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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,943
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,943 |
I couldn't find 7-08 brass so I used Lapua 308 and made em.
Glad I did.
I reload for my son's 243 and while I'm a Hornady slut - their 243 brass sucks. It's the only brass that his Ruger won't hold reliably. HATE the stuff.
I'm a cheap bugger usually but Lapua brass is so DAMNED NICE once you get your hands on it. I'd spring for it and never look back.
Me
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,364
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,364 |
As in red headed stepchild?
Seems the poor .260 has been abandoned and left to fend for itself.
Added: Yeah, I know, get a 6.5 Creedmoor. I would in a heartbeat but for some unearthly reason firearm manufacturers don't make a plethora of left handed Creedmoors. There are still some LH .260 Tikkas in stock for dirt cheap prices and that's what I was looking at. Brass isn't the problem, that is just a symptom : The .260 needs an 8" twist and a 3" mag to shoot the 140's as well as the Creedmoor. The T3 has the twist, and if you really need to shoot the 140's, those mag issues can be "adjusted". Get the LH T3 before they are gone, and you regret it ! --> In fact buy 2 and convert one to 6.5-280AI ;-)
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,799
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,799 |
As in red headed stepchild? I was toying with the idea of getting a .260 Remington but as I started looking at the big on-line dealers for dies and components I can't find anything but Lapua, Norma or Nosler brass. Even Hornady doesn't seem to make it but they make lots of 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 CM, 6.5X55 and even 6.5-284 cases, heck they even make .275 Rigby cases. But nada, zippo for the .260 that I can see. Remington makes brass but apparently hasn't for awhile, but that's pretty true of a lot of their brass. Even Prvi doesn't make any.
Seems the poor .260 has been abandoned and left to fend for itself. Now, that quality brass is fine but I still haven't wrapped my mind around paying over $1 per case. Basically I'm cheap and don't mind sorting through the plebeian stuff to get good cases.
So, given that this new rifle whim takes root, what's the better way to go to make .260 brass? Neck up .243 which is plentiful and still reasonable or neck down .308 which is even more plentiful and reasonable? I've never formed one case from another except to make .250 AI cases from .22-250 brass and I fire formed with COW to make those. Kind of thinking that might be easier except it would cost some primers and Unique.
Added: Yeah, I know, get a 6.5 Creedmoor. I would in a heartbeat but for some unearthly reason firearm manufacturers don't make a plethora of left handed Creedmoors. There are still some LH .260 Tikkas in stock for dirt cheap prices and that's what I was looking at. I have three 260s (currently), a Ruger, a Forbes, and a custom 700 target gun. Each has it's own supply of brass - Remington for the Ruger, Lapua for the custom. The Forbes is being fed via reformed WW 7/08 brass. This way I have a positive ID as to which cases belong to which rifle. I don't have a 243, so I could use that brass also, in a pinch. My Remington brass (100pcs) is at least 10 years old, and is on it's 5th reload. I'll probably retire it then, and since it's impossible to find, I plan to switch to Nosler for that rifle. Buy yourself that 260. You won't regret it.... Kaiser Norton
The Kaiser- "If it ain't broke, I can fix that!"
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 28,371
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 28,371 |
Part of the fun of looking for a new toy, for me at least, is gathering as much info as I can about it, weighing the pros and cons, etc. I tend to get a little penny wise and pound foolish about these things so it helps to get other viewpoints. Nothing like spending $590 for a rifle (and buying it in the first place because it's "on sale!"), another $100 or more for a good combination of dies - collet sizer, body die and good seater - and then trying to save $40 on cases.  Anyway, I do appreciate everybody's advice and comments.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,070
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,070 |
Yeah, especially when the cases are essentially the final touch on the rifle's chamber.
The first thing I did after acquiring one of the Tikka T3 Lites in .260 from Whittaker Guns about a year ago was order 100 Lapua cases.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,932
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,932 |
I have hunting with a Sako 75 in .260 for the last 8 years. I liked it so much that I wanted a heavy barrel for target work @ 1K without breaking the bank.
I therefore bought a Cabela's Savage 12FV and re-barreled it using a Criterion 28" bull profile, rem match chamber in 1/8 twist. I bedded this into a B&C A2 stock and it is currently shaping up to be one of my most accurate guns. This includes my custom jobs in .308.
In my hunting rifle, I use plain Rem. 260 brass and it serves me well. Like others dais, you don't need many cases for hunting work.
For this new rifle, I purchase 100 pcs of Lapua .260. Having used Lapua in .308, I knew it was worth it. At almost a buck a case, amortization return is so low b/t loading them 10x vs 20x that I'll buy more if I need to.
With all of the above said, I can load Hornady 140 ELDs to 2.900 in the Savage and they'll fit in the magazine. The beauty of the .260 is that you can neck up or down any .308 case and be ready to roll. Try that with a 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,586
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,586 |
Found it more economical to stock up on Prime ammo in 260 Rem to start. Just $31.99 a box , Norma brass and 130 OTM Norma bullet with a .583 bc.
Play on paper then load them up with what ever you want.
Did the same with the 6.5 Creedmoor but at only $ 26.60 a box.
Never take life to seriously, after all ,no one gets out of it alive.
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 833
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 833 |
I was kinda thinking the 260 was making a bit of a comeback. I have owned 4 currently 3 and its probably one of my favorites. Have you been looking at which has more factory ammo choices 6.5CM or 260?
I generally believe that the Lapua brass has always been the most economical choice best quality and lasts better than any.
I have some that are on a dozen or more firings stopped counting and waiting on primer pockets to go. The Rem brass has a bit more capacity not sure if that translates to much but it lasts about 7 firings although you have to start culling after 3 firings.
I was surprised that Lapua did not start making 6.5 CM but they already make more 6.5's than any and the 6.5x47 looks like their number.
Good luck and shoot straight all you 260 shooters
Bob
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Joined: Oct 2013
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,890 |
Looking into a 6.5-08 myself right now. Trying to decide between it and another 7-08 for deer and piggies.
Doubt it's going anywhere although a bud is singing the praises of his Creedmoors to me and why they are so much better than the 260.
Says the Creed better in a SA rifle, guess that depends on bullet weight/style and which rifle a guy has.
Wish Ruger would offer it in a SS Synthetic but since they do so much work with Hornady I doubt that will happen. So looking at the dreaded 700 since the Savages are all removable mags which are a no-go for me.
Really not any flies on the cartridge in my mind.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,540
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,540 |
scottishkat,
The word is that Lapua is coming out with 6.5 CM brass.
My recent thought was that the rise of the 6.5 CM would depress the 260 REM into the shadows. After reading this thread and giving it some more thought, I think the attention that the Creedmoor is getting may increase the overall interest in all .264 cartridges.
That may increase the interest in the 260 REM.
Sort of a "rising tide floats all boats" effect.
Nifty-250
"If you don't know where you're going, you may wind up somewhere else".
Yogi Berra
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,739
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,739 |
Looking into a 6.5-08 myself right now. Trying to decide between it and another 7-08 for deer and piggies.
Doubt it's going anywhere although a bud is singing the praises of his Creedmoors to me and why they are so much better than the 260.
Says the Creed better in a SA rifle, guess that depends on bullet weight/style and which rifle a guy has.
Wish Ruger would offer it in a SS Synthetic but since they do so much work with Hornady I doubt that will happen. So looking at the dreaded 700 since the Savages are all removable mags which are a no-go for me.
Really not any flies on the cartridge in my mind. The Ruger Hawkeye FTW is available in both .260 and 6.5 CM with 8" twisted barrels. It's stainless, threaded, and braked, with both a plain cap and a cap weight-matched to the brake. The stock is laminated, painted in a Natural Gear-ish camo, and has adjustable LOP via spacers like some of the scouts. Not cheap, but not awful either.
Last edited by Pappy348; 08/27/16.
What fresh Hell is this?
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,932
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,932 |
I was already invested in .260 reloading equipment which is why I built the latest Salvage into a .260. Had I not been invested in dies and brass, I would probably have gone 6.5 Creed. I don't think you can go wrong with either unless you like to seat bullets into the lands (I don't) and then the Creed makes sense.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15,512
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15,512 |
Sometimes this stuff feels like the splitting of hairs. I couldn't get the least concerned about the popularity slippage or demise of any cartridge, or the cost of the preferred brass .
In thinking about past enthusiasm for the "next new big thing" cartridges that emerged over time (the WSMs are an example), there is cause for a smile. Given modern powders and bullets, some cartridge designs more than 100 years old seem to run right along with these "moderns". No fuss.
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,790
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,790 |
Given modern powders and bullets, some cartridge designs more than 100 years old seem to run right along with these "moderns". No fuss. Yeah, guess I won't be dumping my 6.5 X 55's any time soon.
Mathew 22: 37-39
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Joined: Feb 2013
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My .260 was chomping at the bit today.... It is getting impatient for antelope season to get here. So I took it to the prairie to send a few 130 gr JLK's downrange.
Red headed step child. I think not!
I would like a T3 in .260 for my wife and I to share hunting......
P.S. I have used Remington brass only since i have owned a .260 and never experienced the problems others have. It has been accurate and long lasting enough for my uses.
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,471
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,471 |
If I owned neither rifle, especially were I not into reloading, I'd go the Creedmoor route. Be it marketing, Remington ineptitude, or merit, the Creedmoor is the winner for the short action 6.5 cartridge of our time. It gains daily in popularity and has become mainstream beyond what the 260 ever did.
If I had a 260 I would not toss it aside but neither would I seek one.
I am, in case it needs stating, not a gunwriter.
Liberalism; The impossible yet accepted notion that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
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Posts: 5,817
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5,817 |
I'm committed. I have 4, 260's and don't see trading any of them for a creed.
Last edited by 6MMWASP; 08/27/16.
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Posts: 1,439
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2003
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...and here I was studying on losing the T3 260 and picking up a couple Swede T3's in different colors for a matched pair during the Europtic closeout...to make sure I allus had enough access to properly labeled 260 brass as I progress deeper into geezerhood...and ya'll are sayin' NO Don't Do That?
Just wisht I'd bought a T3 SS 260 the last time I saw one...but this is the last blanket toss cleanout of the safe and the only keepers will Not be the mishmash junk like the NH 7 digit M70 Whizzum now residing at the LGS on consignment. Hmmmm, ain't gonna do nuthing 'till I got some Mail Box Money from the LGS so there is time to rethink everything a time or to...kinda like Measure 3 times and use the saw to only cut once.
Ron
TIME FOR TERM LIMITS !!!! Politicians are just like diapers, they need to be changed often and regularly for the same reason...Robin Williams.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 25,850
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 25,850 |
...with 120 gr SMK and 123 Scenars waiting in the wings. Those 123's are skookum in the 260, in case you haven't tried 'em yet. I Hope zo. The barrel is still out to be salt bath nitrided. I am anxious to get it back in my hands and see how she shoots.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810 |
I just use 308 WIN. cases.
They work and i have more of them than any other. Just out of curiosity several years ago, i resized 308 Win. brass to 260 Rem. It worked well and was easy as pie! Just lube the case and run it into the sizer.
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