Any experience with .260 Remington???

S

std7mag

New member
So I was looking around at the "local" (about 50 miles away actually) gun shops yesterday. Took friend of mine with me.

He's saving up for a Savage Model 10FP in .308. I spotted a nice Savage I think it's a Model 12 in 260 Remington in the $650 range.

He's dead set for a .308.. Me, I'm not so picky... Have been thinking about this 260 Rem (aka 6.5-08 A-Square).

Both of us are wanting essentially bench target rifles capable of doing 1000 yards.

Anybody with experience with this cartridge???
 
Every bit as good as a 308 for targets or hunting but ammo could be a little more difficult to find. If you reload it is not an issue. Lots of bullets are available and you can use .308 brass. I recently sold my Remington 700 in .260 but plan to add another barrel to my DMPS to convert it to a .260. A good bit less recoil than a .308. You will not be disappointed by the round.
 
The 260 rem is a great cartridge, slightly better ballistics than the other .308 based rounds, less recoil than a .308, and a very wide selection of match bullets.

Its odd that it never really took off as a commercial success like the .243, as it is as close to a perfect round for long range paper punching or deer hunting as you can get.
 
Underappreciated

6.5 bullets can have very high ballistic coefficients and quite popular with long range shooting.
It will give you similar performance to the .308 with less recoil and expense.
 
26 caliber bullets' BC numbers are equalled and sometimes bettered by 30 caliber ones.

The 6.5x.308 was the cartridge that moved the .308 Win out of favor as a match rifle round. That happened when good quality 26 caliber match bullets were available in the 1990's. All of which led to the 6.5x.284 wildcat becoming the favorite cartridge for 1000 yard matches replacing 30 caliber magnums. Both of these cartridges were used by a family of four top ranked competitors winning and setting records with them.

But at the expense of much shorter barrel life than the 30 caliber favorites.
 
Compare sectional Densities

Typical selections for long range work:

The .260 loves the 140 bullets.

The .308 needs about 190 bullets for the same density.

An afternoon of shooting comparable loads might have your shoulder make the decision for you.
YMMV
 
My 260 loves a lot of bullets. I use the 100 gr Nosler BT for pigs/coyote/deer. They shoot so darn well in my Tikka, as do the 120 grainers. But, I don't shoot long range. My longest distance is 500 yards to the far edge of my hay pasture, and I have reached out and touched a big hog at that distance. I really do like the caliber. There really isn't much recoil. Noticeably less than the 308 or the 270.
 
Thanks all for the responses!!!

I have already set aside the change jar to help fund the purchase. Hopefully it's still there when I have the money...;)
 
You can have my .260 when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. However, unlike 603Country, I prefer bullets on the heavier end of the spectrum. I've had great luck with 140gr Federal Premiums.
 
Gotta chime in..

I'm currently building a 260 out of a savage. I've got the barrel, but waiting on my bolt face. Can't wait to get it done!
 
I have a Savage Trophy Hunter in 260 Remington.
It's a very nice rifle: light and low recoil.
I haven't done any long range shooting with it, but I did a one-shot-and-flop take on a pronghorn doe at about 200-ish yards between walking man cactus bushes.
Mine didn't like the Blackhills GMX bullets. It was okay with 120 gr Fed Fusion bullets, but it really likes the TTSX 120 gr bullets that have a listed MV of 2950. I haven't yet tried any 140 gr bullets, as I use it for hunting and I prefer monolithic copper bullets.

Happy shooting
 
About 2000 rounds for a .260 Rem rifle that shoots no worse than 1/4" at 100 yards until it opens up to about 1/2". It the rifle starts out shooting 1/2" at worst, it may well go 3000 to 4000 rounds before reaching 1".

For comparison, the .243 Win's barrel life is about 1500 rounds for the same standards. And a bigger case, the 6.5x.284 goes about 1000 rounds for that standard. It's parent case, the .308 Win., gets about 3000 rounds.
 
I think that with a few more years at this rate, the question asked most frequently on gun forums, "How much H4350 with 140 gr in my 260?" will pass up "Can I shoot 38 special in my 357 mag?"

I have built two 260s.
The first was on a military VZ24 Mauser action with a Douglas 10" twist barrel and a military VZ24 stock.

The second won was on a commercial Mauser action with a Shilen 9" twist barrel and a High Tech Specialties stock.

I have made 4 or 5 dies for the 260.

The brass that can be used is:
243 necked up, ok, but gets donuts inside
260 unchanged, better
7mm-08, necked down, probably the best
308, necked down, may pinch the bullet. Either cull thick necks or turn necks.

I have a 6.5mm 8" ratchet twist barrel due any day, but it will probably see my 6.5-06 reamer, not my 260 reamer.

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