What's the next step up from a .260?

[basshusker]

To the OP .261 Really depends on your goals, and resources available (time/money).

+2 on the DDD. I had to sell my bass boat and give up tourney fishing. Still able to shoot lil ole holes though.

 

[flatlander]

Based on personal experience with several 6.5mm rifles, I'd not recommend going with a 6.5 with more case capacity than the 6.5x55 or AI if recoil is a concern. I have three 6.5x47s & a couple of 260 Imp 30*s, and recoil has never been a concern with any of these rifles. Same can be said for a 14-1/4lb prone rifle in 6.5x55AI. But the recoil of the 6.5x55 AI was much more 'snappy' in a 13lb rifle when shooting off the bench than it was in the heavier prone rifle - even with a brake. I recently chambered a 26" 6.5mm sendero contour bbl for the new 26 Nosler for a friend, and even with a good 4-port brake mounted, he says it's not much fun to shoot.

I'd go up a notch in bore diameter to a 7mm before going to a 6.5 with more case capacity. While the recoil is heavier in my 284s than it is in my 6.5s, it's not as uncomfortable to shoot - for lack of a more descriptive term, it's not as 'snappy'. I'd rather shoot the 284 bbl on my heavy prone rifle than the 6.5x55AI when shooting off a bench, simply because of the 6.5's recoil characteristics.