Both because the Creedmoor is better designed for the reality of short-action magazines and long bullets, AND because Hornady and Ruger started out with the correct rifling twist for longer bullets, and produced very accurate (yet affordable) ammo and rifles. They did everything right that Remington missed with the .260, and followed up, instead of giving up on the .260 like Remington did relatively quickly after its introduction in 1997. Some of the factors that have mostly killed the .260 couldn't have been foreseen by Remington, but some could have, and it certainly could have used better (and longer) factory support.
Don't get me wrong. I've owned three .260's and have one right now, a special-run Tikka T3 from Whittaker Guns with a 1-8 twist. It's one of my favorite "modern" rifles, but my Ruger American 6.5 Creedmoor not only bypasses the cartridge-length problem but shoots even better!
I have long thought that Remington's launch of the 260 would be an interesting Harvard Business Review case study on how not to launch a new cartridge. I find it interesting that Remington chose to emphasize muzzle velocity speed when they loaded 100 and 120 grain bullets in the 6.5 Rem Mag, while choosing to emphasize who knows what when they chose to only offer a 140 grain load in the "standard" grade/price ammo in the 260. If, as some believe, the 260 had the potential to be a better dual purpose varmint and medium game cartridge than the 243, it seems as though Remington would have helped the 260 get traction if they had offered a wider range of bullet options. I don't claim any particular expertise in marketing, but I have to wonder if the 260 would have had more success if Remington had initially offered a 100 grain bullet at 3,200 fps and a 120 grain bullet at 3,000 fps instead of, or in addition to, the relatively slow 140 grain load that they chose to launch with. In addition to the handicap of limited factory ammo options, Remington never cataloged the 260 in three of their best selling CF hunting rifles, the 700 ADL, 700 BDL, and 7600, which seems like a clear signal of their lack of support/commitment.
I'd like to hear more about your take on those factors that have mostly killed the 260 and which couldn't have been foreseen by Remington. Other than the fairly recent interest in the longer VLD bullets, I can't remember anything that was happening circa 1997/1998 that shouldn't have been on the marketing team's launch checklist.
