6.5x55 vs 260

[workingman]

I am in a new rifle quandry. I have a few bucks laid back that is burning a hole in my pocket. I was set on a 243 win. But after a certain amount of research, it seems barrel lasts about 2000 rounds. New rifles don't come that often for me so I have almost scratched that idea. Seems the 260 rem will last about twice that long. Which brings me to the current question.
I am curious as to which of the above calibers will have the best barrel life?
The 260 can also be had with a 16.5" barrel. Good idea or not? I know there would be some velocity drop. Does anyone know how much as compared to a 22" barrel?
workingman

 

[Michael R.]

there is 50 fps loss per inch of barrel, so you would lose 275 feet per second from the 22 inch barrel. according to this chart(scroll down to see it) http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=623596&highlight=243+military the 260 will have a bit better barrel life than the 6.5x55.
mike

 

[303tom]

DUH; The 6.5 Swede hands down !

 

[viking499]

duh; the 6.5 swede hands down !

double duh

 

[Gunnerboy]

Well lets see 6.5swede= 117yrs of use or 260 which has maybe 60yrs so triple DUH!

 

[jem375]

I would take the 260 over the 6.5x55 because for me I can use 308 cases of which I have plenty for reloading. Besides, the 260 will do anything the swede caliber will do and is probably just as accurate..

 

[nathan]

We are so hanged up on which is better. The most important thing is put the bullet right on the anatomical location of the animal you are hunting.

 

[WYcoyote]

The advantage of the .260 would be it can be had in a short action.
Other than that, probably a coin flip.
I went 6.5-.284, barrel life be damned.

 

[atomchaser]

I think it depends on what you intend to do with it. I think the 260 has an edge for a light weight hunting rifle since it is a short action. The 6.5x55 has a bit of an advantage for heavier bullets if you looking to go after elk and moose. I wouldn't go much shorter than 20 inches. If you go too short, it can affect the balance and the muzzle blast becomes greater. If you just building a bench gun that may not be an issue for you. I think barrel life is a secondary consideration. You can always get the gun rebarreled.

 

[sixgunner455]

It's not really THAT expensive to get a chamber re-cut and barrel shortened, or just get it re-barreled.

.243 is a nice round. 2000 round barrel life = a lot of money in ammo before you have to worry about the barrel, and it may be longer than that depending on what your acceptable level of accuracy is. A barrel that is a tomato stake to a benchrest shooter might have thirty or more years of accuracy left in it to a hunter. .260 may be better about it, but that will really depend on you and how you shoot.

.260 vs 6.5mm Swede. Both have a lot going for them. I think I would go with the .260 because it uses commonly available brass, and in a pinch, you might be able to find commercial ammo for it. (.243 is MUCH better on both of those issues - I doubt I'll ever have to make brass for it, and I can get ammo for it from just about anywhere, which is why I own one)

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I'm in the process of re barrelling a M70 Stealth from 308 to 260. Should have some break in time on it this coming week. Lilja 3 groove 1:8 twist.

I have a Sako TRG-S in 6.5x55, that basically the 260 is replacing. I've thought about selling it, but that model is pretty dang hard to find in that caliber.

What it really boils down to, is what the use will be, and what twist rate is available.

 

[morcey2]

If you handload, get the 6.5x55. In theory, it will have greater velocity than the 260. In practice, with factory loads the 260 beats it slight because it's loaded to higher pressure. I don't think there's enough difference between them one way or the other outside of that to make difference.

 

[Offfhand]

I have three rifles chambered for the .260 Rem: A Model Seven Remington with 20" barrel, a silhouette rifle with 24" and another target rifle with 26" barrel. With identical handloads there is slightly less than 100 fps difference between the 20" and 26" barrels. The .260 is a popular round with target shooters because of its long range accuracy, a new National record having been set at Camp Perry last year by a woman shooting a .260. I've never seen or heard of anyone using the Swede in serious competition, so go figure.

 

[RyeDaddy]

As you already know, the two calibers are so close it's really a question of which YOU can get ammo for easier/cheaper, and which rifle you like. I own a Savage in 260 Rem. When I started my quest for a 6.5mm hunting rifle I wanted a 6.5 Swede. Ended up with a 260 because there really weren't any new production rifles still being made in 6.5 Swede that I liked or could find to buy in the USA.

The 260 is a short action cartridge, which can save some weight. The 6.5 Swede does have SLIGHTLY more velocity capability if you handload for it, but no more than 100 FPS, and this is only if you handload for it. In factory ammo the 260 wins in velocity. Quality brass for both is available from Lapua, you don't have to form cases for either. I shoot Remington brass in my 260 and it's just fine.

One thing to be careful of in 260's is the twist rate. If you intend to shoot 120 grain or lighter bullets, it doesn't matter, but... Remington and Kimber rifles in 260 have a 1 in 9" twist rate that usually will not stabilize a 140 grain bullet, they're very long. Even 130 grain 6.5's are hit or miss in 9" twist barrels. in those rifles you're pretty limited to 120 grainers and below, which is more than adequate for deer sized game. Savage on the other hand uses the 1 in 8" twist which will stabilize all the way up to 160 grainers if you need to shoot through an elephant, or want ot hunt something larger with your rifle.

As far as short barrels, muzzle blast will be very pronounced in a 16.5" barreled rifle chambered for a medium range cartridge and you do lose quite a bit of velocity. I wouldn't go shorter than 20" in a hunting rifle. I have a 16.5" 308 semi-auto and it is !!LOUD!! and I struggle to keep the velocity up. Loads in my 24" barrel get 2750 FPS, same ones out of the 16.5" get 2500-ish. Some people don't care about high velocity, and it isn't neccessary for quick kills on game, but it sure helps with drop and wind on longer shots and more kinetic energy for the same amount of powder burned could never be seen as a bad thing.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The fundamental difference between the 6.5X55 Swede and the .260 Remington, is that Swede was designed for long, heavy, blunt-nosed bullets. This has several consequences:

1. You can shoot long, heavy blunt-nosed bullets accurately, because it has a very fast twist. These bullets will kill moose nicely (the 6.5 is the most popular moose cartridge in Scandanavia.) The 6.5 is a true do-it-all cartridge.

2. You can shoot shorter, lighter bullets quite accurately -- it doesn't hurt to over-spin a bullet.

3. You will have to seat your bullets well out if you handload because the Swede has a long throat to accomodate those long, blunt-nosed bullets.

Conversely, the .260 Remington was designed to shoot shorter, lighter, more modern bullets, and is throated and rifled accordingly.

1. You will often find you cannot shoot those long, heavy bullets accurately -- but if you're not hunting truly big game (elk, moose, etc.) that may not matter.

2. If you handload, you can seat your bullets to conventional depths.

Finally, if ounces are important to you, a .260 will work in a short action and result in a lighter rifle.

 

[viking499]

What twist rates are out there for the 260?

 

[RyeDaddy]

What twist rates are out there for the 260?

Some of the old Swedish Mausers are 1 in 7.5", which is more than you need even for 160 grain bullets. I've seen 260's set up for varminting that have 1 in 10" barrels. Those are best with 100 grain bullets and lighter. Most common is the 1 in 9" and 1 in 8". Semi-auto rifles in 260 like the GAP-10 and DPMS LR-260 are 1 in 8.5".

Most versatile is the 1 in 8" in my opinion, it can handle all the available bullet weights.

 

[303tom]

I would take the 260 over the 6.5x55 because for me I can use 308 cases of which I have plenty for reloading. Besides, the 260 will do anything the swede caliber will do and is probably just as accurate..

NOT !!!

 

[RyeDaddy]

NOT !!!

Very informative, we all thank you.

 

[JohnKSa]

I've never seen or heard of anyone using the Swede in serious competition, so go figure.

It's supposed to be a popular competition round in Europe.

 

[sixgunner455]

Why would you think not, Tom? The serious long range shooters wouldn't be using it if it wasn't capable of the accuracy needed, it shoots the same bullets as the Swede at the same velocities - it's basically a repackaged version of the same cartridge.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Why would you think not, Tom? The serious long range shooters wouldn't be using it if it wasn't capable of the accuracy needed, it shoots the same bullets as the Swede at the same velocities - it's basically a repackaged version of the same cartridge.

Actually, it doesn't shoot the same bullets as the Swede.

If you stick to lighter bullets, it shoots the same bullets. But due to its faster twist and longer throat, the Swede can shoot longer, heavier bullets which are better for heavy game (like moose and bear) and which can have a better ballistic coefficient for long range shooting.

The latter point explains why the 6.5X55 is so successful in long range competition.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

What is the twist rate for the .260 Remington?

Here:

The .260 Remington is another victim of a bungled twist rate. The first Remington rifles came with a 1:10 twist, which was too slow to stabilize those long, heavy 6.5mm bullets. Remington switched to a 1:9 twist rate, but it was still too slow and provided iffy accuracy at best with 140-grain bullets. A 1:8 twist rate is a much better choice for the .260. Consequently, this phenomenal hunting and target round has languished in obscurity until recently because it was crippled from the start with the wrong twist rate.

I would take a cleaning rod, a proper tip, a cloth patch, a ruler, a magic marker and a bit of tape if I were shopping for a .260 Remington.

Simply run the patch partway down the barrel and make a tape "flag" on the cleaning rod. Mark the rod at the muzzle with a magic marker, run it down until the flag has made one complete rotation and mark the rod again. Pull the rod out and measure between marks. If they are more than 8" apart, expect the rifle to be less than stellar with heavy bullets.

 

[BoilerUP]

Barrel is a consumable...difference in barrel life should be a toss-up with the 260 probably eeking out a fuzz more.

As for barrel length & velocity, a moderate 123gr .260 Rem load that runs 2930fps through my 26" 8 twist Criterion barrel runs 2800fps through my 22" 9 twist R700 factory barrel.

As for barrel twist...Savage makes 260 factory rifles with an 8 twist for 139-142gr bullets and every aftermarket barrel maker has 8 twist 6.5mm blanks.

 

[sixgunner455]

Vern - it does shoot the heavier bullets if you have the chamber cut with a reasonable throat and get a 1-8 twist. The guys using them at 1000 yard matches aren't doing it with 110gr bullets.