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Boogershooter

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A couple of my buddies have recently started shooting at 400 and 500 yards! I went a couple times with my accumark in 300 weatherby! Yes it did great but i don't like the punishment! I'm thinking of building a rifle that will not only shoot those ranges with ease but also accompany to the deer lease on occasion! I'm thinking 264 win mag! Anybody with any experience with this round?
 
I guess what I am asking is this; is the 264 win mag in a 8 to 8 1/2 lb rifle a good choice for a bean field rifle that will double as a decent 500 yard bench gun! No serious competitions here just country boys having fun! All I hear these days at the gun shops is 6.5 and 260! The recoil from the 264 in a 8 lb or heavier rifle with a 26 inch barrel should manageable and ballistics should b impressive! I do not reload as I have 4 kids and a full time job! Cost isn't a real concern as I don't see myself shooting more than 5 boxes a year!
 
Personally, I'd skip the 264 and step up to the 7mm Rem mag. Far better selection of factory ammo(as you state you don't reload). When I was younger, I shot a 7mmRM for all game and it performed extremely well at 400+ yards. I used the Hornady 139 BTSP(this was well before the plastic tipped bullet innovation) for coyotes and deer. The only disclaimer I'll add is you should expect significant meat loss but you probably already know that if you're shooting a 300Wby.
 
Consider the following facts;

Regarding accurate barrel life (when test groups average 50% bigger than when new) compared to the .308 Win....
7mm Rem Mag, 1/4 as much.
7-08 Rem, 3/4 as much.
.264 Win Mag, 1/5 as much.
.260 Rem, 2/3 as much.
.25-06, 1/3 as much.
.243 Win, 1/2 as much.

Considering a cartridge's suitability to shoot accurately hand held by the shooter, those with the least amount of recoil are easiest to do that with.

You already know that several good deer bullets are available for those cartridges in factory ammo that'll do well out to 500 yards. You also know bullet placement is important on game.

24 and 26 caliber bullets are great to use on deer. I'd pick the .243 Win or .260 Rem as the best compromise. Game animals are killed with bullets. Pick a cartridge that'll shoot your bullet choice best for your objectives.

My .264 Win Mag target rifle went from 5" to 15" groups at 600 yards over 6 to 8 shots. The barrel had 640 rounds through it and it's rifling had eroded away forward from its origin 1/10" forward at that time. Quickest loss of good accuracy of all the barrels I've worn out.
 
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I'm no expert, but for punching paper at 400-500 yards and for deer, I don't see the need for any magnums.

If you reload, I'd recommend a .260Rem. If not, a .308.
 
Well sometimes I don't elaborate enough on here as much as I should! First let me say this! I has hoping Santa clause was bringing me a model 70 featherweight in 264 but he didn't! I have plenty of deer rifles chambered in most common calibers that would b suitable for 500yds! The problem is the only target/varmit rifles I have 220 swift, 22-250, 223, and 243 are having the barrels burnt out by my sons right now! I'm not going to turn any of my deer rifles 257 Roberts, 25-06, 7mm-08, 7 mag, 308, 30-06, 300 wsm, 300 wm, 300 weatherby into a heavy stock heavy barrel gun just for this! I've been wanting to let Dixie custom rifles build me a rifle for a couple years anyway! I think this will b the one to let them do! I didn't think the 264 was that hard on barrels but I've been wrong plenty of times in the past ( atleast that's what the ol lady says )!
 
I'm no expert, but for punching paper at 400-500 yards and for deer, I don't see the need for any magnums.
Click to expand...

Here's a reason for using the fastest, most efficient bullet you can for deer at 500 yards: Time of Flight.

Unless the animal in question is bedded down, your're pretty much gambling it won't move more than your group size at that range ...... that is if you did everything else perfectly- range and wind corrections, hold, breathing, trigger squeeze ...... all that and the deer feeding along on the other end of that beanfield you had lined up prefectly ...... chooses, sometime in the half a second (or more) it takes for the bullet to get to where you aimed it ...... to take a step forward. Now your perfect heartshot is a gutshot, with no chance for a follow-up shot (what's the lead on a running deer @500?) and by the time you get there, the deer will be long gone, off to lay down somewhere to wait for the coyotes to tear it apart .....

If you are going to hunt "long-range" ...... do everything you can, equipment and skillswise, to make clean kills. Using fast, efficient bullets is part of that.
 
For target shooting at 400-500 yards the 308 Winchester is one of the best choices you can make in my opinion. It is a very popular and accurate cartridge, and there is a plethora of very accurate factory ammo available for it. Add to that the extremely long barrel life and that you're thinking of having a custom rifle built, you should be getting a rifle that is going to shoot sub half MOA for a very long time.
 
Why not one of those 6.5 cartridges, that dont eat barrels, that'll shoot flatter than any .308?
My next build ironically is going to be a .308 I think......:rolleyes:
 
If the shortest time of bullet flight to 500 yard game with a decent bullet is the best choice, get a 7mm Wby Mag and shoot light bullets. And set aside a dollar for every round fired then spend them on a new barrel when you've got 500.

Best wishes getting one you can shoot consistantly under a foot in all conditions at 500 yards with factory ammo.
 
I'm always a day late and a dollar short! I'm no smith and certainly not an accomplished marksmen but I don't see where any cartridge would have a shorter barrel life than the 220 swift! Unless it has to do with the angle of the shoulder more than velocity! Not sure exactly how many rounds have been thru the ol ruger but it's well over 1000 and still shooting 1/2 groups at 100 yrds with me shooting so I know it could do better! Just by what I've read on this forum the 264 with high sd's and bc's with a mag charge of powder behind it should b the cats meow! Can the Berger vld's not handle the velocity? For a man that shoots more than myself this may not b his choice but simple math tells me this has got to b a great long range cartridge if all the hype is true bout 6.5's! My problem is I'm just buying shelf ammo and may not find a load it likes! Luckily the boys at Dixie can and will work up a load the rifle likes before u get it and u can purchase all the rounds u want for it if u can afford it! May be my best option!
 
The .264 Win Mag is a great long range round, but it's got too much recoil while bullets go down its barrel. That recoil during barrel time is why the 28 and 30 caliber magnums were replaced with smaller 26 caliber cartridges for long range matches fired with hand held rifles from prone when good .264" bullets finally became available in the late 1990's.

Burning powder wears out barrels from their chamber end. Muzzle velocity doesn't matter much. The more powder burned for a given bore diameter, the shorter barrel life is. A .300 Wby Mag burns about twice as much powder as a .308 Win and gets about 1/4th the barrel life when the same accuracy conditions and standards are used for both.
 
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I'm definately a 308 fan! I currently own these 308's! Model 70 featherweight, ruger m77, bar, and s&w m&p ar-10! Maybe it's just me but buying a 5th 308 just doesn't excite me like a new cartridge! It makes better sense I understand that completely! I've killed a few white tails over the years and its been my observation that velocity has alot to do with drt! I shoot the exact same winchester 150 ballistic silvertip in my 308 and 300 wsm! The wsm seems to give them sack of taters effect more than the 308! This is why I've chosen the 264 winmag but with more nays than yays n everyone's responses I may go back to the drawing board!
 
I'm no expert, but for punching paper at 400-500 yards and for deer, I don't see the need for any magnums.
Click to expand...

Here's a reason for using the fastest, most efficient bullet you can for deer at 500 yards: Time of Flight.
Click to expand...

Some clarification would help, I guess. I didn't take the OP's original post as meaning they intended actually hunting at 500 yards, as they said they wanted a 400-500 yard rifle that could do double duty at their deer lease.

Again, if you don't reload, I think the .308 would do. But also check out the 6.5 Creedmoor, as it's up the task as well, and there's some decent factory match ammo available for it.

Sounds like the OP is/was set on the 264Mag, though.
 
BS, many folks have got a barrel 2 to 4 inches longer then after it's worn out, have the back end cut off 2 inches then reshanked and chambered again. It starts our virtually new with smaller cartridges like the .260 Rem. Larger cartridges's barrels need be set back about 3 inches each time.
 
Thanks gentleman! I was kinda set on 264 winmag but I'm not now! The biggest reason why, I never said very clear! I believe 100% in .30 cal cartridges but I've always felt if u go below that u need more velocity to make up for loss of bullet diameter! I started killing deer with a 243 and had to track several! I stepped up to 30-30 and had to track a higher percentage of animals hit! Stepped up to 308 and didn't have to track many at all! Since then I've used lots of dif calibers and can testify that the higher velocity rounds seem to drop them dead! I've played with neck shots, shoulder shots, and behind the shoulder shots! High velocity cartridges behind the shoulder and you won't need a flashlight on those late evening hunts! The only cartridge I trust with 100% reliability below .30 is my 257 weatherby! I was thinking the 264 may b a hair better! In my honest opinion the best deer cartridge out there is the 300 wsm with 150gr ballistic tip! I may just go with that on the new rifle! Same recoil as 30-06 with great velocity and proven results on game! Should ring that 500 yard gong nicely!
 
Shot Placement > Cartridge. Work on your shooting or get a bloodhound. :D

Just messing with you. :) As mentioned, look at short action, non-magnum cartridges around 6.5 - 7mm (or even 6mm).
 
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