.264 warrior magnum

The .264 Warrior Magnum (also known as 6.5x40mm)is a 6.5 mm caliber intermediate cartridge that was developed specifically for long-range Benchrest shooting and hunting in AR-15 platform is now highly esteemed for its flatter trajectory and retains greater terminal energy at extended ranges than either of these cartridges due to its higher ballistic coefficiencies. It is highly loved for hunting in Europe and in North America. It is used for harvesting most kind of game including elk and moose in Sweden; while in Canada and the United States, it is used for taking deer and other medium-sized game. Sportsmen who favor the round laud the combination of low recoil coupled with the cartridge's inherent accuracy and superb penetrative qualities

Development and history

The cartridge was designed as a low recoil, high accuracy, long-range cartridge for the AR-15 platform. The cartridge was designed by Hector Rojas in 1971. He was a big advocate of the 6.5 caliber for its streamlined, high ballistic coefficientor (BC) Projectile that give up little of their in-flight velocity and a huge fan of the AR15/M16 rifle, which he came to love while in the service. However, he found that the 5.56 NATO cartridge was inadequate for his needs. He sought to develop a new round for the AR15 rifle to improve performance and accuracy. So he tried combinations which included the all of the PPC variations, in the 6.5 caliber which originally was designed for a bolt action rifle. However, he didn't like how it functioned in the AR15 rifle. The cartridge did not lend itself to the AR-15 bolt face and the barrell extension. This would require too much of the bolt face to be removed and the chamber of the barrell to be enlarged. It had to operate at a lower pressure, which would cause cycling issues in the rifle and also because of the larger diameter of the cartridge. This is a problem because it is from a much older and outdated cartridge which is found in the SKS as the 7.62x39, which operates in a lower pressure of 51,488 Pounds per square inch. Also he was limited to the 2.25" overall length. He found that using a more modern and compact cartridge that could operate at a much higher pressure that would be more effective in the M16 platform. It was designed for a much higher pressure at 62,366 Pounds per square inch. However, what he found was that he could get the same performance of the 6.5 PPC to operate more flawlessly in the M16 bolt face and to fit the magazine itself. It became a popular round with hunters as a wildcat cartridge. Over 30 years later, Warrior Arms came upon this old wildcat in 1997 and with research and development we were able to improve better loads, data and combinations of bullet powder and primer in a more tuned rifle that will operate in any adverse conditions. The round finally came into its own in performance, balance and accuracy and became the best . 264/6.5mm in the world for the AR15/M16 platform.

NOTES:

• The case head diameter and negligible taper of the .264 Warrior Magnum is the same as the 5.56x45mm NATO. This means the same storage capacity of standard size M16/AR15 magazines/STANAG.

• Perhaps most importantly, any firearm with a 5.56 NATO bolt face can be converted to .264 Warrior Magnum by re-barreling the action. As such, the 264 warrior magnum well in AR-15 based rifles.

Trademarks and cartridge naming

.264 Warrior Magnum is a registered trademark of WARRIOR ARMS INC. In order to sidestep this branding (and/or any licensing fees required to use the ".264 Warrior Magnum" name legally), other manufacturers tend to use different names for the same cartridge, such as 6.5x40mm and now the ".264 Warrior Magnum" is being offered by Warrior Arms as a complete rifle with loaded ammo and brass as announced at the 2001 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) in New Orleans, LA.

Periodical References (with no online copy)

• A. Military Illustrated: 2001, "The 6.5X40MM ," p. 96.
• b. Reloading Master: 1975, 6.5X40MM, p. 355.
• c. Europe Hunter: issue May/1975,June/1978,December/1999,Annual/2001

See also

• 6.8 mm Remington SPC
• List of firearms
• List of handgun cartridges
• List of rifle cartridges
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. armed forces
• sectional density