[trigger45]

want a rem mod seven bad. but I cant decide on the cal. what do you think

[Art Eatman]

IMO, it depends on what you're going to hunt. Again, IMO, the 7mm08 allows for heavier bullets for larger critters. (I've always thought of heavier bullets as a form of insurance, with a tad less perfection needed for a clean kill. For instance, I've killed a lot of deer with a .243, but I was always really, really picky about shot placement.)

Art

[mainmech48]

Personally, the 7mm-08 would be my choice. It was originally developed for Metallic Silhouette shooting and proved to combine exceptional inherent accuracy with sufficient power to reliably topple the "ram" targets at 500M. It also lends itself well to use in light, handy short-action carbines without getting eyeball rattling recoil in the bargain.

Common bullet weights range from 100 to 175 gr., making for an extremely versatile hunting weapon.

If any of the major manufacturers would make a LH version of their "Mountain Rifle" or "Compact" rigs in this caliber, I'd buy it. As it is, I'll have to wait until I can afford to have one custom built. It'd be my idea of the perfect all-around deer rifle.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

7-08---------------------the .260 is sadly spiraling toward obsolence(sp?) even though it is good cartridge.

Basing this off the number of rifles being chambered for the .260----everybody jumped off the bandwagon once all the short mags came out.

[wanderinwalker]

OK, I'll be the odd man out and be a proponent of the .260. :) I have one in the Remington Mountain Rifle DM. Nice, accurate cartridge with plenty of zip. The only common factory load is the 140gr CoreLokt, from Remington, which in my barrel clocks 2600 fps, nowhere near the 2750 claimed from a 24" barrel. But if you look around you can find stocks of the 125gr Partition, again from Remington, although I think it has been discontinued. (Never threw any of these over a chrono BTW.)

I handload, and thus have no fear of ammunition avaibility. As long as people have .243s, 7mm-08s, and .308s, I have brass. As long as there are 6.5mm Swedes, I have bullets. Easy enough!

FWIW, my current hunting load is the 125gr Partition at 2900 fps (HONEST!).

[Slingster]

I like the .260 Rem as well. I see it in my Rem Model Seven as a modern incarnation of the 1903 Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine and its 6.5x54 chambering. I've duplicated the classic round with the 160-grain Hornady RN at 2350 fps out of my rifle and it went straight through a shoulder joint and out a rib on the far side of a large doe at 20 yards.

Wanderinwalker, I'd be curious to hear of your results with the 125-grain NP, as I think it might be perfectly balanced for the .260 in the M7 on deer-sized and smaller animals. I'd only be looking for 2700 fps or so out of the 20" Model Seven barrel.

[wanderinwalker]

Slingster,
Hopefully I'll have field results in a few weeks! Season doesn't start until November 12 this year in New Hampshire. This will be my second year with this rifle/load combo.

As a note: Anybody who thinks deer hunting is a gimme ought to try the Northwoods sometimes. I admire anybody who can consistently fill his or her tag every year up here. The deer are relatively few and hunted hard. (I've actually seen more moose than whitetails when on foot.)

[Gordon]

Wow this is a hard one. I would say NIETHER. I go for 6.5 TCU(6.5X.223) because of its ballistics all out of proportion to size-2700+FPS from rifle with 125grain bullets! I likewise go for 7mm mauser(7X57) as you can load those long and heavy bullets to adequate velocities. .308 Winchester parent is great all around and one of my all time favorites.

[Coot]

Humm...between a stainless synthetic in 7mm08 or 260, I'd choose both! My 14 y/o took a nice 8 poiuter with his 7mm08 last year, and I'm negotiating on a barely-used 260 in the same configuration for the 11 y/o.

I've spent a lot more than the Rem M7 to get similar ruggedness, accuracy, and power.

[dakotasin]

7-08.

260 just sounds... weak.

[wanderinwalker]

260 just sounds... weak.

You must know my buddy Frank! :) He keeps telling me to get a "Man's Gun." And he'll go to the ballistics tables to show me how his 7-08 has more power at 300+ yards, etc. I just cock an eye at him and say "Frank, could YOU hit anything that far away?" That usually ends that debate. :D

[Glock Glockler]

Which one has better exterier ballistics? I know that the 6.5mm can have some magnificent BCs as can a 7mm, but the 7mm needs much higher weights to get in that range, so how fast can we push the heavier bullets?

Downrange performence is what settles the matter, so who know what that would be?

[dakotasin]

wanderinwalker- not trying to offend... it was just part of the thought process that goes thru my mind when picking out a rifle... and there are lots of things that go thru my mind when picking a rifle that are intangible... the 'sound' of the caliber being one... it is humurous though, to know that i am not the only one who doesn't like a caliber for no reason other than the way it sounds!

i honestly don't think there is a losing choice if given the choice of 260 or 7-08 - so ceteris paribus i'll take the one that has a better ring to it when i say the caliber, and in this case, to my ear, it is 7-08.

[wanderinwalker]

dakotasin,
No offense taken. Note the smilies. :) It was all in fun. But my point is that many hunters buy their magnum-dejour or whatever rifles, sight them in, and then assume they're prepared for 300+ yard shooting. Most of them can't hit a thing past 100 yards without a bench, but that doesn't matter to them. They THINK they're prepared. Or at least, I think that's my point. ;)

[trigger45]

260 just sounds... weak.


? well so does the .270?

[BluRidgDav]

The .260 is the better cartidge, and here's why:

If you're looking for the MOST power from among the calibers based on the .308 case, then get a .308, and then buy some "Light Magnum" ammo to shoot in it!

But, that's not the point of the .260 or the 7mm-08. They were developed to get ENOUGH sillouette target knockdown power, (and ALMOST as much big game killing performance) as the .308, with LESS recoil.

The .243 went too far down the power scale, the 7mm-08 not quite far enough. Just like in the story about the "Three Little Bears", the .260 is JUST RIGHT !!!

And in a trim Remington Model 7, the .260 makes a terrific "Mountain / Ladies / Youth" rifle.

[crackerjack]

Have taken numberous deer with both 7/08 and .260. My experience the .260 will anchor game and penetrate better .You will not go wrong with either for deer size game.

[Glock Glockler]

Gordon,

According to this page the 6.5 TCU is no where near that powerful, where are you getting your info from?

http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/w65mmtcu.html

[JohnKSa]

I've got a friend who is a REAL rifle nut. He actually went into business making and selling rifles to try to fund his habit.

When he goes hunting he takes whatever super-hot magnum he's in love with at the moment and since he hunts from a blind he doesn't mind taking something with a long barrel since he's not going to drag it around all day.

He's a great shot and if he sees a deer he wants, it's his...

He recently bought his son a .260 to hunt with since his son is a bit recoil shy and isn't into shooting and hunting enough to learn to deal with heavier recoil.

He was complaining the other day how when he shoots a deer it always runs awhile before piling up but that when his son shoots one with the .260 it drops on the spot.

Another friend of mine who buys, sells and trades guns weekly (he's always got to have the latest) commented that the .260 killed deer better than any other caliber he had shot. He said that none of the deer he shot with his .260 took a single step.

[Gordon]

We be talking rifles as in 22-24" , nicht wahr? My wife's 22" Sako Vixen 6.5 TCU shoots 125grain Nosler partition at 2680fps at 60 degrees with 30 grains of A2520 in Rem brass(careful work up!) Those longer barrels(than 10- 14" and in a BOLT GUN) work wonders:)

[Jaywalker]

.260, though I really like the 7-08.

I'm in the camp of minimizing all possible recoil consistent with a loading that's adequate for game. The best I understand, no one complains about the 260's game-getting.

Lost the link, but on another forum, a poster said it best: "Recoil bad. Maintenance bad. Stainless .260 good."

Jaywalker

[Brian Williams]

I voted 7mm-08, it works very well for me and is as accurate as I need it to be.

[trigger45]

btt

[SteveS]

I can't say that the 7-08 is better than the .260, but I am certainly happy with my Model 7 in 7-08.