.260 Remington and .257 Roberts????

[MIdoublegun]

Hey guys... Trying to help my brother out purchasing a new rifle. The new rifle will be primairly used to punch paper, Deer hunt, and possibly take the ocassional Coyote. So far, he has it narrowed down to the .260 Remington and .257 Roberts. He is looking for a bolt action, 22"-24" barrel rifle. He prefers wood and stainless but Synthetic and stainless would probably be ok as well.

**** If possible, I would only like opnions and discussion regarding these two chamberings. I know neither have a ton of factory ammo offerings. I handload so that is not an issue. I also know the .243 is great, the .308 is an awesome deer round and the 7mm-08 is very capable etc. My brother has had several shoulder surgeries and needs something very capable of taking deer sized game, yet very easy on the shoulder.

A few questions right from the start.

WHY doesnt remington chamber the Model 700 in .260 Rem or .257 Roberts? I know they did in 2007 and 2009 as a limited edition CDL SF but why dont they offer these two chamberings as standard options? Especially the .260 "Rem"? I know it is/was offered in the model 7, but why only the model 7 with an 18" barrel. Seems that a shorter barrel would not take advantage of what the .260 has to offer. Thoughts?

2nd.. Does Kimber still offer .260 in the 84m. I find nothing about it on their website.

3rd... Has anyone ever had dealings with the remington custom shop or the kimber custom shop? I never have. Is it possible to have a model 700 or 84m Chambered in .260 without getting a full blown custom rifle?

Just looking for opinions and advice..

Thanks.
Jeff

 

[Justin Holder]

A Kimber 84M in 257 Rob would be SWEET!

Hard to understand the absence of the 260 in Remingtons line.

 

[Dr T]

In a current production rifle, the Ruger Hawkeye in 257 Roberts would meet your criteria. With 100 gr bullets, the recoil of the 257 is quite mild.

The lack of availability in the 700 action is likely due to the lack of demand.

The Remington Model 7 was always meant to be a compact version of a short action Model 700, hence the 18.5 and 20 inch barrels. I have a 7-08 Model 7 with a fiberglass/kevlar stock that is a tack driver (best group: 0.19" center-to-center 3 shot group at 100 yards).

 

[NCsmitty]

Here's a nice expensive match AR in 260 Rem.

http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.as...Category=f4bd4a13-55d1-41aa-aea0-49488ec48776

There are several Remingtons in 260Rem on www.gunbroker.com.


NCsmitty

 

[Kachok]

260 rem is nice but the old school 6.5x55 does much more + it is available in several REALLY good rifles Sako 85, CZ550, and the Tikka T3. 257 roberts is another really good old school caliber, sadly it is only avaliable on the Ruger which I just don't care anyhting for actions are too rough/sloppy and they cost more then much better rifles.

 

[Justin Holder]

257 roberts is another really good old school caliber, sadly it is only avaliable on the Ruger

Kimber 84m Classic Select Grade .257 Roberts

 

[GunTech]

260 Remington's main niche seems to be with tactical shooters. There are a load of high bc match bullets and the round really excels at long range. The selection of hunting bullets is a bit more limited, and loaded ammo even more so.

6.5x55 is only a really competitor for 260 if handloaded in a modern action. Commercial ammo is invariably loaded to be safe in 100 year old small ring Mausers and similar rifles.

Comparable round are 6.5x47 Lapua and 6.4 Creedmoor. These are specifically designed for short action rifles and standard magazines and as direct competitors to 308 as long range rounds.

While 257 hunting bullets abound, the selection of match grade high BC bullets can't compare with 6.5. the quarter bores also lack the high sectional density that lets the 6.5 penetrate deep into larger game. Depending on where you are, 257 loaded ammo may be even harder to find than 260.

Either round is pleasant to shoot, particularly from a heavier rifle. The 260 gives large range of bullet weight (85gn-160gn) but most of the offerings are match bullets and many of the best are harder to find (e.g. Lapua Scenar). Twist will also be somewhat of a factor and needs to be considered.

The 257 has more hunting bullets, which makes sense considering its primary use.

Kachok makes a good point in raising the 6.5x55 as an alternative. While it requires a longer action, there are a number of great rifles available, if you are a handloader, you can get superior brass and if you handload the round to its full potential in modern actions, it is probably superior to either of the other two. The longer COAL means you won't be seating the bullets down into the powder the way you have to with 260 (if you like the long, heavy bullets).

Swede also had a lot of body taper and feeds and extracts really easily.

 

[MIdoublegun]

Thanks Guys... Good info here. Appreciate the help. NCsmitty... Sorry only interested in a bolt gun. That AR looks super sweet though.

Havent really looked at the CZ or the Tikka. Looked at the Sako and they are super nice and pretty expensive to boot! How does the quality of a Tikka or CZ compare to a Kimber or remington? Action, fit and finish, etc??

Thanks
Jeff

 

[sansone]

CZ makes one in 6.5x55.. somebody already mentioned ruger m77 available in 260rem

 

[kaferhaus]

Kimber and Remington will both be more expensive than the Tikka, the Kimber much more so.

Tikka's are generally accurate right out of the box, fit and finish is not on par with the Remington or Kimber.

Kimber's are usually accurate right out of the box as well but no guarantee with any of them including the Tikka or Sako.

Some of my biggest disappointments in factory rifle accuracy have been with Sako's... they ain't what they used to be quality wise but the prices have continued to climb.

Remington is hit or miss in the accuracy dept more so than any of the above.

The 260 is your best bet, ammo is easier to find at most shops and it's loaded to it's full potential. as the other guy said, the 6.5x55 ammo is anemic unless you mail order Lapua or Privi partizan ammo. Lapua is over 40 bucks a box but of excellent quality, the privi is hit or miss as they consistently use the cheapest components they can find at the time. But the price is great.

I have quality bolt guns in both (not mil surps...) The 260 is a bit more accurate, but they'll both give good results.

The 257 bob is very hard to find ammo for unless you mail order it. The 243 winchester pretty much killed it and several other cartridges as well. the 25-06 out performs it.

I love the 257.... but you pretty much have to be a hand loader to get it's full potential and it really needs a long action even though some companies offer it in a short action..... thus ammo is built to cycle in short actions which causes some issues with bullets sitting well below the neck shoulder junction in the brass. Not so great for accuracy

 

[FLNT4EVR]

Check out the CZ550FS in 6.5x55 an excellent rifle with a mild recoiling round. Very accurate to boot. 6.5 (.264 ) bullets can be had in weights from 85 grns up to 160 so he will be able to hunt all but the largest N American game with it.

 

[PT1911]

From my experience and that of those that i know, the Tikka and CZ are likely to be more accurate than both the Kimber and Remington from the factory.... Remingtons are great, not doubting that at all or downing them as quite a capable rifle, but there out of the box quality has fallen a long way... example... a friend of mine has a heavy barrel 700 that would cost damn near a grand or more from the factory... in order to get better than 3 inch groups at 100yds he had to do/have done what would have amounted to another 500 dollars worth of work... Now, it has done as well as .17 CTC at 100 yds (5 shot group!)

By all accounts Tikka's and CZ's are incredible guns out of the box...

Kimbers are nice, I personally would pass as you get a hell of a nice rifle, but, at least from what I have heard and seen, the shooting capability is on par with the typical hawkeye.. great for hunting, not so great for showing off at the range...

Between the CZ and Tikka, grab the nearest coin and giver er a flip.

 

[sansone]

tikka chambers 25-06 but no 260

 

[GunTech]

The CZ are nicely made, great guns, but they are still basically Mausers with all that entails. Slow lock time and bolt wobble are disconcerting to some Rem 700 shooters. You won't typically see them at LR rifle matches, but as a field rifle they are excellent and most people can't shoot well enough to notice the difference.

If you are a fan of classic styling and CRF, the CZ is a great rifle and a super value for the price.

 

[Kachok]

I have a Tikka T3 Stainless 6.5x55 right now that is the pride of my collection, super nice rifle, the action is slicker then oiled ice, drops everything it hits, trigger is a dream, the stock is a real fiber reinforced synthetic not toy plastic like Mossberg/Savage/Remington, the stainless steel is REAL stainless not some stainless looking coating, the recoil is just enough to remind you that you are shooting a powerful centerfire and not a 22LR, shot groups at the range are SUB-MOA all day long when I do my part, and it likes cheap Serbian import ammo which also has really good brass. What exactly is there not to like about a rifle like that? As perfect as that is I want a CZ550 6.5x55 too, all the same wounderful traits of the T3 in an equily beautyful blued/walnut M98 action setup with a longer barrel. Traditional vs High Tech.... I want both

 

[BoilerUP]

Its pretty easy (and comparatively inexpensive) to buy a Savage and rebarrel it to .260 Remington.

I've hunted deer with .270 & 30-06 for more than half my life, but the last few years a circa-2000 700 Mountain Rifle LSS in .260 Remington has been my weapon of choice (whenever I have time to hunt - that's another story). Remington 120gr AccuTip factory ammo is accurate, and a handloaded 120gr Nosler BT over 41.5gr H380 replicates the factory loading...only more accuracy, slightly less recoil, and about 1/3 the per-round cost.. It also has excellent terminal ballistics on whitetail, having enough oomph to penetrate a shoulder at 100yd+ but also good expansion for shots <25yd.

I'm very close to rebarreling a Savage 110 I have in .270 to .260 Remington, I like the loading so much.

 

[Kachok]

If I were going to rebarrel a savage to 260 rem I would get a short action insted of a long action. Just makes more sence IMHO

 

[BoilerUP]

If I were going to rebarrel a savage to 260 rem I would get a short action insted of a long action. Just makes more sence IMHO

IMO, what makes the most sense depends on the situation.

If you're going to buy a factory-new rifle to convert, yes I'd probably go with a short-action chambered in 243 or 7mm08, to have "comparable" chamberings.

If you already have a long-action 110-series rifle (like I do) or find a good deal on a used rifle, there's no reason to not use it for a .260 rebarrel - it will work just fine with the .260 and one could load to long OALs while still utilizing the blind magazine if they wanted to.

 

[coug]

just a thought, have you considered a savage chambered in 6.5x284 ? it is very close to the 260 and getting match grade or hunting bullets will be easy. plus you will have a half minute or less rifles out of the box. you can also get lamenated wood w/stainless or composit w/stainless. this round has very light recoil. my dad has also had surgery on his shoulders. this would be a good route to consider.

 

[Kachok]

The 6.5-284 is a bit more powerful then the 260 rem. Case capasity is comprable to the 6.5-06 and 6.5 rem mag. That is aprox 23% more case capasity, good for a couple hundred extra fps, but the recoil is closer to the 270 win if that is an issue.

 

[viking499]

As perfect as that is I want a CZ550 6.5x55 too

I have both. Didn't know how I survived all these years with out them. Would not sell or trade either one of them for anything else out there.

 

[longdayjake]

here are a load of high bc match bullets and the round really excels at long range. The selection of hunting bullets is a bit more limited, and loaded ammo even more so.

I don't know why you think there is a shortage of hunting bullets for the 6.5 arena. There are tons of options for 6.5 hunting bullets. A LOT more than for .257 bullets. I own 6.5 and .257 rifles and I can tell you that the .260 is so much more fun to play with. It will give you long range target capabilities plus awesome varmint-elk capabilities. That is the one I would go with.

 

[coug]

I understand it is a little bigger but you can shoot lighter loads in it just fine. with very low recoil. and im not sure you could make it kick like a 270 if you tried.

 

[waterhouse]

Although no longer made, Remington made the 700 mountain rifle in stainless and wood laminate for a bit, and used ones pop up on the auction sights. I believe they had 22" barrels. Mine shoots very nice groups for an out of the box gun with nothing done to it.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

Hi All,

I took a little bit different tack to solve my problem of wanting a 257 Roberts. Savage is now offering several rifles in 250-3000 Savage. I bought a model 14 and had it rechambered for $100.00. That made the total for purchase price, shipping, and rechambering just over $700.00.

I haven't shot it enough to know if the conversion was entirely successful but I wanted to pass along another option.

The 250-3000 Savage and 257 Roberts shoot the EXACT same bullets if you handload and the Roberts is the same or greater diameter at all locations. It is just a bit longer than the 250-3000 Savage. This makes it an ideal candidate for rechambering.

Good Luck.

Dan