The .264 Winchester Magnum is a short belted rifle cartridge introduced into the market in 1959 with the Model 70 Westerner bolt action rifle. Winchester still produces these rifles with barrels ranging from 24-26 inches to help this fast moving bullet reach its full potential.
The .264 Winchester is a fast moving, accurate, and flat shooting cartridge that’s right at home taking any game in the lower 48 states. When loaded with 140 grain bullets, it’s one of the most powerful 2.6 caliber cartridges available, at 3,000 fps (feet per second.
It’s even sufficient to take elk out to 300 yards.
The .265 Win Mag has a reputation of being rough on barrels. Some have said that they’ve had to replace the barrel after just 500 rounds of ammo. This was true back when the round was first introduced, but today’s barrels are treated in such a way that they last longer than the days old.
Further, if the barrels are allowed to cool between shots, they last even longer. Sometimes into the thousands of rounds fired range.
When loaded with 120 grain bullets, the .264 Winchester Magnum has minimal recoil that’s controllable. This load offers a flat bullet trajectory resembling that of the 257 Weatherby Magnum.
Any decent rifle will need a good scope. Check out this one from Bushnell.
Nosler has a nice selection of ammo for hunting use. The 140 grain partition bullet, ensures deep penetration on larger deer. They also offer a 100 grain bullet that has a good ballistic coefficient for great precision out to 225 yards that’s ideal for predator hunters.
You’ll want to do a couple of things to get the maximum out of your .264 Win Mag, or any rifle for that matter.
First, you’ll want to mount your scope correctly.
Next, you’ll need to break in your rifle barrel.
Finally, you’ll have to keep your barrel’s bore clean to help prolong its life.
.264 Winchester Magnum Ballistics Chart |
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| These are down range trajectory charts for the 264 Winchester Magnum cartridge with the scope mounted 1.8 inches above the bore center line plus if you were using these loads, their effective hunting bullet energy range with well placed shots on; Predators: Such As, Bobcat, Cougar And Coyote. Deer Size Game: Such As, Antelope, Blacktail Deer, Hogs, Javelina, Mule Deer And Whitetail Deer. Elk Size Game: Such As, Caribou, Black Bear, Sheep And Elk. |
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| Good Predator Hunting Load: 264 Win. Mag. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Nosler. Bullet weight: 100 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .350. Bullet muzzle velocity: 3,400 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,566 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 1 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 195 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 225 yards. |
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| 150 Grain Bullet Down Range |
At 100 Yards |
At 200 Yards |
At 300 Yards |
At 400 Yards |
At 500 Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trajectory in Inches: | + 0.8 | – 0.1 | – 5.5 | – 16.1 | – 33.2 |
| Energy in Foot Pounds: | 2,141 | 1,778 | 1,468 | 1,202 | 975 |
| Predator Effectiveness: | + | + | + | + | + |
| Good Deer Hunting Load: 264 Win. Mag. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Nosler. Bullet weight: 120 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .458. Bullet muzzle velocity: 3,250 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,813 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 2 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 240 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 282 yards. |
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| 150 Grain Bullet Down Range |
At 100 Yards |
At 200 Yards |
At 300 Yards |
At 400 Yards |
At 500 Yards |
| Trajectory in Inches: | + 1.7 | + 1.3 | – 3.4 | – 13.1 | – 28.8 |
| Energy in Foot Pounds: | 2,447 | 2,123 | 1,834 | 1,578 | 1,351 |
| Deer Effectiveness | + | + | + | + | + |
| Good Elk Hunting Load: 264 Win. Mag. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Nosler. Bullet weight: 140 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .490. Bullet muzzle velocity: 2,950 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,704 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 3 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 252 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 290 yards. |
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| 165 Grain Bullet Down Range |
At 100 Yards |
At 200 Yards |
At 300 Yards |
At 400 Yards |
At 500 Yards |
| Trajectory in Inches: | + 2.5 | + 2.2 | – 3.3 | – 14.9 | – 33.5 |
| Energy in Foot Pounds: | 2,365 | 2,061 | 1,789 | 1,545 | 1,328 |
| Elk Effectiveness: | + | + | + | – | – |
Barrel Length – 26″.If you have more questions about rifle ballistics, make sure you check out our rifle ballistics chart for many in depth ballistic calculations.
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