me guys as I have always been a 30 cal slut. Mag. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. In stock. Mag., and it really comes into its own with carefully developed high-performance handloads. However, it possesses authority in spades, and when paired with a fast-handling lever-action its a classic favorite of big-woods hunters. For all its virtues, like the 6.5 Creedmoor the 6.5 PRC just doesnt have the bullet diameter and weight to handle steeply angled shot presentations. Mag. Mag., and does so out of shorter barrels. It should be a great gun. Mag., the .338 Win. Let's look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. padding: 10px 5px; Just like the title says is it a good choice. The .338 Win. . shares the same case as the 7mm Rem. Mag. The Winchester 140-grain factory load is also pretty good. What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a elk in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. I shot the Leopard with 140 Partitions but the 120 Barns TTSX is my go to bullet. Ammunition can be found at every small-town hardware store across America. 300 Win. Dropping a bull cleanly takes a good cartridge. 264 Winchester Magnum / Specifications: Who knew wild turkey's were so stupid!? The .270 was envisioned as a hunting cartridge, and its bullets perform well on game. Personally I wouldnt use either on anything bigger than a mule deer, just not enough bullet mass to push through on bigger game in my opinion. } Depending on bullet type and construction, the minimum expansion velocity for rifles falls between about 1300 and 2000 fps. Second shot entered the right ham and through the 'near' shoulder. Mag. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If your .264 has a 1-8 twist or faster, load the Berger 156gr EOL bullets. Joined: Apr 2001. Was shooting Hornady 129gr InterBond at 3130FPS. Those who prefer the traditional cartridges are having a difficult time seeing their favorite cartridges being over shadowed by the 6.5. which is why they attack it. Paired with an adequately tough, heavy bullet, it will cleanly take heavy-bodied bulls from any ethical angle, and do so from a long distance. JavaScript is disabled. When we hunted Elk and Mulies in CO I carried my M77 in 270 W. I can/could shoot 3/4" with my reloads so I figured that was the rifle to carry. Unique White Polymer Tip Assures accuracy, smooth chambering and eliminates tip damage during recoil. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. color: #ffffff; Hard on barrels? Subscriber Services. Youre also not going to shoot as well on a moving animal. Hornady ELD-X and Barnes LRX both will expand at 1600 fps. That doesnt mean I should take a shot that far. is still the more versatile cartridge; however, it is, and always has been, a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none kind of round, while the .264 Win. I think he is shooting a 140 Berger, but not totally sure on that. With deer-size game on the menu, there is absolutely nothing flatter shooting or with more carrying ability. I know there are better bigger options but this is my rifle I am most familiar with. I realize I'd gain some recoil pain in that light rifle, but I'd expect it to be similar to my .280 lobbing heavier pills on its top end. Combining history, high performance, and excellent manners, it is a true aristocrat among rifle cartridges. If for a brief fraction of a second everything is lined up and you in that instant know you got it, take the shot. Joseph Von Benedikt visits with Aaron Oelger from Hodgdon about the unprecedented demand on the shooting supply industry. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. There's an old saying attributed to elk guides. Yes. The average 130-grain .277-diameter bullet struggles to achieve a BC of much more than 0.450, while even a moderately aerodynamic 140-grain .264 bullet approaches 0.500, and a streamlined one, such as Berger's 140-grain Hunting VLD, offers an astonishing 0.612. UPS has officially stopped shipping guns? Good luck and happy safe hunting/shooting. Of course, a good handload in the 7mm would close the gap and certainly surpass the 6.5mm projectile in energy, but the comparison shows just how good the .264 is. I once bought a 25-06 off a guy who told me that the caliber was too light for whitetail. and 6.5 PRC, but the 6.5-.284 Norma still provides significantly more velocity than the 6.5 Creedmoor. I've never heard anything bad about this caliber either. Those loads use very aerodynamic bullets that retain lots of kinetic energy and deliver excellent extended range performance on deer and elk-sized game. font-weight: normal; Offering heavier bullets, greater terminal energy, more frontal diameter, and a vast selection of projectiles suitable for handloading courtesy of its 7mm military cartridge predecessors, all at a price of only a bit more recoil and a little lost velocity, the "Seven Mag" became a cartridge in every American hunter's vocabulary, while the excellent .264 Win. That can easily make my practical distance come down to 250-yards. We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. This is usually about 1,900fps with most bullet designs. Not my ideal, but my minimum. An all copper bullet is a different animal than a lead core bullet. But, everything has to be perfect for it to work. The accurate answer is it depends. Yes, it lacks one of the three virtues vital to great elk cartridges. "A real death ray" he said. With the right bullet, the .338 RCM is good all the way from 500 yards down to thick-timber distances. The next day the same rifle took a 5x5 bull at 400 yds with ease. Long Range Hunting & Shooting .264 Win Mag for Elk ebueker Apr 11, 2009 Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum Become a supporting member 1 2 3 Next E ebueker Member Joined Mar 4, 2008 Messages 6 Apr 11, 2009 #1 I'm getting 3100 fps using 140 gr Berger VLDs. . Sectional density says . It will break heavy bone, penetrate deep and straight, and kill quickly and cleanly. Before modern rangefinders, it was the cartridge of choice for world-traveling hunters who liked its flat trajectory and emphatic impact. 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