Is .284 Win. The Real Deal?

[yukonal]

I'm having second thoughts about an upcoming 7MM Rem Mag build, since a .284 seems like a sensible option. I'll use it for LR hunting, and 300-600 yard target shooting.

I haven't seen many posts about the .284 recently. What are your thoughts on the .284 for my intended use? Bullet choice? Powder?

Does it work in a short action, or a long like a 30-06?

 

[jp]

I have a 7mag and a .284, both shoot good. 7mag is a little faster. But I like my .284 also. The .284 is a good round no doubt. I get around 2850fps with the 162 Amax's , possibly could go faster. But the I am after accuracy. My loads for the .284 are about 15grs less than the 7mag. But with the 7mag, I get around 3100fps with the Amax's. Brass cost is just about the same. I use winchester. I use 7828ssc in my .284 and H4831 in the 7mag. For me it would be a hard choice, because they are both good rounds.
Barrel life is longer in the .284 than the 7mag. I have shot both at 600yds. And had good luck with them.
My .284 is built on a long action for the Bergers 180 vld.
Hope this helps..

 

[M14AMU]

It's OK...if you own a barrel making company or have won the lotto!! :-[

 

[bozo699]

It's OK...if you own a barrel making company or have won the lotto!! :-[

I don't believe this, I have a lot of rounds through my .284 and it is still very accurate, however barrels are a expendable component like bullets and powder, use them until there gone and then replace them, and there only $300 or so, so winning the lottery won't be necessary
Wayne.

 

[DennisH]

I am in the process of building a 284! This choice was made after several months of thoughts during last winter!

Looking forward to it!

Dennis

 

[boogershooter]

I have heard mixed feed-back from different people I talk to who have built the 284, you'll either love, or hate it! I personally couldn't resist the potential so I am jumping in

 

[TonyR]

I have done a lot of long range F-Class with the 284 Shehane and I think it is an excellent round. Many target shooters have achieved outstanding vertical precision with it and the straight 284 Win; and both work with many great bullets. I have had success with the 162 A-max as well as the Berger 180 gr VLDs and Hybrids but there are plenty of others. If I were building a 284 for hunting as well as target shooting at ranges under 600 yards, I would go with the straight 284 Win but on a long action so you could seat the bullets out in the neck and still feed through a magazine. Try H4350 and H4831SC for hunting because both are very stable temperature wise and will give you all the velocity you need out to 600 yards and beyond. Much of the published load data on the 284 Win assumes that the bullets are seated to short action magazine length and the cartridge would look amenic compared to a 7mm Rem Mag but the 284 Win does much better with the bullets seated out in the neck. I shot the 180s at 2900 fps and the 162s at 3100 fps from 30 and 31 inch barrels.

 

[RDavies]

I have heard mixed feed-back from different people I talk to who have built the 284, you'll either love, or hate it! I personally couldn't resist the potential so I am jumping in

Love it or hate it????
I think the only people who hate it (284)were just beaten by it.
The 284 is one of the work horses of long range shooting. Decent barrel life, good ballistics and accuracy, good brass, Most actions will fit it, no magnum bolt faces.
If you want maximum velocity, it's the wrong case, but if you want a good all rounder, I can't think of much better.

 

[XTR]

I think it comes down to your application. The 284 is kind of in between.

If you put it in a short action you have difficulty using long bullets seated long.
If you put it in a long action you've lost the advantage it gives of a short action and you could just as easily be running something with more capacity.

If you are hunting with it a 7-08 will do pretty much anything a 284 will do inside of 500 yards with 140gn to 150gn bullets. Yea, I know you van get a little more MV, but a deer cant tell the difference, and I can reliably hit to 600 with a 308 so a 7mm is just gravy. If you want to go hunt big stuff out west the 7mags will push the bigger (180) pills better.

I have really thought about building a 284, but in the end, for hunting, I stuck with my 7mmRM for big stuff and I'm building a 7-08 for everything else.

For target shooting, the 7RSAUM seems to run the heavies better, at least that's what the F-open guys are running.

edit, and if you want to go to 1200 yards or more then you want the bigger boiler in the 7RM

 

[furmaster]

I built a 284 last year and absolutely love it. It also has a 30" tube to get the speed I want with the 180's.
Although it killed 2 elk last year. (my late season cow, and my sons 3rd season cow). A gun as big as mine is not a practical hunting gun. I have debated my next "hunting" build, and I think I am leaning towards the 280ai. It can push the 168bergers, or 162 amax @ 2900 with ease, that would be a mild load. A buddy of mine shoots this combination out of a light hunting combo and shoots lights out. Recoil is minor as well. The 7wsm can do anything the ai or the 284 can do with a short barrel, but the ai seems like it is more effecient to me, approximately 5gr of powder less to do the same thing. I could be wrong on the 280ai, but is where Im at right now for my next build. The 7-08 is also great, I own one, but it doesnt have the boiler room to push a 168gr bullet at the speed I would want. 7mm chamberings are great to take advantage of bc. The 7-08 is a 7mm but usually is shot in the 120-140gr range giving up the wanted bc. If a guy wanted high bc and shoot that weight, a 6.5-284 would make the 7-08 look like a bb gun. Also, I have seen more critters drt without a twitch, getting hit with a 25-06 launching a 100gr bullet. There is something magical about that caliber and its terminal performance.

Just my 2c

 

[BoilerUP]

Seems like a lot of folks are seeing about 2775fps with the 7-08 and 162 A-Max from a 26" barrel and H4350, and 2925fps with a 284 in a short action from a 26" barrel using the same bullet and RL17.

Is 150fps more velocity worth choosing it over a 7-08 if a short action is desired?

If a long action is okay, is the 150fps you'd gain from a 7mm magnum worth choosing it over a 284?

 

[effendude]

Al,
I ran my 284 Shehane last night at 600 fire-forming some more brass. I ran a 196 but not many X's. Shooting F-TR, not off a rest. The points I lost were me, not the rifle or cartridge. Running 2940 fps with the 180 hybrid and H4831SC. I am not pushing it at all. Like my 6.5-284's, it is like the bullet has eyes for the center. It shoots!

If you wanted a rifle that would be a great midrange/long range F-class and hunting rifle, the 284, the 6.5-284 or even the 280AI would be awesome choices, all out of long actions with a longer medium or light palma contour barrel so weight is reasonable. I will take length over diameter, especially on a hunting rifle.

For mainly hunting, I would stay with the 7mm Mag for the ability to push the heavy bullets a little faster, which makes a big difference on unknown wind calls. The AMU standard of .5MOA for every MPH of full value wind at 600 yards should cause many concern. It doesn't take much wind to push a bullet into the grass bag of an animal.

One more thing to consider and it odes slightly contradict the statements above: If you want to run the high BC bullets out of a 7mm mag or the 280AI and mag feed them in a repeater hunting rifle, you will give up case capacity by pushing the bullet down into the case. Yes, you can run extended mags, but they usually don't add much. By using all of the case capacity of the so-called short action cartridges in a long action rifle, the performance is much closer to the magnums or the long action 280AI.

Play around with ballistic programs, run numbers and let us know what you think.

Scott

 

[yukonal]

Very good points...maximizing case capacity in the .284 on a long action. I have a stainless Tikka (they are all long action, just different bolt stops) for a donor. It's a 30-06-so long action, long bolt throw. It would make a perfect .284.

All the parts have been ordered for over a month, I just need to choose a chambering. Parts:
(2) Kreiger #5 Bull Sporter, 9 twist, .284 dia.
(2) McMillan A3
(2) Tikka stainless rifles for donor actions
(1) Rem 700 action (accurized w/Shilen at 1-1/2#)

The 7MM Rem mag Tikka (factory) I currently shoot, gives me 3050 fps w/160 AccuBombs. I'd like to shoot 168 Bergers, or 180 Bergers in this new build. Or 160 AB's.

Scott-2940 w/180's is moving right along. It's really a toss up now. You guys make some good points. If I could get 3,000 with 168 VLD's in a .284 long action, I'd be happy. Is that a pipe dream? Maybe just build one of each. ;D Any other input would be appreciated.

Scott-if you get internet tonight, and see this...hope you kill a big one! Good luck, be safe.

 

[yukonal]

I have done a lot of long range F-Class with the 284 Shehane and I think it is an excellent round. Many target shooters have achieved outstanding vertical precision with it and the straight 284 Win; and both work with many great bullets. I have had success with the 162 A-max as well as the Berger 180 gr VLDs and Hybrids but there are plenty of others. If I were building a 284 for hunting as well as target shooting at ranges under 600 yards, I would go with the straight 284 Win but on a long action so you could seat the bullets out in the neck and still feed through a magazine. Try H4350 and H4831SC for hunting because both are very stable temperature wise and will give you all the velocity you need out to 600 yards and beyond. Much of the published load data on the 284 Win assumes that the bullets are seated to short action magazine length and the cartridge would look amenic compared to a 7mm Rem Mag but the 284 Win does much better with the bullets seated out in the neck. I shot the 180s at 2900 fps and the 162s at 3100 fps from 30 and 31 inch barrels.

This whole post just makes alot of sense. Thank you.

 

[TonyR]

You are welcome. You could do a 284 Win and consider the Shehane a backup if you want a little more speed for some reason. The cases are identical except the body taper so a Shehane reamer will clean out a Win chamber as long as the neck is the same size or larger. Good luck with your project.

 

[yukonal]

I think it comes down to your application. The 284 is kind of in between.


If you are hunting with it a 7-08 will do pretty much anything a 284 will do inside of 500 yards with 140gn to 150gn bullets.

I have really thought about building a 284, but in the end, for hunting, I stuck with my 7mmRM for big stuff and I'm building a 7-08 for everything else.

More common sense. You make it sound too easy. I have 2-708's now. I really want to maximize a 7MM bullet's potential, as in the high BC of a 180. Thanks XTR.

Maybe I need to build an in-between .284, and get rid of the 708's and 7 Mag.

;D ;D

 

[Cakes]

Scott-
Didn't realize you jumped on the 284 wagon!! Good decision..After several thousand rounds the last couple of seasons the .284, 162 A-max's and 4831sc has served me VERY well @ 600/1000. Hope to see you guys on some Monday eves. Eric in DL

 

[oldroper]

I'm having second thoughts about an upcoming 7MM Rem Mag build, since a .284 seems like a sensible option. I'll use it for LR hunting, and 300-600 yard target shooting.

I haven't seen many posts about the .284 recently. What are your thoughts on the .284 for my intended use? Bullet choice? Powder?

Does it work in a short action, or a long like a 30-06?

Always a debated on what to build and their hard choices to make.

Here in Co I try and draw buck tag same time I hunt bull elk plus I like to do little target shooting out to 600yds and may take hunting rifles out to PD LR just for fun.

I shot the 7mag from mid 60's up to mid 80's then switched over to 30 cal and few years ago with all the good 7mm bullets I had a 284 build build on a long action also had a 280AI build so those two rifles take care of all my 7mm needs here including antelope tag.

In both rifles I'm shooting R-17 with 160gr AB.

 

[yukonal]

roper-

Can you tell me a little about your .284 build, how it shoots, and what you like about it?

 

[flatlander]

I'd always thought the 284 would be a fine LR target/hunting cartridge, if only a rifle company would see fit to chamber for it in a long action. Introduction of good, hi-BC 7mm target bullets led to LR HP shooters discovering the 284's potential, then F-class increased the cartridge's popularity.

I built my first 284 four years ago on a M700LA, using an oversize PTG bolt, 28" PacNor 3-groove 1:9tw, and putting it in a McMillan A5 stock. Took it out to CRC at Byers, Co. when they were shooting LR weekends (3x600 any/any Sat.; 3x1000 any/any Sun.) and had excellent results with it, using either S175MKs or Berger 180VLDs. For some reason, this particular PacNor loves the Sierra 175s - it shoots them better than either of the 30" bbls. I've chambered since. I do get a little more velocity out of 30" Bartlein & Kriegers - the Bartlein was fitted to this rifle, and the Krieger to a BAT 3LL that I put into a Robertson H&H prone stock. And the 30s both seem to shoot the VLDs better than the 3-groove PacNor.

One thing's for sure - the shape of the A5's adjustable cheekpiece is hard on my jaw when shooting a rifle with the 284's recoil. First time I shot it at Byers, 75rds. of 175s & 180s left my jaw numb for about 3 days. Never had an issue with this when shooting the BAT 284 in the Robertson stock.

Sure do miss those LR weekends out at CRC - don't really have a venue for shooting the BAT 284 anymore. Still, there's another Bartlein 7mm/1:9 blank sitting in the office, this one contoured to fit a DTA SRS. And it will certainly be another 284. I thought about going with a 7 WSM or SAUM, but really like the 284.