12-03-2012, 01:38 AM
Y85 Wrote:So, why then do we think the .264WinMag basically died on the vine a half century ago? The standard answers are usually distaste from WWII memories of Japanese/German metric rounds or introduction of the 7mm RemMag. But is our current appreciation for the 6.5mm caliber related to (1) better projectiles and/or (2) a better understanding of BCs and its importance in shooting? Or have the advances in powders and optics now caught up to the intrinsic ballistic advantages of the 6.5? If that is the case, will we see a resurgence in interest in the .264WM?The 6.5 bore diameter has had a rocky path in the US. Most US hunters respond to what they read in the gun press, not actual experience, and the gun press is paid to generate excitement about the latest and greatest, not an overlooked gem from the past.
Just curious for opinions.
My 6.5 STW is like a 264 Win Mag on steroids, it burns barrels at an even faster rate. But for hunting is is a laser beam and has dropped every animal I've shot with it on the spot. That includes two Boone and Crocket sheep, a Stone's and a Rocky Mountain. I could have used any caliber I wanted for these once in a lifetime hunts and I chose this caliber. Why, because it does a better job than my 7mm Rem Mag, my .300 Win Mag, or my .300 Weatherby and does it with less recoil, making it much more fun to shoot. I built it for Coues whitetail before there were laser range finders available that worked at extended ranges. It made up for range estimation errors better than any caliber then or now.
Bob