6.5-308 Ammunition

[PNW Skipper]

I have an opportunity to purchase a J. Cloward rifle that is marked as 6.5-308. I understand that this was a wildcat cartridge that preceded the .260 Remington. I am not a handloader, nor am I particularly interested in purchasing the rifle to have it rechambered to 6.5 Creedmoor. Can .260 Remington be safely fired in a 6.5-308, or is this "opportunity" better off passed?

 

[Kermit in Va.]

Depends on the reamer used...
Probably not would be my guess

 

[Kurz]

PNW Skipper,

Wildcat chambers can differ significantly from one another depending on what the gunsmith or amateur was after. The best course of action is to make a chamber cast of your chamber and measure the cast accurately. Then compare this to the SAAMI specs available online for the .260 Rem.

I use:

BROWNELLS - CERROSAFE® CHAMBER CASTING ALLOY​

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-.../cerrosafe-chamber-casting-alloy-prod384.aspx

Enjoy!

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Don't do it.

 

[6MMsteve]

you can fire a 260 standard filled with cotton and bout 10 grains of pistol powder and see what the brass looks like after the shot, that was it may show if it's Ackley or just a standard 6.5x308

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

Personally I'd, Set the barrel back, a TINY Bit and Re-chamber ( prob could be, Hand Reamed ) to, 6.5 Creedmoor !
They are, SWEET shooters and,. Lots of Ammo, available !
Cost is, pretty CHEAP to, "do" that,.. lil' bit of, Work !
Also, would depend on, the Rifle's,.. PRICE to, absorb, the small, Gun Smithing, cost

 

[Edd]

I have an opportunity to purchase a J. Cloward rifle that is marked as 6.5-308. I understand that this was a wildcat cartridge that preceded the .260 Remington. I am not a handloader, nor am I particularly interested in purchasing the rifle to have it rechambered to 6.5 Creedmoor. Can .260 Remington be safely fired in a 6.5-308, or is this "opportunity" better off passed?

Is there any ammo or fired brass with the rifle?

 

[PNW Skipper]

Thanks for all the useful input folks.

I already have a very sweet shooting Cloward-built rifle on a Gilkes-Ross action in 6.5 Creedmoor that I compete with in club matches using factory match ammo. My only interest in this gun would be if it could be used "as is" with factory match ammo, and then principally as a backup. My current backup for 800-1000 yd matches is a .308 built originally for Palma.

Y'all have firmed up my initial inclination that this is one to PASS for my situation.

 

[PNW Skipper]

Is there any ammo or fired brass with the rifle?

No, nor any dies/associated reloading tools.

 

[22BRGUY]

From what I've read the .260 offers slightly more velocity in factory loads with identical bullets. I couldn't see the benefit of the Creedmore other than the hype. What am I missing?

 

[Steel Mover]

If you do not know anything about reloading or custom rifles, suggest you buy a Savage that is factory chambered in a common round, like a 308, 243, etc.
I own a 6.5x08 that I built before there was a 260. I also own five 260 guns. The 260 will out perform the Creedmoore at every level, it simply has more case capacity, to start with. Ask any brass maker if they actually make common brass with a rating above 65k, normal functional, pressure.
Not one thing makes any difference if you do not reload.

 

[RustyPin]

If it's a bargain I wouldn't hesitate. That's me though as I wouldn't mind if 260 wouldn't fit the chamber as is.

 

[STOMP442]

Re-chambering a .260 in any form to a 6.5 Creed is sacrilege and should never be done unless one wants years of bad luck and ill fortune. If it were me I would set it back and turn it into a .260 Ackley.

 

[okie]

"^^^"

 

[Sandstorm]

Id put a new barrel on it and call it good.
Thats just me.....but you may have other ideas...but please dont shoot it with out a chamber cast.

 

[XTR]

If the barrel was in good shape and I was in the market for a 260 I’d grab it.

I might do a cast, personally if it chambered a 260 I’d shoot it and measure the case to setup my dies. There is a pretty fair chance that it might not like factory ammo, so if you don’t reload - pass.

 

[ebb]

PNW without reloading skills or the desire learn you have assessed the situation perfectly.

 

[greisdor]

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" is a popular adage from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet seems to argue that it does not matter that Romeo is from her family's rival house of Montague. The reference is used to state that the names of things do not affect what they really are.

 

[greisdor]

Design and specifications[edit]​

The .260 Remington uses the .308 Winchester case as its parent cartridge which is simply necked down to accept a .264 caliber bullet with no further changes made to the case. As the cartridge follows a modern design, it has little taper which allowed its parent cartridge to feed reliably through auto-loading rifles such as the M14, FN FAL and the H&K G3. The .260 Remington has a case capacity of about 3.47 ml (53.5 grains) H2O.

 

[ebb]

Greisdor The description of a 260 Remington is cartridge that is made to SAAMI specs, could or could not have the same specs as 6.5-308 depending on what specs the person that built the 6.5-308 decide he/she wanted. There are many versions of 6PPC and I don't know if this 6.5-308 is a 260 Remington or not and you have to know which one you are dealing with, and it requires way more research than Wikipedia.