F Class 1000yd .260 Remington or6.5 Creedmoor.

I've become a fan of the 7mm-08 and the 260 Remington. My deer rifle's chambered in the former, and I've asked myself "why not 7mm-08 for LR?". For one thing, the rifle would have to be built, whereas I can (and did) buy a factory .260 for some possible intro into tactical precision shooting.

And after spending some time looking at bullet options and typing a bunch of data into a ballistics program, I concluded the 7mm-08 is the slightly better (and versatile) choice for hunting, whereas the 260 Remington is the slightly better target round. I think I'll keep them both.
 
thank you all

Great information. I had felt from the start the .260 was my way to go but wanted to let others speak out and see if others might of gone with something else, with what and why.

I liked the fact the while expensive, Lapua .260 brass is available and able to neck up or down others also. Also like the fact that Savage has some really respected .260 right out of the box with V barrels (medium) to start off with and easy to rebarrel to a heavy after you use up the factory. So now its look for a used Savage in need of a barrel swap with a heavy one or just buy the Savage package and shoot it till I feel a heavy barrel change is needed. Only problem with the package gun is the scope, its not a bad scope but its only 9x and these eyes really liked/need the 12x. Another benefit of the Savage route is a couple of the high power guys that shoot here really have been there and done that in high power and are big into the Salvage and have the experience and tools needed to do barrels and tinker with them.

Last question,what action do YOU USE, Long or short? Im thinking of going long, even though it could require you to come off the rifle I dont see that as a negative because @ 1000 your coming off to peak in to your spotting scope to see where the target was scored in the pits. But I'm open to your experience.

Thanks to all, and I'll start looking to find a rifle in need of a barrel. If nothing comes by I guess I'll just start with that package deal
 
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I use the short action.

For optics, take a look at the Burris XTRII. They are great optics and the 8-40 F class dual reticle one is being highly praised by some guys who shoot a lot more expensive optics.
 
6.5x47 Lapua...

Wouldn't that be the 222 Rem Mag casing, just necked to 6.5mm???

Would that have enough umph to get a high BC 6.5 out to 1000 yards?

As for the 7mm-08 question. I would start with the 154gr. Hornady SST, but the 162gr. A-max, and the new Nosler Accubond LR's seem to be the best BC for the 7mm bullets.

Wish Lapua made Scenars for the 7mm...:rolleyes:
 
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6.5X47 Lapua is it's own cartridge and closer to the .260 in case capacity. It's a short fat case that uses a small rifle primer instead of a large. I shoot a 6X47 Rem which is based on a .222 RM case and there isn't any good way to get to 1000 yards with that cartridge even if you necked it up to 6.5.
 
Pretty hard to beat the benefits of the .260rem with high BC bullets, barrel life probably the deciding factor UNLESS you want more than 1000yd capability. That is where, imnsho, the 6.5/284 delivers the same advantages over the big magnums.

Just shooting paper or steel on the range? Want to feel like you're cheating even further? 6mmXC, 6mmCM, 6mm Dasher or 6mm/.22-250AI... Burn 20% less powder, 25% less bullet weight to push down the barrel. High BC #s, maybe not As-High as the 142smk and 139scenar, but high enough...

Might even try the 6mm ctgs mentioned above in an AR-10... Kind of like cheating again, not to have to manipulate the bolt and be able to catch a lull in the wind with several quick, recoil damped shots... GA Precision has their proprietary DPMS based rifle and their pioneered 6mmCM ctg. Might be a real F class contender? Or Robert Whitley's AR-15 based 6mm Turbo which uses necked down Grendel cases. Lapua Grendel brass may be your plus.

15yrs ago, the .300win was the ticket and many used the .30/338 for better case dynamics as it delivered much more than enough to 1000yds,

One last thought is the Short Action ultra mag ctg with 7mm and 6.5mm offering potential for velocity and high BC. Giving up the lighter powder charge benefits, but if your range has lots of wind dynamic, would probably be worth the trade-off...
 
One F Open shooter here was working with 7mm WSM and 7mm x 270 WSM (little smaller case.) I don't know if he has stayed with them, but there seems to be some move back up to 7mm for high BC even though more recoil than 6 and 6.5... but less than .300.
 
I know this topic has moved on a little into different discussions, but to answer the OP's question, I prefer the 6.5 creedmoor as its a little flatter shooting, but if you ever plan in getting an ar10, the .260 Remington fits in one of them so you could have two guns in the same caliber. Just by $0.02.

John
 
If you are shooting F Open, the sky is the limit, so long as you stay within the rules. I chose a BAT 3 lug, left port, right eject action, Brux barrel, Masterclass F Class laminated stock, Jewell trigger. It is really a stellar rifle. The main reason I chose 6.5x47 Lapua is the long brass life at pretty high pressures, IIRC 63KPSI. The small primer pockets don't have the same tendency to open up and get loose as do large primer pockets.

The Creedmoor is a neat cartridge, but from what I've read brass offerings are not as good a quality or longevity as is Lapua, and neck turning and all that being a PITA, I would rather only have to do it rarely rather than often each time I buy new brass.

Now I have only read about it, so please don't think I know what I'm talking about, but the other feature of the 6.5x47L was the steep shoulder angle, which as I read about it, created the focal point for the burning gases inside the case neck rather than the throat of the barrel. From what I read, in theory at least, this should increase throat life of the barrel, so it won't have to be replaced as often as a similar capacity cartridge with a more tapered shoulder angle, such as the 6.5x308 or 260 Remington.

These were the factors in my decision. As far as barrel replacement, it is something one must do periodically, as barrels are expendable resources. When this Brux is gone I think I may try a Pac Nor. Tho at the rate I'm shooting it, this may be my grandchildren's prerogative, as 60 rounds fired in 2 years, at this rate to make 2500 rounds I'll be long dead! :D

To OP, find the cartridge you like and go with it. Build accurate ammo and have a fun time. If your means allow, experiment. Maybe build a switch barrel rifle in 6.5x47L, 6.5 C, and 6.5 R, and see which one you like better?

Life really is short, and in the end it is the nut behind the bolt who wins tournaments. The FTR boys often shoot higher scores the the F/O guys, so the 308 is still a very competitive cartridge.
 
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Shooter2675 said:
but to answer the OP's question, I prefer the 6.5 creedmoor as its a little flatter shooting,

No, It's not. If you look at reloading data for the same bullet, they have essentially identical velocity.

I got the 260 Remington, only because Lapua makes brass for it and not the Creedmoor.
 
I got the 260 Remington, only because Lapua makes brass for it and not the Creedmoor

Yes the primary use will be f class open,

Still open to final decision, but its probably going to end up a .260 rem although the 6.5-284 is a close option. On the hunt for a Savage long action .308, or 243 with the AccuTrigger. Have a couple club members who have been doing rifles for a long time plus have all the tools and experience to rebarrel any savage with a quality heavy barrel.

If I happen to find one of the medium barrel .308 savages I may play with it for awhile if the barrel is good because I have almost zero time with shooting the .308 and while the book numbers on the .260 fit what I believe im looking for, always worth firsthand experience.

Also the rifle will also see extra duty on our silhouette range with steel from 200-960yrds. So the 6.5's short barrel life may not be the best option for me, although the 6.5-284 is my fav. For the 1000yd hands down. So I might get barrels in both
 
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hoss1969 said:
On the hunt for a Savage long action .308, or 243 with the AccuTrigger.

308 or 243 will most likely be short action, if you want a long action for a barrel swap your best bet is 30-06 or 270.
 
260 or 6.5 CM, and the 6.5x55 are all going to be about the same ballistically. It's interesting, but not surprising, that the need for speed always enters the equation. The 260 will shoot a 120 gr bullet about 2900 fps, which is plenty for hunting and for long range shooting (though I'm not one of the latter guys), but the extra oomph from the 6.5-284 seems to draw people. It's the same as going from a 280 to a 280AI or a 257 to the 257AI. That same logic is why I went to the 100 gr bullet in my 260 (for hunting). It had a short barrel and I wanted more MV. Now, a couple of years later, I've decided that when I run out of 100 grainers I'll go back to the 120's.

But for a guy like the OP, who will have a turret type scope on his rifle, he just adjusts with the elevation turret for more or less MV. I would think that barrel life would then become more important to most than MV. That, and the ability to read the wind - which I expect separates the winners from the also-rans more than whether the user's round is a 260 or a 6.5-284. But...somebody will now say that if the bullet gets there faster, reading the wind might be just a bit less critical. Well...maybe so. I can't speak from experience on that.
 
Time in the wind is a factor where less equates to missing a little less if you are wrong on the wind call. When shooting at huge pieces of paper, yeah I think I would like a little less error. For guys who shoot practical, if you miss 10" steel at 1K, it won't matter.

I want barrel life and I use a good scope and know my data to 1100 yards. Adjustments on the dials are pretty easy and if I have to dial 3.1 Mil or 3.3 Mil, that is not a factor.
 
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