Help Me Set Up A 284 Winchester Hunting Rifle

[AROKHUNTER]

I will be using a long action, magazine fed, to build a 284 Winchester hunting rifle. Here are the things I want to do, or use, for the build.

Length of barrel will be 26” (A compromise on length for a hunting rifle and I’m thinking 2800+ FPS at the muzzle?)

Barrel needs to be chambered to shoot the Nosler 160 grain Accubond.

So, the help I need is in the chamber specs for the barrel to allow the bullet to be seated out. I also do not want to turn necks, PERIOD. I am willing to use Winchester brass, Norma brass, or Lapua Brass. Just NO TURN NECKS.

I am new to the 284 Winchester, so please help me figure out the brass and chamber issue.

I am thinking my maximum distance for shots will be 800 yards and that the 284 Winchester with the Nosler 160 Accubond will perform on game out to that distance.

Any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[alphapygmy]

I just put something similar together this past year for elk. Savage 110, Criterion 24.5" varmint taper barrel with no turn chamber and long freebore, B&C stock bedded with Devcon. My load was Norma brass, RL16 and 160 Accubonds at 2880 fps. Super accurate and doesn't kick too bad, probably because the damn thing weighed almost 14 lbs. Only issue I had was it took a bunch of tweaking to the detachable magazine feed lips for proper and reliable feeding.

 

[idahoorion]

Arokhunter, I have one I bought second hand, it is build by longrangehunting.com website, stiller la (LH), jewell trigger, #4 Brux 26" 9t, manners stock, kwik klip bottom metal. A side discharge brake. The 284 was easy to get shooting well, will put groups in the .3's so the rifle is not the weak link....

using 180 bergers, with 4831sc, 210 m, Coal of 3.120, 180 hybrids leave @ 2800, 175 elite hunters, same load just a tad faster. same POI. Crushes game. easy to shoot, have run the above loads to 1250 on 18 x 24 plates. going to experiment with some rl 26 just for fun. using Norma brass, no turn

Idahoorion

 

[GSPV]

So, what were the neck and freebore numbers for youse guys' chambers. That's what the OP needs.

 

[alphapygmy]

I believe mine was .220 freebore and .322 neck. The neck is on the loose side, even for a no turn chamber but I got the barrel used for a good price just to try out the cartridge.

 

[wboggs]

Don't get completely locked in on the Nosler Accubonds. There are other long range game bullets just as good and maybe better.

 

[AROKHUNTER]

I appreciate the info. I guess the Norma brass is good to go. I couldn’t find anyone that had used it.

I wouldn’t be “locked in” in just the Accubond, as long as some of you can tell me of real experiences with some of the other heavies. I’ve read a lot of assumptions, so that’s what led me to the Accubond. It has a long and proven record. I am all ears to any other suggestions though, so throw them at me!

 

[Jowens]

Check to see if your smiths reamer is setup for Winchester or lapua brass. They have web size differences.

2800 won't be a problem with 160s.

 

[furmaster]

If you are planning on a no-turn, you will have to go with Norma or winny brass. Necking 6.5 up especially with lapua will give you a thinner neck than shoulder, guaranteeing donuts...which requires a turn. Winny brass is great if you can find it. I have not used Norma but I’m sure it is great. I built my second 284w this year looking to shoot maybe the 160ab, 162amax and 168vld.i ended up shooting the 150g Berger classic hunters right at 3000fps out of a 26” tube. It is an absolute hammer.
The bc on that bullet is not great but the terminal performance of that bullet is f’n outstanding. Not all super high bc bullets are worth shooting at game.

 

[AROKHUNTER]

I don’t have a reamer yet, neither does the smith. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I like to do my own research just in case something comes up that I haven’t thought of.

I already have 300+ pieces of new Winchester brass, but I would gather up some Norma brass if it has an edge over the Winchester brass in quality, case prep, or case life.

furmaster

What are your chamber specs for your barrel? Freebore and neck dimensions?
What brass, primers, and powders are you using?

I tend to agree with your last comment.

 

[accuracyman]

We run a straight 284 in a long range rifle and run both Winchester and Norma brass....both work great and hold up well. I only shoot Berger 180's but the loaded rounds, no neck turn, measure around ~.312" for the Winchester and around .315" for the Norma. Our chambers have a .317" neck so neck turning is not necessary but we usually turn about 80% of the neck just to true up the brass thickness. We normally measure about ~.001" less after turning. That makes the Winchester brass a little looser in the chamber (.003" per side) compared to the Norma but I have not seen much difference in accuracy. I cannot help you with freebore measurement since we only run the 180's and have custom throated chambers to fit a particular bullet (VLD vs Hybrid). A factory SAAMI spec reamer calls for a .322"-.323" neck so you can decide how much clearance you are comfortable with. We have found that .0015"-.0025" per side works well for us.

Good luck and have fun with the 284. Great round that is very easy to tune.

 

[yukonal]

I have built 2 of them, with a reamer built to my specifications. I own the reamer. I built a 26", and a 24". If you are ever going to put a brake or a can on, I would suggest the 24" barrel.

I will find my reamer specs, and give them to you after I find the print. It is set up for 180 and 168 Berger Hunting VLD's, and works for 160 AB's also. The Bergers are seated ahead of the neck/shoulder junction...just a tad.

I killed a bull elk last fall, at 408, with the 180 VLD. Caught the bullet under the skin on the off shoulder. Perfect mushroom. And I've killed a "bunch of stuff with the 168's. Still waiting to work up a load for the 160 AB's...but not sure I can improve the results I've gotten over the last 5 years with the Bergers.

You are going to have more fun than you can imagine...with a LR Hunting rifle in 284 WIN.

Looks like my reamer has a .318 neck, and a .197 freebore.

It seems a lot of guys smarter than me, feel that a 284 WIN likes a little room around the neck, and that's why I went with a .318. These are as close to perfect specs for a .284 that I can imagine...for what I do with it. And I'll use it when I build my next F-TR Open rifle. Hope this helps you.

 

[furmaster]

AROKHUNTER

My first 284 is a .313 neck(obviously a turn) .220 freebore, for chambering Lapua Brass.
My second is a no turn ( not real sure on neck spec) .220 freebore.

I have found right in the .220 freebore area is perfect for the 180 and 168vld hunters, which love a jam or really close to lands. .220 is also good for hybrid ogaves or bullets like the ab’s or amax because they jump well.
My second 284 was built to be a hunting rifle and I was really just wanting a setup that was accurate at 600yds shooting a good hunting bullet. I chose .220 because I was also on a long action and was pretty sure I was gunna shoot in the 160’s like stated in previous post. Buying bullets online I saw the 150 Berger classics and thought what the hell. I built hundreds of loads for all bullets and the 150 came out on top. Copenhagen can 5 shot groups at 500. 6” @ 1k.
Now the downside. .220 freebore is not optimal for the 150 Berger classic hunters. They are forward in neck a ways but not rediculous. I could measure exactly but can’t now. They also are still jumping .045”. But it works, and works really well. Coal at 3.013”. 2.450 to ogave. 54.2g imr 4451. Federal210m primer, necked up Lapua Brass. Although it is a “no turn” I do have to clean neck/shoulder junction periodically with my turn tool because of what I mentioned before about necking up. That would be the benefit of Norma or ww brass. But keep in mind like previously stated you need to cut reamer for ww brass if that’s what you r gunna use. winny brass in a chamber cut for Lapua can be trouble... trust me.......bolt clicks from brass flowing rearward to head.
What sucks is, to chamber a freebore for the 150 would make it hard to shoot anything heavier without seating past junction....so don’t, no need. Another one to look at is Berger has a 168classic hunter, that is my next to try out.

Like Yukonal stated, a 197 freebore is also very popular and might be perfect for the the 160 weight bullets, that would have been nice for my 150’s.

The good news is, your building a hunting rifle for the most part. In my opinion some of the best hunting bullets in 7mm are secant or hybrid styles. They don’t have to be on lands, actually most love a jump, and a hunting gun should not shoot at lands anyway.

 

[AROKHUNTER]

Man, you guys are really helping me out with a lot of good info. I really appreciate it!

A couple of bullets that haven’t been mentioned are the Hornady ELD-M and the ELD-X. I have read that the ELD-M is basically the new AMAX. So shouldn’t that be a viable option? I have read that it performs like a Berger on game. It has my interest.

Thanks again fellas!

 

[Sniper338]

Id do a rem 700 long action, trued, jewell trigger, rem varmint contour, laminate stock, and set up to shoot berger 168 VLDs.

I have a xp100 handgun set up in 284 shooting 168s, its a perfect combo for hunting.

 

[jsthntn247]

I shoot the 162 eld-m and they smash deer, 12 kills with it and only 1 ran. Have not recovered a bullet yet. 168 Bergers also performed well but the Hornady's were a little more accurate in my rifle. I'd go with a 317 neck and 197 freebore for Winchester brass, make sure your .200 measurement is for Win brass and not Lapua so you don't work your brass so much.

 

[FeMan]

Man, you guys are really helping me out with a lot of good info. I really appreciate it!

A couple of bullets that haven’t been mentioned are the Hornady ELD-M and the ELD-X. I have read that the ELD-M is basically the new AMAX. So shouldn’t that be a viable option? I have read that it performs like a Berger on game. It has my interest.

Thanks again fellas!

I have several 284s and built one for hunting this year (Tikka T3 with Rem-style recoil lug and 26" tube). My reamer is a 0.235 freebore and the neck is 0.316". I shot an antelope and elk with the 175 ELDXs. They worked great. The antelope was 100 yards and the bullet exited without undo bloodshot. My elk was taken at 610 yards hit just behind the shoulder. DIT with little bloodshot as well. I love the 284/175 ELDX combo.

One note on Norma brass. I bought 300 pieces when it was first released. The necks were so thick that I couldn't even chamber a loaded round. I had to turn 0.0025" off of the necks. I sold it and went back to Lapua. Lapua and Winchester have always been no-turn in my 316 chamber. I'm not sure if Norma has thinned necks out since then or not but I would check into it to be sure if you want to run their brass and have a no-turn neck.

 

[AROKHUNTER]

I appreciate the info on the ELD-X and the ELD-M bullets. I also appreciate the heads up on the Norma brass neck thickness. I’ll definitely have to get my hands on a small batch to look at.

What twist in your barrels are y’all using for the 175 grain and up Hornady and Berger bullets? I assume a 9 twist works fine for the 160-168 grain bullets, but not sure about the HEAVIES.

 

[284winner]

Man, you guys are really helping me out with a lot of good info. I really appreciate it!

A couple of bullets that haven’t been mentioned are the Hornady ELD-M and the ELD-X. I have read that the ELD-M is basically the new AMAX. So shouldn’t that be a viable option? I have read that it performs like a Berger on game. It has my interest.

Thanks again fellas!

If your looking to run the eldm bullets, you'll need more leade than with the 160 accubonds. Just an FYI. If you cut the leade for the eldm bullets, you will still be ok shooting the 160 AB. Not so the other way around. Not unless you want to lose some case capacity. 9 twist will shoot the 180s fine also.

 

[AROKHUNTER]

So how much leade is needed for the 160 Accubond and how much is needed for the 162 ELD-M??? Do you have a recommendation for the freebore?

By the way 284winner, the 7-08 build got put on hold, so I decided to go this route with the 284. You helped me a lot with info on the 7-08.

Thanks again!