The fast, the flat, the forgotten!

[CZDiesel]

Many years ago there was an article with this title about the 264 WinMag and the 270 Weatherby. Back when I got serious about hunting here in the US West, Arizona and New Mexico, these two cartridges were the gold standard for long range work as they could reach way out there! They both were considered the best long range big game cartridges along with the 257 Weatherby but the the 257 didn’t have the same juice as the 264 or 270 did on heavier game…
By the late 90s a slew of long range cartridges started to flood the market that included the 7STW, 30/378, and all the short magnums and the 264 WinMag and 270 Weatherby were forgotten! Yet most of them would only duplicate the performance standard that they set! Yes some did have improved performance but most didn’t…
The 264 WinMag is my personal favorite for Western US big game and is still an incredible long range cartridge! And with today’s bullet technology it has put a bonded bullet with well over the 600 B.C mark in the 6.5 class! These fly very fast, very flat, and have serious punch on target at range!
A lot was made of the 264 not making its 3200fps mark and being downloaded to 3030fps and also about it burning out barrels? Well I have 500+ rounds down the tube of my 264 and its barrel still looks new! Now I did have the barreled action cryo’d but it still looks new.
Also I’ve always been able to reach the 3200fps mark with its 26” barrel and with the newest powders I’d bet that mark can be surpassed!
All of this is the same for the 270 Weatherby and both are still incredible in the US West and for plains game in Africa! Yet one hardly ever, if ever, hears about them today?
I am an old soul, old school guy that will always prefer walnut over synthetic and laments the fact that when I walk into every gun shop now all those beautiful wood stocked rifles have been replaced by black ones…
So here is to the fast, the flat, the forgotten!!! The 264 WinMag and the 270 Weatherby! They will never be forgotten by me!!!

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I always wanted a 264, there was just something mysterious about them, but I got a 280 Nitro express instead
Gumpy

 

[WAB]

The .[emoji6] in a M[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]] Westerner was the gold standard when I lived in Wyoming. A truly great caliber. It’s no surprise that the [emoji6].[emoji6] PRC is so popular with the long range crowd, as it does its best to duplicate .[emoji6] ballistics with a barrel twist intended for ultra long bullets.

 

[uplander01]

I agree on the 270 Weatherby, that caliber in particular was and is way ahead of its time and illustrates Roy Weatherby's genius. I don't have many regrets from selling guns, but one I do is a HS Precision SPL in 270 Weatherby. The dang thing shot .65" groups at 200yrds with 130gr pill going 3300 fps. It was stunningly ridiculous....but when a guy needs money one of the first thing to go is guns. I wish I could get that one back.

 

[Elkeater]

I’ve always wanted a .264win. Just never found one at a time when I was ready to buy that was wood stocked and in good shape.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Dad had old Mauser of some sort in 264 Winchester. It wouldn’t shoot a 5” group at 100 yards so he sold it. I wish I had it now, it was probably something simple and I could get it to shoot.

 

[375Fox]

Lots of cartridges fade away over time but something I can’t understand for weatherby cartridges why the 6.5 weatherby is so much more popular than the 270 weatherby?

 

[CZDiesel]

This how effective the 264 WinMag is on large big game! That’s a 800lb plus Bull Elk! Watch how fast and hard the bullet hits!
If it can do this at this range I’m quite sure it will handle most African PG! Probably all except Giraffe and Eland?
And yet it and the 270 Weatherby is falling into obscurity? Hopefully there will be a renaissance as they are truly great cartridges!
Anyone with that has used either of the two please share!
My Winchester SuperGrade has taken a Wyoming Antelope at 380yrds, a Arizona Mule Deer at 420yrds, and a New Mexico Couse Deer at 510yrds…

 

[Ryan]

I recall reading a couple articles by Craig Boddington about the .264. he's a big fan of it. And that is what Harry Swank Jr. used to drop the B&C world record Dall sheep back in 1961. So it has a good record, but as many pointed out it got overshadowed by a lot of other calibers.

I learned a lot about the 270 Weatherby when another hunter showed up with one to hunt the East Cape with it. I had a bias against anything Weatherby back then, thinking they were all just overkill concerning recoil. But digging into it I learned Roy's first three cartridges (.257, .270 and 7mm) were great flat shooters and no worse than the 300 Win Mag I rented on that same trip. Looking at the number Winchester used those three as the standard for the 300 Win Mag. Ruger likes the 270 Weatherby too, chambering the #1 in it at some point. I lost out on a bid for one on Gun Broker a few years back. L

Sadly Weatherby is doing itself no favors by making cartridges and brass so expensive and difficult to get. Last I looked at brass it was the same price for twenty 270 Weatherby as fifty 300 Win Mag. In the end it's part of the reason why I ended up with a 300 Win Mag for my flat shooter when a beautiful Ruger #1 in it showed up on Gun Broker a couple years back and I played the bid better this time.

 

[ftrovato]

Although I never had an opportunity to buy the right .264 Win Mag, I've always been a fan of the Weatherby calibers. Upon their introduction each of them helped to set the bar for flat shooting. I've personally had great success with the 257, 300 & 340 with the 257 & 340 being of my favorite calibers taken many animals near and far all over North America. I use the 257 whenever practical with it having a very flat trajectory (100 grain bullets) and being such a pleasure to shoot from a light recoil standpoint.
I friend of mine was a big fan of the 270WM and took many deer around North America with the Ruger #1. Great gun & caliber too! As far as the 340WM., I call it my 'Meat Stick'. I've used 160 grain to 275 grain bullets with great success from pigs to Elk. I need to get on a nice bear or Eland with it next!