264wm vrs 7mm rem mag

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brybenn

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I know an animal won't know the difference but we're gun folks here. The 7rm is common and popular but the 264wm is different and fires them sleek lil 6.5s.
My father took a saw to my 300 Wm now it is slightly to short without heavy cloths on so I need a new toy and think I've narrowed it down to these 2

I reload so there's no issues either way. Other then the 264 will cost more
So rather then flip a coin blindly I thought I'd see what fellow gun folks think
 
The 264 is making a minimal come back, but for the most point will be found in older or semi custom rifles. The 7 Rem mag is the reason it got pushed to the brink in the first place.

Each rifle has plus's. The 7 has widely available rifles, ammo available anywhere, and fires up to 180 grain pills. Not necessarily the ideal choice for some of the larger stuff, but excellent to minimal for most anything in North America.

The 264 is going to be available in fewer rifles, needs a 26" tube to reach potential. Ammo, brass, and reloading is harder to find/more expensive. The plus for this is a ultimate flat shooting and excellent terminal performance with todays projectiles. Really it is a reloader only caliber. The most common pills will be 140 gr and may push up to 160. Even with purpose loaded ammo, the smaller projectile is questionable on large game at long distance. If Moose or long range at anything larger than deer, then the 7 Rem mag is superior. The 264 would be a ideal paper puncher or long range deer rifle.

Looks like i convinced myself in writing this that 7 rem mag is the better choice. Course the gun you already have the 300 WM is superior to both. Ever think of looking for a replacement stock on the EE.
 
I rarely ever shoot the 300. I'm not really a magnum fan but I feel I should fill in the gaps

25/06
300 savage
308
300wm now slightly to short
Soon to be a 338/06 or 35 Whelen
45/70
50 front stuffers
So something fast between 257 and 308 would be nice. Plus the 264 I could shoot here in southern Ontario. Most likely wouldn't but it's an option
 
Brybenn...........how about the new 26 Nosler..........What's a couple grand amongst friends..............Gee brass should be cheap and rifles even cheaper, what do ya think ?

My choice has always been the 264 from that pair, they both drive 140s at about the same velocity so what's the problem, go with the higher SD and BC and kill anything you want out to 500 mtrs.
 
brybenn said:
I know an animal won't know the difference but we're gun folks here. The 7rm is common and popular but the 264wm is different and fires them sleek lil 6.5s.
My father took a saw to my 300 Wm now it is slightly to short without heavy cloths on so I need a new toy and think I've narrowed it down to these 2

I reload so there's no issues either way. Other then the 264 will cost more
So rather then flip a coin blindly I thought I'd see what fellow gun folks think
Click to expand...

I have had both - still have a 7MM Rem Mag - any thing the 264 Win Mag can do the 7MM Rem mag can do as well or better and more wide range of bullets avail too ! :D JMHO RJ
 
For your consideration;
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ge-CGN-264-Bullet-Test-Result**-(lots-of-pics!)

I remember reading a 1960's issue of Handloader where they compared the same two rounds. I believe the verdict was that the 264 offered higher BCs and so performed better long distance efficiency but the 7mm had more knock down potential due to availability of heavier projectiles.
That being said the 264 is nessled between the 6.5x55 and the 264weatherby in terms of performance. The lesser 6.5x55 has been used on moose in Europe for years with 140 and 160gr bullets.
I wish the 140gr trophy bonded bear claws were still available in 6.5mm. They are long for calibur due to their copper base yet mushroom reliably due to their soft point lead core nose section....I supppose a Barnes TTSX would be as close as could be obtained today.
 
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I wouldn't get another 264, have a pair already, but am considering building a 6.5-06. Yes the 264 is hard on throats but damn i can reach out and touch stuff a long ways out. I have shot a lot of different 7mm mag rifles, they don't make me want to run out and buy one. You like some cartridges and some you don't, i wouldn't buy anoother 270 or 308 either but a 30-06 is another story.
 
I think the biggest difference between the 2 cartridges is the owners, I have never spoken to a 264 shooter who believes his chosen cartridge is the "end all, be all" for everything from elves to elephants. On the other hand almost all 7 mag shooters are the opposite and think they have the magic "one cartridge does all" in their 7s.
As far as comparing the 264 to the 270 all I have to say there is PPHHHHHHHTTTT!!!! There isn't one thing the 270 will do that the 264 or 7 mag doesn't do better, period !!

I just did a mental inventory, and as of right now I don't think I have a 7 mag......well ok I do have an old 98 action with a 7 mag barrel on it but it's never going to get shot like that....I jump from the 280 Rem to the 7 RUM, doesn't mean I wouldn't have another, just that I'm not lost without one.

I think we all know that my penchant for long range calibers for hunting lies firmly with the 300 Wby and not even slightly adverse to using a 300 RUM.

Ciphery..........264 Wby??? To my knowledge Weatherby never SAAMI'd a 6.5 cartridge, to what do you refer?
 
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I will not enter into any paper ballistic debates. Whatever way you decide to go just make sure you chose the proper projectile for the task at hand and above all practise with your combo at practical hunting ranges that you think you will encounter. That way things will follow into place for you.
 
I think if you have one you would live without the other quite well.
As for cost of owning a 264wm, if you handload there is no difference worth mentioning. If you cant find 264 cases, just run 7mm Rem mag cases through your 264 dies and carry on.
 
I've never heard of the 264 Weatherby either.

I agree neither is a perfect round and would be used only very rarely for hunting. It would see a lot of practice on th farm.

The way I hunt bears my 45/70 covers 80% of my needs and the rest can be covered with my current project rifle. Just have not yet decided on 338 or 35 Whelen. Should I ever go hunting in a new area it would be nice to be able to cover a lot of open ground or shoot across a Marsh without excessive holdover. I have a few buddies trying to get me to hunt the mighty swamp donkey of Ontario and the hunting in done from stands overlooking lower lands and swamps. Antelope are also on my list and the added range of a magnum could be useful in that case as well. Seems like everyone has a 7 mag but there's just a certain appeal of the 264


Btw the 26 nosler is not only out of my price range its just to nice a gun for me. I'm an ugly guy but I can usually slide it off. A new nosler 26 rifle In my hands then ppl really Gunna notice how ugly I am lol
Although I bet it's a perfect emperor penguin round lmao
 
Ok here we go
-264 versus 270win. Well if a 270win can push a 140gr bullet to 3240fps, then I guess there the same :)
7mm can stabilize heavier bullets.
-.264(6.5mm) has a higher BC and SD than 7mm.
ANY over bore magnum if you fire consecutive shots is hard on throats.
Watch out for old data, lots of new powders with burn rates right in the 264 wheel house out there. John Barness did a great article.
 
Brybenn, if moose were on my agenda, I would change my choice to the big 7, not that the 264 won't work, but the big 7 arrives with more energy and bullet weight on target for animals in that 800+ lb category. Using a 160-175 Partition it is a better choice for larger game, IMHO. For anything up to pronghorn, wolf, sheep, goats, caribou, deer and black bears, the 264 is without peers, but getting into the elk and moose class of game I'd personally feel better with a big 7 and even better with a 300 of any description. But that's just me and I have the choice just by moving down my gun rack a little farther. Would I pass on a shot at a 375 class elk or 220 class moose just cause I was holding a 264? Not in this lifetime !!! But I would still rather be holding my 300 Wby.............
 
c-fbmi said:
I think the biggest difference between the 2 cartridges is the owners, I have never spoken to a 264 shooter who believes his chosen cartridge is the "end all, be all" for everything from elves to elephants. On the other hand almost all 7 mag shooters are the opposite and think they have the magic "one cartridge does all" in their 7s.
Click to expand...

Interesting...it seems both .264 WM and 7mm RM owners are right. :)
 
I'am down to one 7mm Rem. It will be a .264 Win mag by September .
Every one of my .257 Weatherby's started out as a 7mmRM, they make great donors.....
 
I own and shoot a pre-64 Winchester Model 70, 264 magnum. . . You can buy ammo at Wholesale sports but reloading is a good cost effective option for any magnum. . Wholesale Sports has brass but you can use 300 Winchester magnum brass. . Same parent case. . Bullets are readily available. .

Just remember to let your barrel cool down at the range . .Continued shooting with a hot barrel will greatly increase the bore wear. . When your at the range, sighting in, just let the barrel cool after a few shots. . Don't let folks scare you with the story about how the 264 burns out a barrel. . Mine is 54 years old and the original stainless barrel is mint.
 
c-fbmi said:
Brybenn, if moose were on my agenda, I would change my choice to the big 7, not that the 264 won't work, but the big 7 arrives with more energy and bullet weight on target for animals in that 800+ lb category. Using a 160-175 Partition it is a better choice for larger game, IMHO. For anything up to pronghorn, wolf, sheep, goats, caribou, deer and black bears, the 264 is without peers, but getting into the elk and moose class of game I'd personally feel better with a big 7 and even better with a 300 of any description. But that's just me and I have the choice just by moving down my gun rack a little farther. Would I pass on a shot at a 375 class elk or 220 class moose just cause I was holding a 264? Not in this lifetime !!! But I would still rather be holding my 300 Wby.............
Click to expand...


I like heavy bullets and my current project will most likely be a elk moose gun. Either a 338/06 or 35 Whelen. But moose hunting is low on my list as I would rather hunt bears and wolves
 
c-fbmi said:
I think the biggest difference between the 2 cartridges is the owners, I have never spoken to a 264 shooter who believes his chosen cartridge is the "end all, be all" for everything from elves to elephants. On the other hand almost all 7 mag shooters are the opposite and think they have the magic "one cartridge does all" in their 7s.
Click to expand...
Haha, Douglas, this is the best I have read in early 2014. My friend has a 7, he is exactly like what you just said.
 
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