The old canard about the .264WM being a barrel burner is largely BS from certain gunwriters. I know guys here in BC, who have owned these original P-64 Mod. 70s since they were first introduced and some who use this round as their primary rifle cartridge. They, have taken Elk, Moose, various other ungulates and lots of bruins and it kills stuff real dead, real fast.
I know of one belonging to a local smith I used to use and he has 1000+ rounds thru it, a P-64 "Westerner". He stocked mine, an as new specimen I found with a modded wooden factory stock, in a spare Micky G&H pattern I had from a project building a matched pair of "horse rifles" for pack hunts in northern BC, using .338 sts Hart tubes and it shoots into tiny groups at 300M.
You MUST use 3 shot groups, COOL the barrel between EACH one and NEVER leave copper cleaner in those old Winny sts tubes; do this and running 140NPs at 3250ish from that 26" cutrifled old barrel, you can get some outstanding results.
I would not hesitate to use mine for our 6-pt only elk seasons, but, with the Zeiss 4.5x14 in original Warne mounts, it is heavier than I like to carry now as I have severe spinal problems.
The "upside" is that it has so little "kick" compared with my various .300 mags and favoured .338WM rifles, DOES outperform ANY .270Win, another favourite and also kicks less, to me anyway, than any of the 3 7mm RMs I had, so, for precise long shots at game, I think it a very fine cartridge and wish it were more popular.
