Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .260 Remington vs 25-06

The more I look at the .260 the more I like it. One of comparisons I find most interesting is the 25-06. The 25-06 has a long and oustanding reputation as being an very effective big game round. The .260 sure comes close to matching the 25-06 in most every respect with the exception of light weight varmint bullets.

What say you?

............I say that which one, should depend on the hunting circumstances and more importantly on the individual rifle preference in OAL, handling, carrying, etc.

The 260 imo, is a great and potent little round. I`m sorry to read and hear rumors of its "alleged" so called diminishing popularity.

Had a 25-06, and could never find its niche. Too big for varminting, too small for elk...(flame suit ready)

I had a heavy barrel 25-06 that I literally wore the barrel out shooting prairie dogs. It weighed 14 lbs with scope. They are about perfect for antelope and coyotes if you ask me.
Devastating on prairie dogs with the 75 gr Sierra HP or Hornady 75 gr.
I knew a rancher who carried one for elk.
whelennut

I really can not comment on the .260 but I can on the 25-06 and it's big brother the 6.5/06 better known as the .264/06. Now both are very good calibers but the 6.5/06 is more suited for big game than the 25/06 etc.

Puuulease...

Both are fantastic......260 for me. I like the option of the heavier boolits. Just my 2 pennies

If the 25-06 and 270 ever had a short action love child, it would be the 260.

But then we got drunk in Wyoming and I told you all about how great the 260 is, so I'll not get into it here, again

That was just after the 19 miles to the pavement, thank God for cell phones story, right?

I have had both, really enjoyed the .260 but it is down the road and the .25-06 stayed. Perhaps the fact there are 3 6.5X55s in the house might account for the .260 being sold off. In my opinion both are wonderful calibres. Why not have both GRF

I say you need a new source with that statement...

for varmint or light weight bullets, the 260 has available
1. 100 grainers
2. 95 Gr V max
3. 90 gr TNT
4. 85 grain HP Sierra

I'll go with a 22 inch barrel for their stats in my rifles... and you can add a 100 fps for a 26 inch barrel, as I have a couple of those...

1. 100 grainers: 3350 fps
2. 95 grain V Max: 3375 to 3390 fps
3. 90 TNT 3400 fps
4 85 HP Sierra 3400 fps...

The 260 does not have to apologize or take the back seat to a 25/06 at all....especially with "light" bullets..

Fish, I'm pretty sure I can cover the best of what the .260 and 25-06 has to offer by building a 23" 6.5-06

If only there were a range of animals that fell between varmints and elk...

243 for lope, and cannot draw a deer tag here...

You know, there are leftover deer tags and tags that can be drawn with a second choice. Just saying.

Was that the same story that involved using beer bottle caps to fix a busted u joint? Or was that the story about the joint falling in my lap while mud bogging??? Wait... I think that was the same story

Exactly what I was thinking as well. I hunt deer every year even if I don't draw the tag I want. There are ways to get around the draw. I'll pick up a doe landowner voucher once in a while if needed. I find it harder to get a good place to hunt "lopes" than to get a deer tag.

So far I've got one each of coyote, pronghorn, and mule deer under my belt with my new HTC .25-06. It would even work for elk in a pinch if needed (120 grain premium bullets). I have larger elk rifles however so it gets left home when I hunt elk.

Forced to used factory ammo - 2506.

Like short actions, but factory ammo? 6.5 Creedmoor.

Reload and short actions? 260 is a nice choice, find or build a rifle to suit. The industry has dropped MANY rifles mfg. but MAYBE they will circle back, time will tell. ONE driving force that might do that, is the competitive shooting world has many swapping to 260s from 308s, an attribute to it's ballistics and light recoil.

The 260 is here to stay, if in the end, only for the Loonies who are willing to build a custom rifle and reload, as brass can be had from any 308 based case in a pinch, and it's ballistics are too good to ignore, combined w/mild recoil, and good killing power..or hitting power on steel.

Lapua just made a new investment into mfg. brass for the 260, obviously THEIR Thermometer for the handloading crowd says their is enough demand to justify tooling expense.

Lapua brass is ALSO a reason shooters RECENTLY upon that news, are coming back or building a new 260 to give it a go. The brass quality is not to be ignored in consistent accurate ammo w/long case life.

Neither one of them can match my 6.5mm-08. Although the .260 is close...

My 6.5-243 probably could...