260 vs 260 Match vs 260AI?

[mattri]

Looking at building a 260 for informal field/practical type shooting. Vast majority of shooting will be out to 600, will stretch it farther if and when the opportunity arises but that will be seldom.

Will be using a 110 action and focusing on bullets around 140gr.

Like the idea of the AI for case stability and the little extra room. Is anyone running an AI out of a staggerfeed mag? How does it feed?

The standard 260 chamber has .118" of freebore vs the match chamber at .160". I do plan to use the longer bullets and I am building off a long action so have plenty of room- the match chamber seems the way to go. At the same time I don't want to rule out using 120s etc. Is anyone running the lighter bullets with the match chamber- how are they doing?

 

[trailrider121]

I have Criterion 260 rem barrel with .160" match chamber. It's mated with a long action. I currently shoot 130 vld's, but plan to switch to 140's. I do not have experience with 120's, so no real answer to your question. I'm sure the 120's will have a lot of jump, but who cares. I'm sure they will shoot fine.

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the reply, how is the accuracy with the 130s?

 

[trailrider121]

Accuracy is great. 130 VLD touching lands with Hornady comparator is 2.294" which is around 2.960" COAL or so. I going to try 140's to see if they help with wind. Plan to use Hybrids.

 

[XTR]

I would take a serious look at whether the AI case is worth it to you.

You will want to form your brass, if you are doing field shooting you may find that it's harder to recover on a regular basis.

Is the gain worth the effort? The 308 family of cases don't have much taper to start with. You gain very little in capacity going to an AI. The steep shoulder is supposed to help with stretch, but if you size properly you shouldn't have that problem anyway. I know it's a 308 but with a standard 308 case loaded to F-TR kind of levels I trim after the first firing and I have never had to trim again before I throw them away after about 8 firings.

If you are shooting to 600 yards, take a hard look at the numbers and see if it's worth it to you. I looked at it for my 7-08 build a couple of yrs ago. My smith has a 7-08AI reamer, but I opted out of it and went with a standard 7-08 because I just didn't see that the gain was worth the trouble for me. You may come to a different conclusion, just one data point for your consideration.

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the replies. I certainley don't have my heart set on an AI, just considering various options. At this point I am leaning toward the 250 Match chambering.

 

[Laurie]

Freebore aside, he other difference between standard and 'match' chambers is probably the throat angle. Remington specifies a 'steep' 3-degrees, while half that value or even less is regarded as desirable in chambers used in precision rifles.

 

[mattri]

Good to know, thanks. I'll have to check what it is on the barrels I'm considering.

 

[Joe C]

I built a 6.5 this past fall. Looked at many options. Settled on the .260AI. Granted I'm shooting a single shot action, and have a separate fire forming barrel. I only shoot 140g bullets and am getting 2950fps with my loads. The AI was worth it to me and the gun shoots .250moa at 600 yards or better. I am about to build a switch barrel hunting rig in .308/.260AI for deer sized game just because I can and because I have a M70 LA laying around that needs a new face lift.

Long and short, build what you want and what will be best for your use but don't discount the AI. It's a great round in my limited opinion.

 

[BradY]

Why not a 6.5x47l? It will do similar things a 260 will with 123 scenars or match kings or 130 bergers. Small rifle primers, easy to tune and feeds from a mag. Some people find straight 260's a little troublesome to tune. Don't go an improved unless you need extra velocity. At 600yds you won't need extra velocity...

 

[mattri]

I've never heard of the 260 as being finicky, I'll have to look into that. Am also considering the 6.5x55.

 

[joejo]

I tried the 123 scenars with a 165 freebore and they were barely in the neck.
I didn't like it that way. I went with a standard lead after I rebarreled.
The gun was throated for the vld's and I found the lapuas shot better.

 

[joejo]

I've never heard of the 260 as being finicky, I'll have to look into that. Am also considering the 6.5x55.

i am going with the 6.5x55imp for my current build. i think the old swede is a great f-class cartridge, and even better with a 40* shoulder.

 

[mattri]

Which reamer are you going with?

 

[MTGunner]

I shoot 120 BT and 130 VLD from my 260AI Rem. 700 MTN rifle. Both shoot very accurate to 500 yds. plus when I do my part. I will say that the 130VLD will not fit the magazine due to seating depth. I have been using this 260AI for many yrs. now and have taken many deer, antelope, feral hogs and coyotes. I will rebarrel in the future to same as this is one great cartridge. I neck up Norma .243 cases to .264 and neck turn them. I drop H4350 with both 120BT and 130VLD. I have not had a problem with the 120BT albeit the 130VLD essentially makes my 260AI a single shot. No problem, one shot, one kill. MTG

 

[nastynatesfish]

I got rid of my 260 and shoot my 7-08 now in place of it. I shot a lot of the 130 Sierra match and the 162 bthp. I shoot amax out of it for longer but stick mostly to 130/140 weights

 

[mattri]

MTGunner, when you're running the shorter 120s how do the AI cases feed from the mag?

 

[MTGunner]

I had to polish the feed ramp with my Dremel tool to get a smooth feed for the 120BT. It works well as long as I do not force the second round into the chamber. A little clean up of the feed ramp does wonders. Do not get in a hurry with your Dremel tool. I used a rubber polishing tip and then a cotton tip with jewelers rouge to polish the ramp. I moly all of the bullets, this helps somewhat. BTW, I make every attempt to make the first round count. Hope this is helpful. MTG

 

[mattri]

Good to know thanks. I am considering using the rifle in field type comps or local steel matches where smooth feeding is obviously a plus.