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

I've searched online a couple times in the past week to no avail, so where are folks getting the 260 Lapua brass?

WOW.

Maybe I should start looking at the 6.5mm-08.

It really is that much better - huh.

I always thought "260" was a dumb name

6.5-308 has the "cool-factor."

However, all in all, I think it's the best cartridge based on the 308 case.

As to comparing it to the 25-06... seems to me the excellent 260 can stand on its own (and many) merits.

They are both good cartridges, with the .260 allowing some heavier bullets.

Just got my custom Sako 75 .260 back with a light contour shilen tube and and EDGE stock, makes for a nice package. First group through it was .5".

I would eat out of a dumpster before I would shoot a mulie doe. Why would anyone want to eat a stinky mulie, when they can eat elk? Deer numbers across Colorado are still anemic, which means you shouldn't be killing breeding does. And there is a reason that certain units can be drawn "2nd choice." It is either because it has no good public access, or it is crappy hunting. I am sure there are exceptions, but i have been on 2nd choice hunts, and it is usually a sea of orange, and no deer.

Given the choice I'd take elk over a mulie, no question about it. But if your experience with all mulies is that their worse then dumpster diving, then I feel for you. The last mule deer I took was fabulous. Good enough to get my wife addicted to deer venison and encouraging me to get another this fall.

Mule deer can be excellent.

Be'twixt the .25-06 and .260, I doubt there's ever been a deer could tell the difference.

I'd say two peas in a pod. The .25-06 is a bit faster with up to 120gr bullets, but the .260 can handle up to 140gr to offset that. Both are great long range deer/antelope rounds that will do the job splendidly on elk if you do your part. All with low recoil.

I'd own both, for sure.

"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..."

Is that based on a guesstimate or actual chrony results? Everything I have read to date (not having done chrony work myself) is that 10 to 15 fps per inch difference is about all one can hope for in that barrel length range, in any caliber, using actual chrony data. Below 22" the slope gets much steeper!

100fps is negligible unless it markedly affects accuracy, or cranks your motor...

My RU77V was dynamite on caribou using 120 gr Speer bullet handloads, until I got a severe case of stupid and sold it.....

I currently own a Rem 725 SA with a .260 700 TI take-off barrel on it.

It has done a good job on the 3 head of game I've taken with it, using 140 gr factory Corelokts, one shot kills on all - a cow caribou at @200, a cow elk at @150, a wolf at @40. I carried it with confidence part-time for moose last year, but they failed to offer up a sacrifice in the .260's presence..

My .260 is not as accurate as the .25-06 was, but still under 1.5 MOA. Likely due to differences in barrel length and bulk/stiffness. Nor have I made any special effort to work up the most accurate load. I am handloading for it now, but just grabbed something that looked good out of the book and it worked out "well enough" that I've yet to start fooling with it in more detail.

.260AI

http://www.eabco.com/Lapua07.html

http://www.brunoshooters.com/Mercha...&Store_Code=BSS&Category_Code=7L

http://www.grafs.com/

[quote=Brad]I always thought "260" was a dumb name

6.5-308 has the "cool-factor."quote]

Agreed - should have been named the 6.5-308 Winchester...via Olin.

Savage is chambering the 260 this year in at least 4 models, looks like a potential comeback! I agree that both cartriges are very useful, but the 260 can shoot those bullets that are like little darts and penetration (if a concern) is much better with the 260 and heavier bullets. I have both calibers and they both shoot great. I am just happy that at least one gun manufacturer has seen the interest in the 260 again. T.S.

65BR-
Appreciate the links, will have to look at them after work when I don't have to deal with this freaking anti-gun firewall.

Thanks
David

Well there it's settled...25-06 shooters are more confident and don't feel the need to defend their choice of cartridge.

I'm in agreement as was stated earlier. With these two, I think the difference/preference is more the rifle than the cartridge.

There are no .25-06 or .260 Rem rifles in my safe, so in that respect I guess I�m equally unbiased in their regard. I do have a Ruger long-action 22� .257 Roberts (my favorite rifle) and a custom heavy-barrel 24� 6.5-06AI based on an Interarms Mark X action, so maybe not completely so.

The .25-06 is a great cartridge. With the same bullets it can deliver more FPS at the muzzle than my Roberts, even with my +P loads. I run 75g V-MAX for varmints and the Roberts has accounted for a lot of p-dogs and coyotes. Neither the Roberts nor the .25-06 would be my first choice for high-volume shooting in Dog Town, something for which I think a .223 is pretty much ideal. Nor would either be my first choice for elk, although I�ve hunted elk and deer simultaneously with my Roberts once my first elk of the season was down.

The advantage of the .260 Rem is its short action format and ability to use heavier bullets. If I was going after elk with a .260 Rem and Cup-and-Core ammo, I�d choose a 140g bullet. More likely I would choose a 130g Swift Scirocco II, as I do with my 6.5-06AI. While my 6.5-06AI is too heavy to make a good carry rifle, a lightweight .260 Rem would be a welcome companion when hiking the mountains searching for elk, although I would prefer a lightweight .308 Win.

YMMV

No doubt a 308 w/130 TTSX will do what a 130 Swift 6.5mm will...

Perfect for everything else?