I have an original Ruger 77 tang safety rifle in 284 Win that is strictly a light weight hunting rifle. It shoots the 140 grain Sierra bullets, both SBT and flat base, incredibly well, and the combination works well for hunting purposes. Its twin bought at the same time did not shot well from the git go, and it got re-barreled years ago to 6.5-284, many years before Al gore and the internet discovered the cartridge, and it too works well as a hunting rifle.
Probably the best application of the 284 Win was in the very handy Model 88 Winchester rifle, which I still use frequently for hogs in south Texas.
I can't imagine the 284 Win being used for anything else but hunting, but that's just my perspective.
