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...

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?