Need info on a 260 rem.. I've never had any dealings with one but I'm wanting to try it out.. How are they? Are they a good deer caliber or mainly just a target shooter?
260 rem. how bout it?
- Thread starter Sneedvillian
- Start date
Hi Sneed
I've done the plunge and now am waiting for every part of the build to be made and assembled(end of this year hopefully);the rifle that will be the base for it is a Vanguard 2 in 270cal. Barrel 1/8.5 twist,26",sporter contour(hunting rig),stainless steel from "True Flite"in NZ.I'm hoping to shoot 120 Nosler BTs at 3000,3100fps,with normal pressure,caliber is 6.5x57 imp 30°.I don't know at present how it will shoot,but if you want authorised info on the 260 check ballisticstudies,it's a Kiwi site run by Nathan Foster in NZ;very well documented on nearly every caliber you can think of.From what I personnally gathered here and elsewhere,260 Rem is surely OK for your needs,make sure you have a 24" barrel on your rifle...Good luck with your quest,keep us updated.Check this site for info on 6.5, 260,6.5/08,there are many posts about them.
I've done the plunge and now am waiting for every part of the build to be made and assembled(end of this year hopefully);the rifle that will be the base for it is a Vanguard 2 in 270cal. Barrel 1/8.5 twist,26",sporter contour(hunting rig),stainless steel from "True Flite"in NZ.I'm hoping to shoot 120 Nosler BTs at 3000,3100fps,with normal pressure,caliber is 6.5x57 imp 30°.I don't know at present how it will shoot,but if you want authorised info on the 260 check ballisticstudies,it's a Kiwi site run by Nathan Foster in NZ;very well documented on nearly every caliber you can think of.From what I personnally gathered here and elsewhere,260 Rem is surely OK for your needs,make sure you have a 24" barrel on your rifle...Good luck with your quest,keep us updated.Check this site for info on 6.5, 260,6.5/08,there are many posts about them.
Sneed , I have had a .260 for about 3 months now and don't regret the choice. The rifle was built on a Pierce Engineering 700 SA action with a 26" 1:8 barrel . The rifle was built as a varminter and weighs 11 pounds with a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 X 44 scope.
So far the projectiles that have given me outstanding accuracy are :
85grain Sierra HP's
120grain Sierra ProHunters
129grain Hornady SST .
The powder used is VARGET for the 85 Sierras and the heavier projectiles work best with 4350.
I really wanted to shoot the 95grain VMAX projectiles but they just don't shoot anywhere near as tight as the 85 Sierras and I have tried 4 different powders for the same result, nothing better than about 1.250" @ 100yards.
regards
Mike.
So far the projectiles that have given me outstanding accuracy are :
85grain Sierra HP's
120grain Sierra ProHunters
129grain Hornady SST .
The powder used is VARGET for the 85 Sierras and the heavier projectiles work best with 4350.
I really wanted to shoot the 95grain VMAX projectiles but they just don't shoot anywhere near as tight as the 85 Sierras and I have tried 4 different powders for the same result, nothing better than about 1.250" @ 100yards.
regards
Mike.
Clod-nc,
Can you tell me why it is important to have a 24" barrel? What about a 22"?
Can you tell me why it is important to have a 24" barrel? What about a 22"?
Hi again Sneed
For what I know,experience,read,hear,a long barrel will always let your bullets fly faster than their short .brothers(about 35fps per inch).So if you intend to shoot the 6.5 which are rather small diameter bullets as opposed to 7mm,308,338,and expect them to be efficient throughout their flight,don't handicap them with a shortened barrel,I can't see that 2" of steel will render the rifle hard to carry,so what's the point?Besides,you get a weaker blast and less recoil out of a long barrel than out of a short,the general balance will be better too;I would never accept any of my rifles,except a 22LR,with a barrel shorter than 24",no thanks.But it's my way of seeing things,you will probably get other views on that,it's for you to make up your mind about it.Hope it helps.
For what I know,experience,read,hear,a long barrel will always let your bullets fly faster than their short .brothers(about 35fps per inch).So if you intend to shoot the 6.5 which are rather small diameter bullets as opposed to 7mm,308,338,and expect them to be efficient throughout their flight,don't handicap them with a shortened barrel,I can't see that 2" of steel will render the rifle hard to carry,so what's the point?Besides,you get a weaker blast and less recoil out of a long barrel than out of a short,the general balance will be better too;I would never accept any of my rifles,except a 22LR,with a barrel shorter than 24",no thanks.But it's my way of seeing things,you will probably get other views on that,it's for you to make up your mind about it.Hope it helps.
GSPV
A failure to plan is a plan for failure.
I had a long action M70 rebarrelled in 260 for my son's 20th birthday. It has a 26" Broughton barrel and was throated for the 130 grain Berger VLD Hunting. It's a hammer.
With that said, you might also consider the 6.5x47 Lapua.
Here is a thread with some more info on the rifle. http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3799106.msg36138354#msg36138354
With that said, you might also consider the 6.5x47 Lapua.
Here is a thread with some more info on the rifle. http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3799106.msg36138354#msg36138354
Let me tell you about the 260 Rem as a deer round. My buddy got one of the first Rem 700 to come off the line. You could not even get cases for it yet and he had to have RCBS make him a set of dies for it. We tried to neck down 308 cases but found them to be slightly short in the neck so we went with 243 cases and everything was perfect. There was no loading data out yet so we had to treat it like a wildcat. We settled on H-4350 powder with 120 and 140 Sierras. 3000 fps was easy to get with the 120's and 2900 with 140's. Talk about being accurate WOW. We were doing control hunting on a big farm in NC. My buddy took 49 deer that season with that rifle from 50 to around 400 yards and only had ONE take a step after receiving either of the 120 or 140 gr bullets. That one had been standing in some high weeds beside the field and for some reason it had it's head and neck turned back across it's body looking the other way giving the optical allusion that it was standing broadside facing the way it's head faced. The way the bullet entered only got one lung. The deer took three jumps and was down for the count.
I shoot the 6.5X55 Swede sometimes for deer and the 120 ballistic tip at 3000 fps is really a good deer bullet also. I have not tried the 130 Accubond in my Swede but do use it in my 264 Win mag and it is a super deer bullet. Matter of fact I would not hesitate to use it on elk. It flies like the ballistic tip and starts to open up like the ballistic tip but holds together like the partition and keeps on trucking.
I shoot the 6.5X55 Swede sometimes for deer and the 120 ballistic tip at 3000 fps is really a good deer bullet also. I have not tried the 130 Accubond in my Swede but do use it in my 264 Win mag and it is a super deer bullet. Matter of fact I would not hesitate to use it on elk. It flies like the ballistic tip and starts to open up like the ballistic tip but holds together like the partition and keeps on trucking.
260 is a fantastic multi-purpose cartridge...low recoil, good velocity with high BC 6.5mm bullets for long range shooting, and can anchor just about any non-dangerous game animal in North America with the proper bullet.
I have a 26" 260 Criterion barrel on a Savage, and a Remington 700 Mountain LSS 260 with 22" pencil barrel. In the 26" I can run 130s to 3000fps and 123s approaching 3100fps, but have settled on a load shooting 140s around 2800.
From the 22" barrel I shoot a mild whitetail load of 120gr Nosler BT and 39.3gr Varget, which gives 2800fps. If I shot H4350 in that barrel I'd easily pick up at least 100fps, but the Varget load shoots bugholes and I don't need velocity.
My next 260 barrel will be 20"...2700fps with 140s and H4350 is achievable with moderate loads and it'll be a great handling range/hunting rifle, with less 1000yd wind drift than a 308 pushing 155 Hybrids @ 3000fps.
I have a 26" 260 Criterion barrel on a Savage, and a Remington 700 Mountain LSS 260 with 22" pencil barrel. In the 26" I can run 130s to 3000fps and 123s approaching 3100fps, but have settled on a load shooting 140s around 2800.
From the 22" barrel I shoot a mild whitetail load of 120gr Nosler BT and 39.3gr Varget, which gives 2800fps. If I shot H4350 in that barrel I'd easily pick up at least 100fps, but the Varget load shoots bugholes and I don't need velocity.
My next 260 barrel will be 20"...2700fps with 140s and H4350 is achievable with moderate loads and it'll be a great handling range/hunting rifle, with less 1000yd wind drift than a 308 pushing 155 Hybrids @ 3000fps.
The 6.5mm-08 is a fantastic deer cartridge. The 260 rem is the 6.5-08 in a factory name. The biggest problem I run in to is the magazine length on short actions and the throat length of the barrel which requires the bullet to be deep seated for the mag. I have been shooting 6.5mm cartridges for 30 yrs, mostly the 6.5-06. With the bullet seated above the neck/shoulder junction you start to exceed the 2.800" mag length of the Rem 700 SA rifles when shooting the bullets at about 120gr. I like my bullets close to the rifling. The 120gr bullets are good for deer sized game. I'm now starting to build a 6.5x47L for F class mid-range (600yds) shooting. If you buy/build a 260 Rem I would buy Laupa brass. If deep seating the bullets watch out for the "Donuts" that form. I like the 6.5 SLR which is a modified 260 with a longer neck and 30* shoulder.
I also built a 260 in a fairly light rig. Stiller Predator/ Broughton/HS stock. It seems I didn't have to look far for a good load and Boiler- up summed it up! I had some good results with 4350 and 123 Amaxs with easy high velocity, but also settled on an accurate load at or around 2850.
I have two 260 rifles and a 260 reamer.
I chambered one rifle with my reamer and a Shilen barrel and Douglas chambered the other with their reamer and a Douglas barrel.
They both have 0.298" necks.
A factory FL die will have ~ .0.284" neck.
Win, RP, and LC 308 brass necked down and a 6.5mm bullet seated will measure ~ 0.299" neck, and 80% will squeak into the chamber.
Lapua 308 Palma brass [small primer] necked down never fits without neck turning.
Even a CCI 450 small rifle magnum primer will not set off ball powder, like CFE223, which is good for barrel break in, with low Copper fouling.
But the small primer pocket is strong like a 6mmBR, so I can go to higher pressure with the stick powder.
I chambered one rifle with my reamer and a Shilen barrel and Douglas chambered the other with their reamer and a Douglas barrel.
They both have 0.298" necks.
A factory FL die will have ~ .0.284" neck.
Win, RP, and LC 308 brass necked down and a 6.5mm bullet seated will measure ~ 0.299" neck, and 80% will squeak into the chamber.
Lapua 308 Palma brass [small primer] necked down never fits without neck turning.
Even a CCI 450 small rifle magnum primer will not set off ball powder, like CFE223, which is good for barrel break in, with low Copper fouling.
But the small primer pocket is strong like a 6mmBR, so I can go to higher pressure with the stick powder.
Attachments
GSPV
A failure to plan is a plan for failure.
The 260 really needs to be in a long action to exploit its potential. Mine is on a M70 action. It was a 243, but it was in the years before Winchester made a short action M70.
The chamber is throated for the 130 grain Berger VLD. The magazine is tinkered with accordingly.
It's a hammer. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's now my son's, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do. Thinking of having my T-3 Lite in 243 redone with the same chamber.
The chamber is throated for the 130 grain Berger VLD. The magazine is tinkered with accordingly.
It's a hammer. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's now my son's, so I have to figure out what I'm going to do. Thinking of having my T-3 Lite in 243 redone with the same chamber.
I sent you a couple of PM'sSneedvillian said:
GSPV
A failure to plan is a plan for failure.
I'm more worried about the balance of case capacity with magazine room with long, pointy bullets.
The whole deal for the 6.5 is sectional density/ballistic coefficient of those long, pointy pills.
It's a great round, no matter what, but with sufficient mag length to use the VLDs, it really reaches a different level.
The whole deal for the 6.5 is sectional density/ballistic coefficient of those long, pointy pills.
It's a great round, no matter what, but with sufficient mag length to use the VLDs, it really reaches a different level.
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