.260 Remington... thoughts?

[GunTech]

I've been extremely pleased with 260, both for paper punching and hunting. Since my wife uses a 7mm-08 and I use the 260, we have an excellent side by side history of both cartridges on game and I assure you the animals can't tell the difference. Any 'advantage' is so infinitesimal as to be meaningless.

Accuracy is more than adequate. Match loads (scenars) from my Lilja 1:8 3-groove are easily sub-MOA until the #5 contour gets hot.

 

[texas chase]

Nope, not a problem. With H4350 and RL17, you'll hit max pressure before you fill up the case with the 139gr Scenar, 140gr Berger, or 142 SMK . With H4831SC, it'll be close, but about 30% of the people I know competing with .260 use H4831SC. Typical loads shoot these bullets at 2800-2950 fps from 24-26" barrels.

ETA: Categorically, everyone I know competing with .260 uses one of those three powders.

Zak, What kind of recipes are you guys using with R17? I've got some that I intended for 270 WSM (LR hunting rifle). I just got a 7mm-08 though and am looking for loads.

thanks

 

[BoilerUP]

44.0gr RL17 with the 123gr A-Max produced 3096fps average at my last outing. 44.5gr was 3137fps average, but started to show flat primers and slight ejector swipes (at 85°F with ammo in direct sunlight for an hour) in RP brass. I've previously shot up to 45.0gr in Nosler brass, in the same environmentals, with absolutely no pressure signs.

Haven't tried it with 140gr-class bullets yet.

 

[Zak Smith]

I don't really know how posting my RL17 load for .260 will help with .270WSM or 7-08?

 

[texas chase]

I was simply asking because I had never heard of anyone using r17 for any of the 308 family. Plus I can get an idea of a possible load for 7mm-08. I just mentioned 270 wsm because that was the cartridge I originally bought the r17 for. If you don't want to share your load, just say so.

 

[Zak Smith]

I've had it published that RL17 works well in .260 since 2009:
http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-shootout-260-6.5x47-6.5-creedmoor/?p=2

Most people have a load in the 42.x's for the 139's

 

[texas chase]

Thanks. And sorry for my snarky comment. Lack of coffee and being trapped in a boring meeting will do that to you.

 

[DIM]

could case capacity of the brass I'm using, that's Lapua 308 from older lots, which came from carton box be different then 243 Lapua or 260 Lapua? I do turn necks before resizing them to 260, but the body walls are the same, just like in 308...

 

[Germster]

All said and done, the 260 is just fine for shooting everything but the big bears. So if one wants to shoot elk or deer or black bear then shoot a 260. Use the proper bullet. If you want to shoot varmits the 260 is fine too. Shoot the lighter bullets. It is a fine caliber. Really it's the only caliber we need. Course some may disagree.

 

[DIM]

its great varmint round, didn't have a chance to use it on big game, but I smashed grasshopper head-shot with one, to bad can't hang it on the wall

 

[VA27]

The 260 is a very nice round. I've imagined a build on a Savage 99, 1:8 twist (because I have a 'thing' for Hornadys' 160gr rnsp) 17" barrel with a Mannlicher style stock.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

6.5 x 55 clone, only you can load the 6.5 for bigger game.

 

[atomchaser]

6.5 x 55 clone, only you can load the 6.5 for bigger game.

The 260 fits in a short action. You save a bit of weight and length. Probably not signifcant for most folks, but if you are looking for a mountain rifle shooting 6.5mm, it's a consideration.

 

[helotaxi]

The .260 is adequate for any game that the 6.5x55 is. The Swede might give you another 50-100yds of at equal energy but either is more than enough at ethical range for anything in North America shy of grizzly and polar bear.

 

[coloradokevin]

I have to admit that the .260 Rem does seem to be taking off. I'm not sure that I had even heard of the .260 much more than five years ago, and now it seems like I know half a dozen people who have one, and a dozen more that are thinking about building them.

My only personal experience with this cartridge was in sending half a dozen rounds down range from some Accuracy International AW rifles that a couple I'm friends with owns. That round in those rifles performed beautifully on the 6-inch plate we were shooting at 600 yards, and with the suppressors on the rifles I felt as if I was shooting a .22lr! For a cartridge that is capable of reaching 1,000 meters, the recoil was virtually non-existent (though the platform I fired these from was relatively heavy).

I am curious about this round's hunting performance, since it seems like most people build these guns for the sake of competition.

 

[BoilerUP]

I am curious about this round's hunting performance, since it seems like most people build these guns for the sake of competition.

Performance is excellent on whitetail, at least with the 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

 

[Flintknapper]

For my purposes (hunting, shots almost always under 300 yards) its hard for me to get excited about it. It doesn't really do anything that my 7mm-08 won't do (including accuracy).

But I can see how it might fit the bill for some folks.

Not sure how well it will catch on, time will tell.

 

[helotaxi]

Other than lower recoil, it really doesn't offer much over the 7-08 for hunting.

 

[Germster]

Just a thought. Why did the 264 Win Mag die? Isn't it just a super dooper 260 Rem? So if a 260 Rem is nice isn't a 264 Mag even nicer? Did it erode bores like the Swift is rumored of doing?

 

[Kachok]

Other than lower recoil, it really doesn't offer much over the 7-08 for hunting.

Not true, the 140gr 6.5mm bullets easly top the BC of 7mm-08 loads at the same speeds. Though at realistic ranges I doubt any game anamal would notice the difference.
The largest difference between the 6.5x55 and 260 rem is the rifle twist. The standard 6.5x55 twist is 8.66:1 which will stabalize the 160gr monsters. The 260 Rem comes with either a 10:1 twist to get optimal performance out of 120gr spritzers, or a 9:1 twist to alllow most 140gr bullets to be used. To my knowlage only Tikka offers a 260 Rem that will stabalize the longest of the 6.5mm bullets. The old sweed also comes with a longer neck to help with the longer heavier bullets, other then that you could never tell the difference between the 260 and 6.5x55 they are truly ballistic twins.

 

[ZeroJunk]

the 140gr 6.5mm bullets easly top the BC of 7mm-08 loads at the same speeds

Sure it does. But, look at the manual and tell me how you are going to do that with a 260.

The 7mm 08 will shoot the same weight bullets quite a bit faster and at hunting distances that BC is meaningless. At 2900 FPS it amounts to 2 inches or so with a Nosler spitzer from their manual at 500 yards.

 

[Zak Smith]

.264 WM died because of diminishing returns.

 

[helotaxi]

^^^ Yep. Grossly overbore and ate barrel throats.

 

[Kachok]

Sure it does. But, look at the manual and tell me how you are going to do that with a 260.

The 7mm 08 will shoot the same weight bullets quite a bit faster and at hunting distances that BC is meaningless. At 2900 FPS it amounts to 2 inches or so with a Nosler spitzer from their manual at 500 yards.

I am not comparing 140 to 140 since the 6.5 has a clear BC advantage, and the 7mm has a clear fps advantage. The 130gr 6.5mm has near identical BC/SD as the 150gr 7mm projectiles. And the 260 will push a 130gr noticably faster then the 7mm-08 will push a 150gr. In terms of lethality the 7-08 holds a small advantage, and in terms of trajectory and recoil the 260 holds a small advantage. I would opt for the 260 as a handloader and the 7mm-08 if I bought factory fodder.

 

[wwawwa]

I have a 260 in Remington model 7 20" bbl
Shooting long bullets like the 130 Scirocco II or the 130 Berger VLD is not going is a disappointment 4" groups @ 100yrds. If you want to shoot long bullets look at another rifle.
100gr bullets will shoot MOA & 125 Nosler parts will also & function in the short action magazine
This rifle has taken a lot of work to get it to shoot. There are no go to loads in this caliber, as most use it in custom long range rifles not a compact hunting rifle.
The rifle likes once fired, neck sized brass, new brass used in the same load will double the size of the groups & lit likes the bullets close to the lands I have the best luck .005 off the lands. That limits the choice of bullets as the OAL of the magazine box is around 2.825 in my rifle. After trying Nosler, Speer, Sierra, Beger, Swift, & Hornady bullets (10 different weights & configurations) also about as may powders. I have settled on Hornady 100gr SP ( also marketed as interbond) 41.5grs RL15, once fired necksized by an RCBS die, brass (Remington 260 or Win 243) to get it to shoot .5" @ 100yrds.
The 125 Nosler Parts will shoot .75" with 43.4gr H4350, same brass & both loads set .005 off the lands
The rifle has the action & the pressure point bedded (floating the bbl made it worse) trigger set @3lbs.
Should make a dandy lightweight rifle to pack in the mountains of AZ, but what a pain in the ass to get it to shoot & I would not suggest anyone to go out & buy one unless you plan on a lot of work. I have traded a lot of info with others at my range & we all feel the same about the 260, "wow that should be a cool long range shooter....haha"