Well, my .264, 1 in 9", factory contour Lilja barrel for my Kimber .260 has been shipped. I have a good gunsmith lined up for chambering and installation. This will be a pure deer hunting and coyote rig. The question.....260 again or 6.5 Creedmore? An ecological principle is when two species occupy the same niche, one will survive and one will become extinct. I think the same might apply to these two calibers. So, my question is, assuming one will survive the next decade, which will it be? Or will both be around, albeit as cult calibers?

Were it me - I'd go Creedmoor. Simply because I like the versatility it offers for the 140's and I believe it's going to stick.

Hornady is making match quality ammo for it at a good price.

Big +1 on the Creedmoor.

What bullet weights are you planning to shoot?

If only up to 130 grains, I'd say that there isn't any meaningful difference between the 260 and 6.5 Creedmoor. If over 130 grains, thinking 129 grain Hornady and 130 grain AB, the 6.5 Creedmoor allows for more COAL flexibility with heavier/longer/higher BC bullets.

I mostly shoot 95 grain VMax, 100 grain BTs and Partitions, 120 grain BTs, 129 grain Hornadys, 130 grain ABs, and 140 grain Partitions in my 260s. Of those, mostly 100 grain Partitions at deer.

Based on the limited number of rifles being cataloged in 6.5 Creedmoor, it doesn't appear to have taken off like a rocket. I wonder how it compares to the 260's first couple of years, 1997 - 2000? Hornady has certainly done an exponentially better job with its selection of factory ammo than Remington did when they introduced the 260. I'm still convinced that somebody at Remington purposely threw a wrench into the 260's launch, 'cause it is hard to believe that they could have purposely screwed up the launch as badly as they did.

Jeff

PS - Will a 1-9" ROT barrel spin the longer/heavier/higher BC bullets fast enough?

1-8 and Creedmoor all the way

I'd go Creedmoor--and probably 1-8 as well.

Though I shot a 6.5-06 with a 1-9 barrel for several years and never had any problem stabilizing 140 VLD's, even around zero F., probably due to never shooting it below 4000 feet above sea level.

A little more twist doesn't hurt, though.

Agree.... 1-8 Creed

I went 260.

1-8......

I went 6.5x47 Lapua, in an 8 Twist

Too late for 8, the 9 has shipped.

120 Sierras, 129 Hornadys, 140 of both should be fine. Once you get those sorted out, start playing with the longer stuff. But those three will kill stuff just fine, and there's no problem over the distances the majority of us shoot.

Thanks for the input. JB had already schooled me on many advantages of the Crredmoor, and I'm intrigued. On the .260 side, I have quite a lot of new brass (not an inconsequential thing these days) and dies. But, I'm thinking....

I ordered 1 in 9", and think that will be fine for my use. My old 1 in 9" shot well with 140 grain hunting bullets, and that is as heavy as I plan to use. My favorite is the 129 grain Hornaday, does very well on eastern MT deer. But which shape powder bottle?

Delivered the rifle and barrel blank to a good gunsmith. After a little discussion, I'm going with a .260 Rem, 23", bead blasted finish on the stainless Lilja barrel. I stuck with the .260 due to the fact that I have quite a bit of brass already, as well as dies. I'm excited; this will be the first aftermarket barrel I've ever had installed on a rifle. The factory Kimber barrel treated me pretty well for 2400-2500 rounds (per my reloading records). The original would probably still be fine, but there was one day at a prairie dog town....
It will now be a dedicated deer, and occasionally coyote, rifle. Probably won't put 60 rounds through in a short time like I did that day

Nice. Let us know how it turns out.

130's only then.......9 twist won't stabilize the heavies in colder temps and higher elevations....and that's not a big deal, as 130's out rock 140's in that case capacity.

Try 130gr JLK's.

The 6.5X55 makes them both redundant.

In a short action?

Yes, a Kimber 84M, wood stock. The factory barrel was also 1 in 9, and loved flat base 140s (Remington factory, Speer Hot Cor, and Sierras), so I think unless I wanted to shoot the VLD profile bullets, I'll be fine. And I mostly shoot 129 Hornadys anymore. I agree, the 6.5 x 55 and .260 are redundant....but I'm sure a deer hit with one would be able to tell the difference .

Sound like a nice rifle in the works 300, good luck. My comment on the short action was more along the lines of, a 6.5 X 55 may not work very well in a short action.

Rifle Ecology. Now that is a text book I'd like to read!

What were the many advantages of the Creedmoor over the 260 that JB schooled you on?

Good hint...

My Kimber 1-9" wouldn't shoot anything over 125 worth a phooey, but would put 120-125's into tiny groups.

I'd go 1-8" personally, but I'm over a mile high in Montana.

bonefish, greater ability to seat VLD bullets to appropriate length with the Creedmoor, and possible less throat erosion due to longer neck/sharper shoulder. JB, correct me if I have misspoke your advice to me. I believe these advantages to be real, and if I didn't have a brass supply and dies for the .260 (and, admittedly a fond history with the cartridge) I would go Creedmoor. And I believe the folks who tell me a little more twist wouldn't hurt...but it was too late!
Never had an issue with the .260, in 1 in 9, so think I will be happy for the next 2000-3000 rounds with another one . A Creedmoor...well, in 8-10 years, I'll probably need another barrel, and then who knows.

Every barrel is different, but the factory barrel (1 in 9) was as happy with flat base 140s as it was with 95-129 grainers..and I shot a fair amount of all weights before deciding on the Speer 100 grain HP for varmint use and the 129 grain Interlock for deer. If I can't shoot heavier than 129 flat base...I will be ok. I am at about 3000 feet above sea level where I do virtually all my deer hunting, and lower for everything else.

Pointer....I think one can apply the concept of ecological niches to rifle cartridges. Look at all the .300 magnums that came out in the last twenty years....and how many are popular today. There are only so many of us small 6.5 lovers....and with three cartridges all similar (though I'll admit, not identical), I doubt all three will survive the next 20 years. The one or two that do the most best will probably be around...but all three?

And I have to say, I've enjoyed all the input given to me on this thread. Even if I didn't follow the advice, I pondered it....and then went with what I wanted. Perhaps I'm a looney, too.

I think your choice is fine, only thing is I would have went 1-8" twist, But unless you are shooting 130to 140 gr vlds or hybrids , they "may " not stabilize. Of the 6.5 cartridges in the group of a bunch , I think the .260 is the best , easy to form brass from others in these hard times faster then a 6.5x47 without way high pressures and still fits in a short action, 6.5-284 and 6.5x55 will not. The Creedmore is sort of the same as a .260 just a little different. I think the Creedmore and a
.260 are equals and I built a .260 because I had brass and dies offered to me for free, And I still love mine.........

Thanks, Wyoming260. By the time I had the advice, the 1 in 9 barrel was made and being shipped...so too late to take that advice . Installation is a month out, according the smith...just in time for some May days (when I find one with little wind) at the range at the farm . Bucks only this year for mule deer in Montana region 7, and I plan to be ready.

300 Savage, I ordered a NULA in 260 a couple of weeks ago. I agonized between 260 and 7/08. For the purpose of this rifle, the 7/08 might have been a slightly better call. No idea why I went 260 over the 7/08 but a decision had to be made. I could not tell any difference between the 260 and the 6.5 Creedmore other than the steeper shoulder angle and less taper. I went out and bought 200ct. of 260 Lapua brass and called the issue over. Finally decided on a scope for this rifle tonight. Agonizing over this hair splitting crap is part of the fun for me. For what it is worth, I would have been fine with a 1-9" twist as I will probably never shoot anything over 130g. Went with the 1-8" because that is what was recommended by the rifle maker.

Glad to see I'm not the only .260 fan around. I've used the cartridge (for everything till 2013) since 1998, and have grown sort of fond of it. A few coyotes, several deer, and quite a few prairie dogs. I like my Kimber, but would love a NULA...maybe someday.

Oh, I agree fully! I think it would make for a good series of articles or a book. It's an interesting parallel.

No perhaps about it. Good for you!

This site is a wonderful source of information. Unfortunately it is also a source of enablement for my addiction to fancy sporting stuff.

Well, picked it up yesterday. Gunsmith did a beautiful job. Won't get to shoot till next week though....busy week at work this week. I went 23.25" for barrel length, and there is a subtle, but noticeable improvement in balance. I can hold offhand just a little steadier than with the original 22", I believe.
The gunsmith noted that the barrel is quite tight. A .254 insert would enter, .255 would not. I understand this is land to land, and that the bore itself is ok, groove diameter. My original Kimber barrel accepted a .255 insert, and another Lilja .264 barrel the gunsmith had would accept .256. Need I be extra concerned, or can I try it with starting loads from a manual and not worry? Thanks in advance for any imput from folks with experience in this regard.

Blacktail53. I don't do pictures. Don't own a digital camera, and my phone doesn't have a multimedia plan, so pictures taken on it, stay on it. No apologies, my hobby money goes to rifles and components, as well as some reloading equipment, as that is what interests me. But if you have any experience with the topic I posted about, I'd be happy to hear from you. Perhaps you're enough of a visual learner that you can SEE the difference between a .254 bore and one that is .256. But I hope the words and numbers are sufficient.

Laffin

Most of us would love to see your project in the flesh, but no worries.... I'll use my imagination.

I went .260 myself. 129 IL's are the shcizz.....

Have a nice day

Sorry Blacktail53, my response was a bit sarcastic...last sentence especially . I'd post for you guys, but like I said, I've never gotten into photos...not back in the film days, and not now. Imagine a slightly worn Kimber 84 classic, bolt handle a little shiny and the stock a little sweat stained where my cheek hits it, but with a stainless, not blue, barrel. Same contour, but a smidgen longer. Leupold VX-III in Talley QDs. Should make it to the range next week sometime.
I too like the 129 grain interlocks. I push them along with H4831, and they are a great deer load.

I've recently acquired one of those in 84m Classic 260 with the 2 position safety.

I had no idea it was a 2 position as it looked just like a 3 position. My mistake, but no biggie, if I don't like it I'll change it....

I have mounted a Nikon 3-9 Monarch in S&K rings. Have not tried it our yet. (I had problems with the 6/48 and 1" rings). Anyhow now it's ready to rock.

I'll check it out one of these days.

It does seem to fit better than a newer model, I am curious if they (Kimber) changed the stock.

I've a friend with a 2 position safety 7-08 Kimber 84M. It does feel, subtly, different from my .260, a 2006 model with the 3 position safety. Don't know if they made a change, or if it's just that all wood stocks aren't as identical as the synthetic ones.
I think you'll like your rifle. I'd hunted with my Dad's old m99 Savage for over 20 years when I got my first .260, a Ruger 77 boat paddle. Never warmed up to it, but liked the caliber, so traded up for the Kimber. I used that Kimber .260 for EVERYTHING for 8 years.....deer in the fall, coyotes in the winter, and prairie dogs in the summer. And targets...lots of targets. I have a range at the farm with hanging steel, and those gongs just cry to be rung when I'm out there.
I actually think I shot the edge out of the original barrel, hence the rebarreling job that started this post. I've a .223 now, so the .260 will be retired from the dog towns. But it worked for all those tasks, even if not the perfect PD rifle. Will probably still use it for coyotes...good wind bucking qualities compared to the .223, and much lighter to carry.

I'm not a newie to the 260, I acquired a 700MR DM in 260 when Remington brought it out. For the hunting I do,the chambering is well suited, a personal favorite, and I have used it a lot.

I too was ready to re-barrel that 700 but then this one came along and I thought why not give it a go, see how it works out.

I think you made a good choice, putting a little more length/weight in the barrel....good luck with it.

I like the new length, it's not unhandy, but that extra inch and a quarter out there did improve the balance. I thought about a heavier weight contour, but I like the overall weight, just wanted a little different balance. Think I got what I was after.

I went 23" on several rifles and haven't regretted it. I like the balance point under the receiver ring, and that's where it has been on all but my 700 mountain rifle. That has a 24" MR contoured barrel which was helped by drilling a few holes in the butt. Still hangs well, though. Let us know how your baby shoots. And, as someone else said, the 129 ILs rock.

Well, finally got to load development with the Lilja .260 barrel. It does not like 120 grain Speers...groups were average at best, with 2 touching and 1 out on a predictable basis. Then tried 129 grain interlocks, and the magic happened. Ended up with enough H4350 to give 2740 fps average and about 30 thousandths off the lands consistently giving nice triangular groups of from 3/4" to a little over an inch. Interestingly, anything closer than 20 thousandths off the lands did not make the rifle happy...still nice triangles, but larger ones. I now have my deer load. H4831 didn't do badly, but the groups were not as consistent as with H4350. I have some 100 grain Sierra HP and 95 grain V-maxes on hand from when I used the .260 as a varmint rifle...have to see if I can find a happy load for them.

Another note...the new barrel doesn't pick up much copper. I didn't really break it in, but I did clean to bare metal after every 6-10 shots for about 4 cleanings. Then I shot it about 40 rounds, and three patches did the trick with Wipe-out.

I feel this portion of your question is true prophecy.

But, so what that is better than wildcat calibers that have to be fire formed, right? Enjoy whichever you choose, I would also like one of these calibers.

Good point. As long as there are 7-08s and .243s, brass should not be a big issue. Who knows...next time the barrel might be a 6.5 x 55!