What Happened to .264 Win Magnum?

[mcassese]

Having a .264 dia. and a short belted case from the .358, I was wondering why no one ever shoots this in competition? Short barrel life was the norm when it first arrived in 1958, but that is not an issue any longer with new barrel technology is it?
The reasoning I suppose is that why not just shoot one of the 6.5 cartridges, but at least the selection of bullets for the .264 goes up to 152 grains, and it outdoes the 270 ballistics.
My reasoning is the new Remington Sendero II which is available in .264, and I can get one nearby for 999.00, and with a Weaver 36X, I can shoot what I think would be competitively for 1400.00 total.,After some experimentation with loads of course) I simply cannot find any rifles around here in New Hampshire that would allow me this opportunity.
I am anxious to hear any opinions on this, as I am a new member here and would welcome the expertise.

 

[Spotcheck_Billy]

What new barrel technology are you referring to?

Most competitors call the 6.5-284 a barrel burner. A .264 WM would only be worse. Recoil is higher with the WM, and quite a few competitors tire when recoil goes over a certain level. Also, many shooters have found that the popular "heavy" 6.5mm bullets like the 142 SMK, 139 Scenar, and 140 Berger seem to have an accuracy "sweet spot" somewhere in the 2900 to 3050 fps range,or thereabouts). If a small velocity increase,there are diminishing returns, ya know) results in less accuracy and more barrel wear what's the point?

A ballistic step above the commonly used 6.5's would be a 7mm shooting the 175 SMK or the 180 VLD Berger. Over that, one of the big .30's driving something like a 210 VLD,or heavier) very fast would have some ballistic advantages, if the shooter can handle it!

I hunted with a .264 WM M70 Westerner for many years, but found that it offered very few practical advantages over a .270 with two inches less barrel length and a whole lot less muzzle blast.

But that's just my .02, and you might hear some opposing views shortly

 

[jeffreybehr]

Well, here's some observations from another newbee*. I've ordered a 1000-yard benchrest rifle from Bill Shehane, and I've shot 2 small 1000YBR tournaments with a borrowed rifle at Three points w. of Tucson.

My rifle is chambered in 6.5-284 Shehane, which has slightly larger capacity than a standard 6.5-284. ,I chose Shehane's cartridge because I chose Bill Shehane for the rifle and not the other way around.)

I think there are several reasons the 264 WinMag is not as popular as it once may have been. One is low barrell life as you mention. It may be better than it was 40 years ago, but burning around 60 grains of powder per shot will consume a barrel lots quicker than consuming 45 - 50 grains. Another is that for the same powder capacity, shorter, larger-diameter cases have proved to be more accurate than longer cases. Another is that belted cases simply have gone out of favor with target shootists.

Why not consider the new Savage target rifle in 6.5-284? http://www.6mmbr.com/savageauction.html

* I shot a lot in the 1960s and into the '70s but sort of hadn't touched a rifle until a few months ago.