I'm building a 260 remington rifle for long range hunting and target shooting.

I'm not sure where to start. Some say savage, some say remington.

I'm interested in everything: action, barrel, barrel length and contour, stock, ammo, the whole kit.

Can you help me?

Stationary hunting, or will it be carried around a fair bit?

Unless you're bent on a build, you might look for the discontinued Rem VLS in .260.

I'm having Karl Kampfeld build something similar...

Remington 700, Broughton 5.5 at 24" throated to shoot the 139gr Lapua Scenars (not really a hunting bullet, but I'm sure the 130gr TSX or 140gr Partition will do just fine). It'll be sitting in a McMillan HTG stock with Williams bottom metal, probably some "tacticool" style rings and a 3.5-10x40 Leupold with a M1 turret up top.

I've been waiting on this for almost a year. Can't wait for it to show up...

-Dan

Sounds like a winner to me...

I'd imagine most of your hunting in Texas is like ours here in Louisiana. Even if you are on foot, you spend a lot of time sitting and waiting. A heavier rifle really isn't that much of a burden. The one I'm doing for myself probably won't be finished until next year. I've got an A5 and #7 fluted SS 7mm-08 tube waiting for a 700 action and optics; it will be finished at 23" +/-. Should be easy on the shoulder, but 120's at 3000fps and 162's at 2700fps ought to perform well enough. I was torn on either a 260 or 7mm-08 and then happened upon the 7mm-08 barrel. My wife will be getting a SPS Varmint 243 in a McM Varmint pattern for Christmas; it's being assembled for similar purposes.

Yeah, I've got plenty of light rifles and a few heavyweights, but this will be my only true mid-weight. I figure it will be perfect for longrange plinking and the occasional longrange hunt. I'm guessing all up it will go around 10lbs.

i would like a 260 w/26" magnum contour fluted tube. 700. micky classic with a LR 4.5x14 ele turret.... still toteable but rock solid for a bipod or such....

JMO

woofer

The Rem. magnum contour looks good in a McM Classic, I've got the 22" version with my restocked LVSF.

Any reason you shied away from the 6.5-284? It has such a following in the target crowd that you can ride their coattails.

I have one built by Tannel on a long 700 in a Mickey HTG with a Schneider barrel that is .5 MOA for as far as I have shot it.

If you're asking me, I just wanted a 260. I had a short action available, and I figured there would be less mag-box constraints with the .260 vs. the 6.5-284 in the short action. But mostly, I just wanted a 260.

too close to call and a little less of most everything but performance.....

I am also looking at the 257 Weatherby, but the 260 looked better since I have all the parts already except barrel and stock

you could also go the savage LRPV if a single shot worked... pretty much a slam dunk...........

woofer

At the 06 Shot show, saw the 6.5x284 savage....at a price of 1k??? SOOO, for me, I'd build a rifle custom bbl.

I am with you guys, time and place for lighter guns, but always built/want a heavier sporter.....i.e. .675-.700 muzzle or even up to a 700 Varmint taper.

If more guns were in say a 22-23" bbl, on a contour like the LTR, that would be my choice for most of what I do, which is not carrying them up and down mountains all day.

I'd rather my weight to be in the bbl given a choice, save difference in a light Kevlar stock. Heavier bbls always not only steadied better, but shot better, heat up slower, etc.

If building a short action 6.5 and esp if a reloader, I'd look strongly at a 6.5x47 and 6.5 Creedmoor. Just for Max accuracy.

For a tad more recoil, Jpro will run next in trajectory and wind in the 7/08. 120s at 3100, ballistic tips and vmax shoot flat, TSX will even do in elk, and the 140 accubonds to me are great long distance deer medicine from any angle, and the 162 amax's.....well, they will REACH out and touch something....deadly. Jpro if you have not, try some WW brass, holds a little more powder, and 4064 and Varget gave me best results 120- 140 gr.

I have RL15, Varget, and IMR 4895 to try, but will keep 4064 in mind also. Just saw where RL17 is supposed to be less temperature sensitive, like RL15. It may become a mainstay around my place if it lives up to the hype.

It's Remington's own fault for practically killing the 260, but that's old news around here. I'm sure I'll get around to doing one someday....

Contact ER Shaw and get one of their new rifles based on the Savage action, as JB wrote up in the new "Handloader" magazine. Your choice of caliber, barrel contour, etc, for a reasonable price. Or start your build with a Savage varmint rifle like this: http://savagearms.com/12Varminter.htm and screw on a .260 barrel of your choice.

I have a stock, and Wally World is selling accutrigger 243s in Lacey for $377. I figure $300 for the barrel. That's around $800 all up minus the 243 barrel (50) and the original stock ($35).

Say $750 when the smoke clears.

Sounds like a plan to me. A good Pac-nor or Shilen screw-on barrel in the contour of your choice will make a smokin' rifle. I put a 1:9 .25/06 Pac-nor on my Savage Weather Warrior, 24" long and .585" at the muzzle, and started shooting .6-.7" groups with a straight 6x scope. A heavier barrel (and a better shooter ) should tighten things up nicely.

A few years back I had a 1/8 twist #5 shilen screwed onto a smooth mdl 77 action and stuck it in a McMillian. I had the chamber cut to fit the 125 grain partition but it loves the 120 grain ballistic tips and 129 grain interlocks. I think I'm gonna give the bergers a shot next. It wieghs about 9 1/2. I've packed it more than I thought I would and really like it for long range rock busting.

Go here. http://www.centershotrifles.com/

New, but highly motivated, gunsmith. Educated in Colorado at the gunsmith school there. Anal about precision. Disclaimer - He is my friends brother. He is doing work for me now. I have received one rifle back from him that he did some minor work on and it looks great. Haven't shot it as I only got it back last night. He shot three 100 yard groups of .75, .83 and .93 without load development. He took second overall at the last F-class in Lodi, Wi. with one of his rifles. Yes, I am trying to get him going. Give him a call at least. You have nothing to lose.

Fast Ed (shill for Jim See)

the funny thing is all the guys wanting light rifles are generally from states without the ruff terrain common to the west, if you hunt terrain that is nasty enough to need a light rifle chances are you are gonna need to be able to make a long shot, a heavier gun will shoot better in field conditions. I have a 270 win with a #5 krieger barrel, its a little over 8#'s without scope, I used a lightweight firing pin and shroud, as well as talley lightweights that cut at least 6oz off the gun, to allow more in the barrel. I could loose another few if I went with factory bottom metal instead of williams. The gun carries just fine, if you can't carry a 9#+rifle with scope all up, you need to work out or something, I have no problem and I hunt where there are real mountains

I am in the process of building a 260 on a Winchester M70 action with a Lija #5 fluted in a 1:8 twist. I see the appeal.

I got real attentive to the 260 a couple of years ago when SU35, who posts here, shot a Mulie in Washington State at 507 yards.
I can see one of them in my crystal ball..

David
I built up a Savage on a Stockade Gunworks[Kevin Rayhill] 'woodchuck' model stock. You can save a bunch buying the 'out of the mould' model and do the finishing yourself [150 IIRC]. It has a bedding block and comes w/recoil pad. Excellent stocks for the $'s.
The woodchuck has a med. wide "marksman" style forend that is easy to carry in hand AND rides a bag well.
I lucked out and found a Savage FP barrel in 260 for a song[fouls easily BUT holds around 1/2 min...out to 800 so far!].

I would suggest a Pac- Nor 26" poly or 3 groove 1 in 8 for the 139-142's.

FWIW
Wes in AZ
I figured you would be busy w/ the 308 moly 168's you got....HA!....I had the first reply in but kept getting a busy signal [must have been you]....missed them by 10 minutes !!

David,
I know you have already considered this, and I can appreciate wanting to build something for yourself, but how far is the 700 CDL-SF from where you want to be? It has a 24 inch barrel and 700 action with a laminated stock. I would say that it could be had for about the same money you are talking about spending to build.

In the end, brother, it is your dime. Get what you want.

So if I understand correctly, you're going to go with a Savage action. You mentioned you have a stock. Which one? Sounds like the only thing you have left to decide on is which barrel to use. With a Savage action, I would go with one of the pre-threaded and chambered barrels and buy the action wrench, barrel nut wrench, and headspace guages, and mount it myself. With this setup, have as easy a switch-barrel setup. If you wanted to shoot a 22-250 for a while, buy the pre-threaded and chambered barrel and headspace guages, and screw it on. Pac-Nor will sell you a pre-threaded and chambered barrel. That kind of flexability is hard to ignore, especially when you add in that you can change out the bolt head on a Savage action, and move to a .223 based cartridge, if you are willing to shoot it as a single shot...

As far as targets and long range hunting, I have a #5 barrel on my .308, and it is a GREAT compromise between portability, balance, and repeatable, consistent accuracy. My McMillan stocked 700 with its 22" #5 Krieger comes out at 8lbs, 14oz with socpe. Easy to carry, easy to shoot well...

John