Interestingly most of those groups were two overlapping shots and a single. I was shooting from a bench, which I don't normally do so there may be some shooter error in there too. It does seem relatively easy though to get a good load even in a factory rifle. I'm sure with some tweaking I can get it to shoot under 0.5" for a decent number of shots. Going by the same rifle in .308, groups will open up after about a dozen shots due to heat.
260 Remington thoughts
- Thread starter Tangent
- Start date
Interesting, in what way? Maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm having trouble getting this Tikka not to shoot.
ShtrRdy
Silver $$ Contributor
I didn't have any trouble getting my 260 Rem to shoot well.
I shot a .260 for a while as with any barrel you can get it to shoot but I found that to find the accuracy you needed to compete at long range was hard. When I first started shooting 600yds I shot the .260 and got my but kicked every match so I changed to a 6 Bra and found it way easier to tune at 600 and stay in tune much longer than the .260. Now the 6Bra and Dasher are all I shoot.
My 260AI has been and remains as easy to work up a load for as any of my 6mm or 30 calibers. A simple check with powder charge and seat depth and 1/4 MOA with 140 gr Bergers and 142 gr. Sierras a piece of cake.
If I were to do the .260 Rem again it would be the AI.
It is about as good as it gets. Cleaning a 600 yd. target at 700 yds. with 10 shoots and 5 in the X ring was fairly easy even with an honest 10 to 15 mph crosswind shooting 142 gr. Sierras from a fold up portable rest.
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I was shooting 260R at 500m today, strange switching winds on this range but could just about hold 3.5". Not too bad with a factory rifle. I think with some more work it could do a bit better.
Just as info, sometime back I was studying the ballistics of my 243AI with 115 gr. bullets as opposed to the 260AI with 140 gr. bullets and according to that the 115 gr. @ around 3150 fps was supposed to be flatter than the 140 gr. @ 3000 fps all the way out to 1000 yds. After taking both rifles out to 700 yds. with those bullets on fairly windy days the 260AI was shooting flatter than the 243AI according to the amount of elevation I needed to be on target and wind drift followed same suit as well. Not beating up on the 243AI at all but just stating what my shooting buddy (SVT_Tactical here on the forum) and I saw with this testing as he is normally with me when we test at 700 yds.
I'm very pleased with the straight 260 so I'm sure the 260AI would be even better. Looks to have that bit extra to get the best it of the heavies. When this barrel is done I'd like to give the 260AI a go. Everything I've researched seems to point to heavier being better given an equivalent BC. Obviously there is a trade off at some point with recoil.
Yea, to some degree recoil is more but honestly I don't notice it at all.
140 Berger hybrid targets- .010-.015” off lands. H4350 Lapua brass- CCI BR-2 primers- 2937fps 29” bartlein. It will shoot as tight as I can hold it. You probably won’t get that speed out of 24” barrel.
Start at 41 grains and see how far you can go before to much pressure. Mine got to 43 grains..don’t start there! Back off a grain and check seating. Once you have a consistent seating depth. Do a fine powder test a few tenths on each side of your powder charge, this will get you back in tune with change in seating. Mine settled at 41.7. (I did try 42.3 shot great, but would get flyer when it warmed up so I stayed with the lower charge)
Might want to look at N555 rather than N560. Heard it’s more consistent
I briefly tested the VV-N555 with the 140 gr. Bergers and really liked what I saw overall with groups and chrono #s. Plan to re-visit it again soon.
Also I believe the temp stability is better! N560 is not that great at temp, believe it’s a single base powder. So to compare H4350 to N560- If I remember correctly h4350 has somewhere around a 0.1-.2 change in velocity per degree of temp. N560 is like 1 fps per 1 degree of temp.
I will say the .1 is probably a little low compared to what I see in mine. Not verified cause as barrel gets fouled speed increases a tad.
Yes that's what I used in my last test a few posts back. It looks very promising. Good velocity, groups and consistent. I'll load up 30 rounds at 44.4gr for my next range trip and see how they perform. Bergers are hard to get here and expensive but I'm hoping the Lapua Max Range bullets will be a good option. I'm happy with the 142 SMKs for now though.
You crazy, I found 260 to be easy peasy.
DaveTooley
Gold $$ Contributor
I'll shorten the story but I built a few 260's a long time ago. They shot but were finicky and caused the phone to ring. I finally had the reamer reground. The SAAMI spec is a 3 degree leade angle. That doesn't work that well. I rechambered a customers problem barrel with the new reamer. I knew in less than 10 shots it was a different rifle. I now have reamers with 5 different throat lengths but the leade is 1'30" on all of them. YMMV
@ Dave,..
My son's 7-08, Tikka T-3X super Lite, had a SAMMI Chamber with, the 3* Lead and it SUCKED with, "Some" Bullets, it wa,. s VERY,.. "Finicky" !
Hand Reamed the throat to, 1-30* and it shot,.. Way Better !
My son's 7-08, Tikka T-3X super Lite, had a SAMMI Chamber with, the 3* Lead and it SUCKED with, "Some" Bullets, it wa,. s VERY,.. "Finicky" !
Hand Reamed the throat to, 1-30* and it shot,.. Way Better !
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