Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting GAP 260 Rem, Barnes 127 LRX, 725 yards, cow elk dead.

Stretched the ol' GAP 260 out to 725yds on a cow elk a couple days ago. First shot through the lungs on a lightly quartering shot (exit side shown in pic) and she was dead on her feet. I was not able to recover the bullet. I saw the impact, she stood there still as a statue, slowly lowering her head, I fired again, just because, and she turned around in place and fell into this tree. Really couldn't ask for better bullet performance to exit at 725 yards from a 260. Bullet started at around 2925fps from the 22" Bartlein #3 sporting a Thunder Beast Arms suppressor. This is my do-all rifle that I grab most of the time, especially since I added the can. Really don't care to shoot without it anymore.

Load is 45.6 H4350 in WW 7-08 brass that's been necked down with no other prep.

Congrats and nice shooting. How do you like the Thunderbeast for a suppressor? I'm thinking about one for a 308?

Congrats! There is nothing like a GAP rifle!

greentimber,

Nice shootin'. I will be using the same bullet next month. It will be starting a little faster .

I really don't think it is possible to get a better suppressor for a rifle than a TBAC can. They are just outstanding in every way. The new (this year) Ultra Series cans are just crazy awesome. The 7" version is quieter than the previous generation 9" can (that's what I'm running this year) and several ounces lighter. Really cool. I have one of the Ultra 7 on order that will become my hunting suppressor as soon as it arrives.




.....additional info on the shot; according to Shooter (ballistic app) impact velocity was around 1836fps. The altitude certainly helped keep the bullet moving along at this distance. Would probably keep the shot to around 600 yards or so at home around 800' ASL.

Wow, nice rifle and great shooting.

Cheers, Chris

what spotlight do you recommend for those 725 yd shots? Thanks in advance.......

There's a thread on long range spots in the optics forum.

I use the big orange one that rises in the east each morning. Not sure what brand that is, but it doesn't add much weight to my pack.

Nice shooting, green.

Thanks Greentimber. I will be looking really hard at one of the new ones.

Pack out:

Laffin....great shot on your elk. Really like those 260's.

Nice shooting. We'll find out how the 120g GMX works on a Montana Muley within a few weeks.

Nice shooting, greentimber!

Grand, I'll look forward to your results. I have a box of the 120 GMX sitting on the bench collecting dust. Just haven't had time to work it up yet. The 100gr GMX shoots like crazy from my 18" 6.8SPC, though. Will be shooting some deer with that come November.



A note on the scope I use on this GAP 260; it's the often-maligned Viper PST 4-16 FFP/MIL from Vortex. I've had this particular scope since they were first introduced several years ago and have had nothing but excellent performance from it over several thousand rounds. Some folks poopoo the Vortex scopes, and I understand they aren't as cool (or as "good") as the $3,000 scopes from the euro brands, but the half dozen or so I own have been flawless mechanically and certainly acceptable optically. I am fortunate to own a couple big$$ euro scopes, but don't find the difference in price justifiable when the targets aren't shooting back. I actually first chose the Viper PST 4-16 FFP years ago because it was the lightest FFP/MIL-MIL scope on the market. That may or may not be true any more, but they still work. The knobs on the PSTs are much too easy to turn, both due to inadequate rotational friction and much too-sharp checkering on the knobs, but that's the biggest downfall I've found yet. If there was an American-made alternative that had the features I want and was reliable and at least somewhat affordable, I'd give it a shot instead. The Leupy Mk6 seemed like it was a contender but I'm still in wait-and-see mode after their decades-long slide into irrelevance in the tactical world. Nightforce continues to swing and miss, unfortunately. The 34mm tube on the 42mm obj ATACR is just retarded and eliminates the possibility of ever low-mounting that scope on a rifle suited to its size. If they'd made it a 30mm tube, that would have been worth looking at. My $0.02, anyway.

Nice shot! Elk never even heard what hit her. Are cans legal for hunting in most western states?

Not sure, but I think they are legal in 40+ states now. My home state of TN just changed the regs to allow them within the last couple years. It is easy to get spoiled with them. In fact, I'm going to sell a few really excellent rifles soon because their sporter weight barrels aren't readily suporessable.

You going to part with the Nula's?

Hell no.

Very nice! I like the little 6.5's in general and the 127LRX in particular. Sorry if I missed it - why weren't you able to recover the bullet? It shot all the way through? or Couldn't dig around and find it while cleaning at night?

Thanks,

David

Yes, complete pass through. That's the exit hole you can see in the pic. I've shot a bunch of deer with the 127 and have only been able to recover one that I purposefully put into the buck's shoulder on a hard quartering-to shot at 510+ yards.

I may try the 7mm 140 TTSX for whitetail this year. Have 150's loaded as well for my new gun. Hope it likes the TTSX. I would like to see how they do on whitetail.

Thanks!

David

I too like the little 127 LRX but I shoot it out of my 6.5x47 at 2800 fps. Here, a very large Utah cow with a complete pass through the lungs @ 450 yds.

Someone asked if you had 5k for gun n scope what to get... Just get a 6.5 it'll do what you need and from a longways off!

Nice shot and congrats

As promised. Dropped this Montana Muley with a 120g GMX from my Beanland .260 at 325 yards. Passed behind both shoulders. He took two steps and dropped. Your looking at the exit side.



Shot him from up here. If you zoom in you can see the doe still standing above the juniper.

Very nice! Nice riflestock too.

Very nice indeed!

We do need some more info on that rifle, too. What barrel, etc.?

Beanland built
Defiance Rebel, fluted, alloy shroud, AW/AICS mag cut
Bartlein #3 fluted by Karl, cut to 24"
McM Edge Classic
APA DBM
NXS 2.5-10x42 in Talley lightweights.

Slings the GMX 120g at 2945.

Very nice. Not much you can't do with that rig.

I'd love to add a suppressor like your rig, but not happening in this state.

I'm thinking of chopping my 260 non-typical to 21-22" and threading for a suppressor, which I'll buy once my gun trust goes through.

I'm about to be running a 20" 6.5 SAUM. Should still get 3100fps or close to it with the 127 LRX.

Do this...it is very nice running a short barrel and a can.

Any of you guys spinning 127's in a 1:9 260?

My 20" (1-8" ) .260 runs 2850 with 123s and H4350. The same loads clocked 2925 in my 23" (1-8") .260.

I dig the 20" .260, it's rather handy.... the barrel isn't too short to hamstring the round.... and even with a 9" Suppressor attached it's not too unwieldy. I think there's a 16" .260 CTR in my near future....

Top: 23" Rock #4 .260, Rem 700, Manners EH2 8.5lbs
Bottom: 20" Tikka CTR .260, 8.7lbs



Packed the 20" gun loaded with 130 Accubonds at 2800, can attached, in an Eberlestock for both late elk seasons.... no elks.... but this fox never heard the shot.

I just loaded some Barnes 127 LRX's for my Marlin 260 REM XL7 rifle. 24" Criterion 1:8 twist, heavy sporter barrel in Win model 70 EW stock. Rifle weighs 9 pounds.

I'm impressed with those 127 LRX accuracy.

Load Data:
Barnes 6.5mm 127 LRX
Lapua 260 brass w/ .002" Neck tension
Varget @ 39grs.
Tula LR primers
.050" off the lands
2850 avg speed with 9ES for the 4 rounds tested.

Target @ 100 meters
4 shots including fouler.

I believe that'll do the trick.