Starting With 264WM Development

[112Savage]

So, I've decided to experiment with 140 grain Berger VLD's. My custom Mauser 3000 (unknown barrel maker or twist rate) needs to be let out of the safe this year. Right now I'm planning on using once fired Winchester brass, Retumbo and WLRM primers. Any suggestions for bullets seating and powder amounts are appreciated. I will update as my experiment continues. Here is a picture of her from early this spring. 24" barrel by the way since I bought it used for $300 I didn't have much choice. It shoots 120 grain sierra pro hunters very well, I have high hopes for these VLD's

 

[Sully2]

So, I've decided to experiment with 140 grain Berger VLD's. My custom Mauser 3000 (unknown barrel maker or twist rate) needs to be let out of the safe this year. Right now I'm planning on using once fired Winchester brass, Retumbo and WLRM primers. Any suggestions for bullets seating and powder amounts are appreciated. I will update as my experiment continues. Here is a picture of her from early this spring. 24" barrel by the way since I bought it used for $300 I didn't have much choice. It shoots 120 grain sierra pro hunters very well, I have high hopes for these VLD's

Mucho info here......
http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp..

Good looking rifle and should really bring some smoke on something once you get the load worked out.

 

[beretzs]

That is a sweet 264! Very nice. I ran Retumbo and RL25 in my Model 70, both worked pretty well, but ended up with 140 BT's and AB's at 3200 or so with RL25. Good luck and post up your targets. Those Bergers should hold the smack for a long way at anything over 3000.

 

[112Savage]

thanks beretz I saw your results using RL 25 on another post and will keep it in mind if Retumbo doesn't work. Right now I'm using my 25-06 to learn about these bergers before I go to 264 WM. I will post results before deer season.

 

[beretzs]

I could have done okay with Retumbo, it turned in some REALLY good groups and the pressures seemed very reasonable, but when it clicked with RL25, I just decided to leave well enough alone. I think you'll do great with it and the 25-06. They are both about the same overbore and should respond pretty similarly.

 

[112Savage]

Good news! I finally got out today and the Berger 140's are flying straight and forming round holes at 100yds out of my barrel. The best group I've gotten so far was somewhere just about an inch with 62 grains of Retumbo. I'm going to load up some more with heavier charges because I'm not flattening primers or having hard extraction yet. Maybe there's a higher node!

I'm a little excited.

 

[OKIE2]

my most accurate load is 100 BT's with 68.0 gr of RL22

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Good news Larry said he would help you out, he also mentioned to me it may be a good idea for you to continue you load development at a minimum range of 200m.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdoCNZBlRGQ]Gunsmithing - How to Determine the Rate of Twist in a Rifle Barrel - YouTube[/ame]

 

[RT2506]

I am running Retumbo with the 130 Nosler Accubond in my 264 Win Mag. My load is 66.5 grs Retumbo in a WW case made from once fired 7mm Rem mag cases and I use CCI 250 primers with the bullet 20 thousands off the lands and is doing 3350 fps. I have a 27 3/4" Shilen barrel on a Rem action in a Hogue full bed stock. It will shoot 1/2 MOA. The 130 AB works really well on deer. It does not explode on impact even as close as 50 yards. Out of 7 deer shot I only recovered one bullet all others were exits while going through at least one shoulder. All were in their tracks kills. The one I recovered was from a buck at 111 yards almost facing me. I placed the bullet on the edge of the left shoulder and he just fell back on his butt and went over dead. Bullet smashed the shoulder made soup of the vitals and was found in the right ham against the ball joint. Text book mushroom and weight was 87 grs. I discovered that this bullet flies better than it's given numbers. With a sight in 3" high at 100 yards I am still 2" high at 300 yards. I don't have a range to shoot on longer than 300 yards but I can hold center of shoulder on a deer out to 400 yards and he is BANG FLOP.

 

[112Savage]

So, recently I purchased some winchester 7mm Mag brass because it was $8 cheaper than the un-stocked 264 WM brass. I used the Hornady head space gauge with 0.400" orifice to measure my old brass. Much to my surprise the old brass was 0.02" longer than the new 7mm Mag brass. This seems LONG to me!

Solution, I partial neck sized the 7mm mag brass until it would chamber. I then checked the neck for scratch marks. I marked the scratches with a pen and partial neck sized to that length.

After all of this I trimmed and fully prepped the brass and sorted until I found 20 pieces of 130.5 +/- 0.5 grains.

Does this seem normal? The increase in length? The Solution? Am I going to suffer case head separation? Am I paranoid?

 

[beretzs]

You should be fine, as long as you don't full length size everytime, you should be more than good. I bump the shoulder .002 every sizing on Nosler brass and haven't had any issues. Once in awhile a primer pocket will give up, but that's very seldom until the 5th or more firing. Haven't lost a neck yet either since I started annealing.

 

[112Savage]

I found the maximum load for my rifle this weekend. 58.5 grains Retumbo; it seems as though Berger really did some nice testing (that is their max). Now, I'm ready to change the seating depth initial accuracy at 58.5 looked promising with about 0.75" 3-shot group. When playing with the seating depth I think I will take the advice and shoot at 200 yds. I'm so happy this is working out. I can't wait until I can try it out on deer and long range steel. Chronograph once all is worked up.

 

[apexmtnman]

Bergers max is 68.5 grains of Retumbo and that is what I load in 3 different 264's.

 

[Bob L.]

I would work up slowly seems to hit pressure fast. I am running 68.3 grains with 120ttsx, I know I couldn't have gpne that high with a 140, but every gun is different. I finally did my testing at 300 yards, and that is where I could see a group shine over the rest. My final load I reached 3400 ft with 120ttsx 1/2 moa group at 300 yards. Can't wait to kill something with it.