264 Win Mag vs. 6.5x284

[Jeff Welker]

I've made all the case dimension comparisons and now need to get comments from the real world.

 

I want to build a Winchester Mod 70 for my deer, antelope, and sheep hunting work. Without wasting a bunch of time trying to explain my personal quirks, I'd prefer to shoot a Winchester cartridge in a Winchester rifle - there I said it.

 

I'd prefer to go the 264 Win Mag route; however, I am also a Lapua brass addict from my competitive benchrest experiences. I can't find any Lapua or Norma brass for the 264 and don't have good vibes for the Winchester brass. That brings me to the 6.5x284 cartridge. I can get the beloved Lapua in that round and need to get comments on performance between the 264 and 6.5x284. While the 6.5x284 is not a pure Winchester cartridge, it is based upon the Winchester 284 case so I can somewhat keep my Winchester round for Winchester rifle twitch going. Your help is sincerely appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

[.270]

i have a lotta .264 esperience, but don't own nor have shot a 6.5/284. read a lot about em. they are very accurate. so is the .264. most important thing is to make sure your barrel is twisted correctly for the bullet you want to shoot. and conventional twists don't really apply to bullets like bergers. in the past barrel twist has always been based on bullet weight. but a lot of bullets that are designed for high BC, like the bergers, are real long for their weight and require a faster twist than an equal weight bullet that is designed different. i just shoot 100's out of my .264 because i like the hotrod speed they have and i'm not real intersted in shooting it 1000 yards. but i did kill a muley with it at almost 600 a few years ago. took a couple shots to get the range, but i got him. the advantage of the 6.5/284 is in shooting high BC bullets at moderate velocities and hitting with very precise accuracy at real long ranges. you can do the same thing with the .264. my son has a sendero .264 that he has a done a lot of work to and has a calibrated zeiss scope for it and he routinely makes shots at half a mile with it with sciroccos. they both will do the same thing, the .264 just does it with a couple hundred more fps. barrel twist is the secret and the .264 diameter is very twist sensitive and once you decide on where to twist it, you are pretty much tied to that bullet. Lark.

[Jeff Welker]

i have a lotta .264 esperience, but don't own nor have shot a 6.5/284. read a lot about em. they are very accurate. so is the .264. most important thing is to make sure your barrel is twisted correctly for the bullet you want to shoot. and conventional twists don't really apply to bullets like bergers. in the past barrel twist has always been based on bullet weight. but a lot of bullets that are designed for high BC, like the bergers, are real long for their weight and require a faster twist than an equal weight bullet that is designed different. i just shoot 100's out of my .264 because i like the hotrod speed they have and i'm not real intersted in shooting it 1000 yards. but i did kill a muley with it at almost 600 a few years ago. took a couple shots to get the range, but i got him. the advantage of the 6.5/284 is in shooting high BC bullets at moderate velocities and hitting with very precise accuracy at real long ranges. you can do the same thing with the .264. my son has a sendero .264 that he has a done a lot of work to and has a calibrated zeiss scope for it and he routinely makes shots at half a mile with it with sciroccos. they both will do the same thing, the .264 just does it with a couple hundred more fps. barrel twist is the secret and the .264 diameter is very twist sensitive and once you decide on where to twist it, you are pretty much tied to that bullet. Lark.

 

Great comments. Funny you mention Berger bullets. I've been shooting competition benchrest with Walt Berger (founder) and Eric Stecker (president) for several years. Eric tells me he will help me correctly match the barrel twist to the particular bullet I choose and communicate it to Krieger so I get exactly what I need. But you are right that I'll be fairly stuck with the bullet and twist combination going forward. While I love Berger's pills, I also have been shooting Nosler BT's for many years and had good accuracy/success with them. Several decades ago, I had a .264; however, I was young and stupid. I did not have the patience to wring the gun out correctly and sold it within a year of purchase. Knowing what I know know about tuning rifles, I'd love another chance at the .264. My only issue is finding quality brass. I know most will argue it does not matter for hunting purposes; however, I'm addicted to good brass and can absolutely demonstrate how is will shoot better and facilitate been load development than the cheap stuff.

 

Don't get me wrong, making this decision is a good dilemma to have.

[yotebuster]

I believe Nosler makes their brass in .264, I've heard its good stuff, and for what they get for it, it better be! I had a box of their 7mm STW brass in my hand the other day, $55 for 50 didn't seem to bad, till I noticed it was only for 25!!!!! Hahaha... for $2 a piece it better be good brass! My dad has a couple of .284's, I love them, haven't messed with 6.5x284's though.

[Jeff Welker]

I believe Nosler makes their brass in .264, I've heard its good stuff, and for what they get for it, it better be! I had a box of their 7mm STW brass in my hand the other day, $55 for 50 didn't seem to bad, till I noticed it was only for 25!!!!! Hahaha... for $2 a piece it better be good brass! My dad has a couple of .284's, I love them, haven't messed with 6.5x284's though.

 

Thank you bro. I checked the Nosler website and you are correct - they offer their custom brass in .264. You are also correct that they are most proud of their brass in any caliber. That being said, high quality brass is usually worth the extra pesos in the long run - at least that has been my experience.

[azhuntnut]

If you are considering the 6.5x284, then take a look at the 6.5x47 Lapua. You are not going to get the speed from the 47, but the barrel life is quite a bit longer. The brass is the best quality as well. This link will give you some info on the caliber, plus there is info on the 6.5x284 in the list on the left of the screen. Check out the guns of the week, it will give you plenty of ideas for your build. My next build sometime down the road is going to be based on the Elisio Remington R5. David

 

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek084.html

 

http://www.competitionshootingstuff.com/id10.html

[roninflag]

WELKER- I have shot competitively also. i shoot a 6.5-284 (2) both hunting and comp. my brother has a factory .264 sendero and two 6.5-284s also. i like lapua brass my self. there is a guy on 6mmbr. shoots win brass out of his 6.5-284 he and his family win i would not come close to what he does in competition. the 6.5-284 does nor feed real good. the krieger barrel is the BIG key to accuracy. i would build a .264 and use winbrass. i did not do that becuase i already had a 17 pound match rifle and decided to add a sendero weight hunting rifle.

[catclaw]

You can get either one to shoot just fine. Bottom line is how much horsepower do you want? In a hunting weight rifle, with a reasonable barrel length, I get almost 3000 fps with 140s in the 6.5-284. I personally shoot 130s in mine and push them to about 3180 fps. You can hit 3200 I am told with the 264 mag. You can make brass from better quality 7 Rem mag if needed.

 

A hunting rifle does not need to shoot much better than about 3/4 MOA. If you think about it, 3/4 MOA means you will hit within 3.75" of where you aim at 1000 yds. If this isn't good enough, then I can't help you. Reason I mention this is most people overthink the barrels. Any of the good name barrel makers out there will supply a barrel good enough for this level of accuracy in the right gun. I BR where fractions of inches determines winners, barrels become a big deal. I shot 1000 yd BR but never short range BR.

 

I have used three different barrels makers for 6.5 barrels in the past year; Mark Chanlynn, Kreiger and Shilen. The most recent 6.5-284 I chambered was with a #4 contour Shilen, 8 twist, ratchet rifling. It easily shoots 1/2 MOA with my preferred 130 Normas.

 

As for barrel life, I have gotten 2000 rounds through a 6.5 with groups still staying in the 3/4 MOA range. In 1000 yd BR, I found that they were only competitive for about 1200-1500 rounds.

 

Have fun!

[DesertBull]

3/4 MOA at 1,000 yards is 7.8". Still very good though.

[.270]

whatever you decide, make up your mind what bullet you're gonna shoot and get it twisted for that and be happy with it. .264's can be real twist sensitive and moving up or down in bullet weight/length can make drastic changes in accuracy. and a lotta target bullets aren't real good hunting bullets. something to keep in mind. and remember, if you don't have a fat barrel, you can shoot a long ways. it's the rule. Lark.