Winchester 70 264 win mag just doesn't shoot well

[spencerhenry]

I have always been a controlled round feed model 70 fan. I got this rifle as part of a trade deal, blued with walnut stock, 26" light contour barrel, warne rings and mounts. Good looking rifle in excellent shape with pretty good wood,. BUT, I cannot get it to shoot well enough for my liking. I started out with new winchester brass, i ran all the necks into the size die to make them round, the trimmed them all for length. The 1st firing definitely moved the shoulder forward, so I attributed the lack of accuracy to the fire forming. Since then i have tried 129gr hornady bullets, 120gr sierra bullets, 107gr sierra bullets, imr4350, imr4831, and military surplus pulldown powder. I can get nowhere near minute of angle, more like 1.75 moa at best. Shooting from bags at 100 yards with a 4.5-14x zeiss scope (also used 12x leupold). The throat on the rifle is very short, if I load to max length listed in the manual for some bullets, the bolt will not close. My test loads were all loaded to just touch the lands.

I had a kimber 84 300wsm years ago that I tried several powders, several bullets, different primers, and different seating depths and could never get it to shoot better than 1.5", so I sold it. It too was a good looking rifle, but 1.5 minutes is just not good enough for me.

I am thinking that this Model 70 just will not shoot, so I am wondering what to do with it. I could have it rebarreled in the same caliber, rebarreled in some other caliber, maybe have the chamber recut and recrown it, or just sell it.

I did not seek out the caliber, but I do not dislike it. If it were to be a great shooter, I think I could really get to liking it for longer range coyotes, marmots, and maybe the occasional deer or antelope.

Before someone asks if I can shoot well enough to know the difference, the answer is yes. I bought a bone stock CZ model 3 to replace the kimber 84. It shot 7 different loads into one group smaller than the kimber shot one load. I got it to shoot .75 moa with almost no effort. It was not bedded, and the trigger was so-so.

 

[wapiti25]

I bought a SS classic that did not shoot, sent it back to Winchester and they said it was OK. I ended up rebarreling it and solved my problem.

 

[bheadboy]

too many rifles and cartridges around that shoot less than MOA, much less with a bit of work,

had the same problem with one or two rifles in the past, looks just don't get it for me if they don't shoot, so sold them never looked back.

why bother trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear

Bob

 

[Gary in MD]

I think the powders that you are using are a little on the fast side for the 264. I would try some H4831; RL22; IMR 7828 and magnum primers before I gave up on the rifle.
Gary

 

[CatShooter]

Was your rifle made in New Haven, or North Carolina?

I like the 264 WM... my first was a M-70 Westerner and I burned up the barrel just shooting it, it was that much fun. Got another and did the same.

I now have a Remington 700 Sendero-II and it shoots better than the first two (but I am not going to burn this one up ) I bought it for coyotes and feral dogs on a family members ranch.

If it is a North Carolina rifle, they have an accuracy guarantee of 3 shots in <1".

 

[JamesnTN]

Mine likes VV 160

 

[JRS]

The 264 Win mag is at its best, and also the most accurate, when shooting the heavier bullets. The 130-140 grain bullets are the ticket

 

[CatShooter]

The 264 Win mag is at its best, and also the most accurate, when shooting the heavier bullets. The 130-140 grain bullets are the ticket

I shoot 95gr V-Maxs, and get itty bitty groups.

 

[spencerhenry]

it is an older rifle. not a current production gun. i traded for it about 3 or 4 years ago, i am going to guess that it is from the late 90's to early 2000's.

i have tried slower powders, wc857, and h870 (numbers may be wrong, i would have to go look at the bottles). the slower powders did not result in any change in accuracy. in fact pretty much all the powders and bullets i have tried all shoot about the same. i think i have tried some 140's as well.
at this point i think i could have it rebarreled for what i have spent and could continue to spend on components trying to find something that it likes.

i have only had a couple of rifles over the years that did not shoot. almost always i can find a good load with minimal effort. in fact, there is only one rifle i have ever had that shot poorly that i was able to eventually find a load for, i kept after that one because i knew the builder had a great reputation for quality barrels.

i am leaning toward having it rebarreled in the same caliber. i have brass, dies, lots of 6.5mm bullets, and powder for it.

 

[Cort]

What does the crown look like? Also, I recently bought a 7mm mag that was heavily coppered up. Once I got it clean, it seems to shoot better.

Cort

 

[Barlow]

A recent article in either Rifle or Rifle Shooter compared an older Model 70 with a new Ruger Hawkeye. I think they were 30-06's. The Model 70 was an 1.5 or so rifle and the Ruger was a sub moa rifle. YMMV Barlow

 

[2506]

Is the rifle bedded and is the barrel free floated? That has solved many a poor shooting rifle. I have a Shilen barrel 27 3/4" long on a Rem 700 action in 264 Win mag and it shoots about 3/4 MOA all day with Retumbo powder and 130 Accubonds. 3350 fps and it just SMOKES deer. They are dead before they hit the ground.

 

[wvlongshot]

You should quit burning your powder up and sell it to me for cheap????

 

[JamesnTN]

Also make sure the middle action screw is just snug loosen it and just barely snug it enough that it don't back out. The front and back screws should be tight.

 

[swd]

Have the barrel bore scoped. The 264 Win Mag isn't exactly easy on throats. The accuracy issue may be why it was traded off.

 

[FryeGuy]

every 264wm I ever owned, which is about 5 so far over the last few years, loved sierra 100HP. H4831, 70.0grains. straight out of the sierra manual. I think it is their accuracy load if I remember correctly. My father in law uses this load in all of his 264's as well. they were all sub moa guns also.

 

[LKEYES]

I second the heavier bullets with slower powders and mag primers.
Mine settled on Retumbo with 140 VLD's and federal mag primers touching the lands.

 

[spencerhenry]

i think i have pretty much covered all the bases as far as load development goes. small bullets, large bullets, slow powders and SLOWER powders, mag primers, etc...

like stated in an earlier post, i have only once had a rifle shoot poorly and still find a load that it likes. normally after 30 or 40 different load combinations without finding anything any where near good enough, i determine that it is a rifle that will likely never shoot anything well.
maybe the barrel is crap, maybe the chamber is crap, maybe the crown is crap (sure does not look like it), maybe the whole thing is crap.

my dilemma now is whether it is worth having it rebarreled, or to just sell it and start over. just guessing, but a rebarrel job with associated work is probably going to be around the $500 mark (hunting gun not a match gun). a new manufacture winchester is around $1000 IIRC. the rifle i have is probably only worth about $600. but, with a new barrel and proper installation, i would bet it shoots better than another out of the box winchester. plus, i do not like the finish on the NEW winchesters.
or maybe i just sell it and not replace it.

i am an archery hunter more than anything, but still do like to hunt some creatures with a rifle. i have other rifles that fit the bill for any big game i will ever encounter, but a tack driving 264 would be easy to get used to.

 

[Changeling]

The Winchester 264 mag is notorious for burning up barrels in fairly short order, that’s why it sounded so impressive when it first came out!
Guys and Ladies overlooked the fact that accuracy would go south very quickly, but continued to buy them for a short time after that.
It is a good caliber (Hunting only) if one can control habits of shooting them in a fast fire type fashion, it will not WORK!

If one uses it as a hunting rifle and fires rounds very slowly in working up a load (like hours) to keep the barrel cool it will do some magical things! Try shooting it fast like you would a Rem 260/6.5 Swede/whatever, and you will see all that awesome velocity/accuracy disappear very quickly!
Try shooting it with top loads like a regular caliber 3 or 4 time, then grab the barrel, you will understand everything I have said. 8)

I forgot to add that you need very strong bullets like the Nosler Partition/Barnes/Swift/etc for this rifles velocities, not kidding!

 

[swampshooter]

Have the barrel bore scoped. The 264 Win Mag isn't exactly easy on throats. The accuracy issue may be why it was traded off.

+1, rifling might be gone.