7mm-08 vs. 260 Remington

[greenlion]

I like the idea of .25 bores too, but the 25-06 can't be chambered in short action rifles, and there isn't a very good selection of high ballistic coefficient bullets in that caliber. The ".25-08" would be an interesting new cartridge.

 

[Kachok]

The problem is .257" bullets are all designed to work in a 1:10" twist limiting their BC, if they were initially designed as a 1:8" you would see some very high BC bullets in .257 cal.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I'd like a 260 Rem in an AR10. For a bolt gun I'd just go with a 6.5x55.

Mike

 

[Bio-Chem]

always wonder why they did the .243 instead of a 25-08? oh well, im sure there would really be no practical difference, but i've always preferred the quarter bore to the 6mm. my 25-06 is pretty amazing though

 

[brutus51]

Any particular reason for preferring 6.5 x 55?
If I were to find a .260 with a 1 in 9 twist what would be the optimum bullet weight for 300yd target shooting?
Similarly what's the best twist and bullet weight for 7-08?

 

[greenlion]

For the future, I can't see any advantage in a 6.5x55 over the 260 Remington or 6.5 Creedmoor. They are all practically ballistic clones of each other.

The short action 260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor both have their merits, and I wish I knew which was more likely to hang around.

For 300 yards, you can probably shoot whatever is on sale and be OK. If you start pushing out past 500 and 800 yards, you'll probably have to be a little more picky.

1-in-9 twist should stabilize anything up to 140gr in the 260 Rem. Berger says it will stabilize their 140gr VLD.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

Brutus,

The "sweet spot" for 7mm-08 is usually thought to be about 140 grains. The normal twist for a 7mm-08 is about 1:9.

I have a TC Icon 7mm-08 with a 1:9 twist barrel and I have accurate loads from 120 - 154 grains. I've shot 160 - 175 with no keyholing but haven't developed accurate loads yet. They might be out there, I just haven't found them.

I also have a 7mm-08 Savage from the short period in which they were making them with a 1:11.5 twist or so. I've got accurate loads for this for 120 - 145 grain bullets. This one keyholes 175 grain bullets so they're a definite no-go for this twist rate. The 150 - 162 grainers remain a possibility but, again, I haven't developed accurate loads for them. The 150 - 162 probably won't work well with this twist rate so they're low on my list of things to try.

Dan

 

[Kachok]

A 1:9 twist is iffy on stabilizing 140gr boat tail bullets, most of the 6.5mm cult prefers 1:8" barrels 1:9 twist rates are best suited to 120-130gr. For 7mm-08 1:9.5" is by far the most popular for good reason they stabilize hefty bullets like the 168gr VLDs which can give the 7mm-08 remarkable range. Savage built some 7mm-08s in 1:11" twist that are pretty much only suited to 140gr bullets.

 

[buck460XVR]

The OP said he already has a 30-06 which is quite a good choice for Elk so he's set for that IMO. I'm a huge fan of the 30-06 and I'm not alone since it's been very popular for over 100 years...

Same here.....which is why I question his need for another deer caliber for taking quarry out to 300 yards, unless it is just a platform thing.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I would go th the Swede due to the availability of factory ammo, the fact that there is no reason not to load it to modern pressures in a modern gun, and even at antique pressures it has an advantage in the higher bullet weights.

Mike

 

[Savage99]

Those are good cartridges but not that popular in terms of finding ammo.

The 243 is very accurate and has low recoil.

That Browning is made by japan who started WW2.

Consider Rugers.

www.ruger.com

 

[morcey2]

That Browning is made by japan who started WW2.

?????????? Don't you mean "in Japan?" Does that mean that you can't buy anything made in Germany for the same reason?

As for the 260, I've never thought of it as a true short action cartridge, just like the 7-08. The bullet intrudes on powder space when loaded with long bullets to fit in a short magazine. Then again, I've never bought into short action superiority anyway but that's just me.

I'd say pick one and you'll be fine. If you reload, either will work. 7mm-08 factory ammo is a little more readily available if you don't.

Matt

 

[ironworkerwill]

As for the 260, I've never thought of it as a true short action cartridge, just like the 7-08. The bullet intrudes on powder space when loaded with long bullets to fit in a short magazine. Then again, I've never bought into short action superiority anyway but that's just me.

Thats right. In the 7mm-08 shooting any thing over a 130gr at 2.80 col will take up powder space. I have two builds in 7-08, one with a Brux barrel that was throated on a LA Savage and one Shaw "drop in" barrel also in a LA and there is a big difference.

 

[Kachok]

I can still get plenty of powder into my short action 7mm-08 with 140gr bullets, I am pushing darn near 280 Rem Speeds with no pressure signs what could I possibly complain about? If a 140gr bullet at 2900fps won't kill it you probably need a 416 Rigby anyway.

 

[morcey2]

I am pushing darn near 280 Rem Speeds with no pressure signs what could I possibly complain about?

If you had that extra little bit of powder space, you could hit those 280 rem speeds, not just get "darn near".

I've got a stack of standard length Mauser actions that will be built into various rifles, so I don't need to worry about the short-v-long action length debate too much. One will definitely be a 260 Rem w/ a 1:8 twist barrel. One will be a 6mm Rem, and one will be a 6.5x55. The rest are TBD.

Matt

 

[scottishkat]

I own 4 260 remington rifles 3 are 1 in 9 and 1 is 1 in 8 all shoot the Nosler 140 Accubond sub moa 5 shot groups. I have shot out to 350 with them. From my study of the 260 you can get more energy from a 120 grain at 3000 than a 140 at 2700. A 1 in 10 might be a handy deer rifle if you can get 3000 fps. I had an opportunity to purchase a 1 in 10 model 700 and declined after review.

Good luck and shoot straight.