• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

260 rem in medium action??

Does anyone have any experience with medium size actions? I am working up to my first rifle build and would like to put together a 260 Remington mainly for long range, medium game hunting with the occasional match at the gun club so the 260 rem seems like a happy medium.

I understand that the COAL for this cartridge is 2.800” which makes it long for a short action as is. I plan on using 140gr VLDs and don’t want to seat them deep if I don’t have to.

I don’t hear much about medium actions and am curious if it would benefit me?

Much thanks!

Dean
 
I think it would be a benefit on a 260.

I would like to have a couple of those actions myself. If someone ever makes a BDL style bottom metal that I like, I will buy a couple of them.
 
A 260 with the 140 VLD's seated to keep the bullet out of the shoulder will go about 3" overall length. Not only will they not fit the magazine of a Remington short action, unfired rounds won't eject without removing the bolt. I have no personal experience with a "medium" length action, but you'll be better suited with something longer than a Remington 700 short action or clone.
 
Chamber reamer specs are also important consideration, in particular freebore and chamber neck diameter.
Freebore must be long enough to permit the longest bullet to be seated just touching the lands with the bullet above the shoulder/neck junction (just in case that’s where the bullet needs to be seated for best accuracy).
Dependent upon which brass you decide to use if you want a no neck turn chamber for Lapua, Alpha & Peterson brass the chamber neck must have a larger neck diameter than when using W-W or R-P.
 
A Defiance medium action would probably be a nice fit for what you have in mind. Don't know the specifics of the action.
Paul
Defiance model names can be confusing. What they call a medium is the same length as a Remington short action. You can get it with the bottom cut for a Wyatt Magazine. Their action length that is between a Remington short and long action is called an XM.
 
If you can overlook a few minor inconveniences, such as very little quality trigger and stock availability, frustrating factory changes of: action screw spacings, recoil lugs, stocks, sight bases, bolt releases, magazines and attachment systems, the Savage action would be another option.
-the Savage "Short action" magazines will accept 3.20" length.
I still do own a few, because of the quick barrel changes and Striker pistols (one in .260 Rem),
plus, the "Remage" 700 barrel nut system had not yet become widely known.

Since the 6.5 Creedmoore is a ballistic twin to the .260 Remington, and resolves many of the length issues with identical bullets, why not just go with that? For heavier bullets, you might consider the 6.5 PRC.
 
Last edited:
I built two for 6.5 PRC, but needed 3.1”for my loaded rds. The XM gives you 3.2”. It is better suited for 65 PRC, 7 SAUM, 65 SAUM, & WSMs. S/a will be fine for .260 as you don’t need that much length.
Why would you not need that much length for a 260?

The case length of a 6.5 PRC, 7 SAUM, and 6.5 SAUM is the same as a 260. The WSM's are only about a 1/16" longer.
 
Why would you not need that much length for a 260?

The case length of a 6.5 PRC, 7 SAUM, and 6.5 SAUM is the same as a 260. The WSM's are only about a 1/16" longer.
Because Hornandy was silly when they designed the 6.5 prc with case dimensions and freebore
It barely works in a short action.

They really should have made it similar the the 6.5 Sherman short so it would truly be happy in a short action with no loss in speed.
 
Years ago I had a long range rifle built and chambered for a 6.5’08 panther round (almost identical to a .260 rem.) I used a long action 700 and it worked great. It was a slow fire 1000 yd gun. 20 rounds in 20 minutes. Since it was a single load course of fire I installed a sled and never loaded from the magazine. I’m sure it would have worked fine anyway.
 
If you can overlook a few minor inconveniences, such as very little quality trigger and stock availability, frustrating factory changes of: action screw spacings, recoil lugs, stocks, sight bases, bolt releases, magazines and attachment systems, the Savage action would be another option.
-the Savage "Short action" magazines will accept 3.20" length.
I still do own a few, because of the quick barrel changes and Striker pistols (one in .260 Rem),
plus, the "Remage" 700 barrel nut system had not yet become widely known.

Since the 6.5 Creedmoore is a ballistic twin to the .260 Remington, and resolves many of the length issues with identical bullets, why not just go with that? For heavier bullets, you might consider the 6.5 PRC.
The 260 in my research seems to have a bit more power at further distances over the 6.5 creedmoor with slightly less pressure with identical loads, which is important to me in the hunting aspect. I am not against building a 6.5 creedmoor or even a 6.5x47 if I can’t seem to make up my mind.
 
Build the .260 on a Long 700. You can get 30-06 length Magpul mags. It will feed Just fine.
Then you can seat bullets as long as you want. The standard .260 is a better cartridge than the Creedmoor with heavier bullets. If you want more horse power go to a .260 with 30* shoulder. and then you could go with a .260 AI
 
The 260 in my research seems to have a bit more power at further distances over the 6.5 creedmoor with slightly less pressure with identical loads, which is important to me in the hunting aspect. I am not against building a 6.5 creedmoor or even a 6.5x47 if I can’t seem to make up my mind.
If you want the best cartridge for the 6.5 without going to a magnum action, the 6.5-284 IMO is the best option. If staying with a short action and using say a Wyatt's Blaney box magazine, I'd stay with the 260. It does outperform the 6.5 CM but not by alot.
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,941
Messages
2,206,454
Members
79,220
Latest member
Sccrcut8
Back
Top