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I may be in the wrong place but I am considering buying a .260 Remington (or possibly a 25-06). I would be using it as my primary rifle for whitetails. I had been using a .30-06 for years but last year I switched to a .308 when a friend bought me a stainless .308 as a gift. I have shot 2 bucks with the .308 with good results (shot a bear too but with poor results due to a bad bullet choice). For no good reason, I have become enamored with the idea of hunting deer with a light kicking, flat shooting, smaller bullet. I was about to buy a .260 Rem but just saw that my intended load of 120 grain Barnes TTSX is 200 fps slower out of a .260 than the 130 grain TTSX out of a .308. Now, I am questioning the benefit of a .260.

The obvious benefit is that I like to only shoot one load out of my rifles so I don’t have to mess with the scopes too much. I have been shooting 150 TTSX out of the .308 and I get just about the same point of impact out of a 165 grain Accubond. I know that the sectional density would be higher in a .260 with 120 grain bullet than a .308 in 130 grains but Barnes seem to penetrate plenty without much regard for SD. Also, the larger diameter would hit harder. I also know that the .260 would have a higher ballistic coefficient but the added 200 fps muzzle velocity would take quite a distance to overcome. Most of my shooting is close (inside 100 yards) and would likely never exceed 300 yards. Is there any advantage within 300 yards to the .260 with 120 grain TTSX versus a .308 with a 130 grai TTSX? Less recoil maybe?

Thanks

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No deer in the world is going to know the difference between almost any cartridge inside of 300 yards. 200 fps doesn't mean jack at the range you reference.

My primary rifle is a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 7mm-08. I've killed deer past 500 yards and elk out to 346 yards. If you want a .260, buy one. It will kill far beyond your ability to shoot.





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Neither you nor the deer will notice much difference, but don’t let me discourage you from getting a .260. I did just this a few years ago and now thinking about letting the .260 go.

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Keep your 308 and run the 130TTSX for everything.

If you really need to drop some recoil, run the 110TTSX with 40 grains of 4198.

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I use a 260 with the 130 accubond and out to 300 it works fine. When I pull the trigger something dies 0n the other end. Has not failed me yet. Coyotes, hogs, Deer. Nothing bigger.

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I have both and both reliably kill whitetails. If you want flat in the ,260, run 100 gr TTSX's over 42-43 grains of 4064 or 4166. I'm mid 3,100's and accuracy for 3-shots is around 1/2". I've also ran the 120 TTSX's and using N204 get right at 2,900 fps, but I think the 100's kill just as well. I've since moved on to Partitions in both rifles and from the small number of deer I've shot, I think they kill better if there is such a thing.


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The obvious answer is the 6.5 Creedmoor! wink

Unless you just want a new rifle, I'd stick with the .308 and the 130 gr TTSX.


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The 120s in the .260 will probably out-penetrate the 130s in the .308, will definitely fly flatter and farther and will recoil less in the process. Those are the only advantages I can think of but no deer will ever recognize them. An elk might, though, but not much.

If you want to compare apples to apples, go with the 100gr 6.5 TTSX in your .260.

I have owned both and if you handload I'd run a .260 all day and twice on Sunday over a .308 for the recoil reduction alone. And if the two bullet choices are 120 in 6.5 and 130 in .308, that 120 is going to run flatter and get deeper for more icing on the cake.


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I know scenarshooter had a thread a few years ago about his test results of his 260 vs his 308. Can’t seem to find it though


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Thanks guys. I’ll have to think things over. I am not recoil sensitive anyway but my .308 is a 24” barrel and wouldn’t mind someting shorter. I don’t reload at the momement but have been considering starting. How would a 100 grain 25-06 compare outof a 22 inch barrel?

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Originally Posted by Kimber7man
I know scenarshooter had a thread a few years ago about his test results of his 260 vs his 308. Can’t seem to find it though



https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...s/6552195/Re:_GAP_.308_VS._GAP_.260....S



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Just a personal thing, but I wouldn’t own a .25-‘06 with a 22” barrel. And I am a HUGE .25-‘06 fan.


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Originally Posted by Theeck
Thanks guys. I’ll have to think things over. I am not recoil sensitive anyway but my .308 is a 24” barrel and wouldn’t mind someting shorter. I don’t reload at the momement but have been considering starting. How would a 100 grain 25-06 compare outof a 22 inch barrel?


I think you should leave your decision to the 260 or 308.
In fact, you can cut that 24" barreled 308 down to 20-21". You might be surprised how well it handles and how well it balance in the Remington sporter contour.
I would not become infatuated with speed. If you want to shoot Barnes bullets, do so. However, deer are not that hard to kill, and factory loading will work. I like 150 or 165 Hornady ammo. It works!

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Originally Posted by Theeck
I have shot 2 bucks with the .308 with good results (shot a bear too but with poor results due to a bad bullet choice).


Not to derail this but I'm interested to hear how a "bad bullet choice" caused poor results on a bear.

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Originally Posted by Theeck
I may be in the wrong place but I am considering buying a .260 Remington (or possibly a 25-06). I would be using it as my primary rifle for whitetails. I had been using a .30-06 for years but last year I switched to a .308 when a friend bought me a stainless .308 as a gift. I have shot 2 bucks with the .308 with good results (shot a bear too but with poor results due to a bad bullet choice). For no good reason, I have become enamored with the idea of hunting deer with a light kicking, flat shooting, smaller bullet. I was about to buy a .260 Rem but just saw that my intended load of 120 grain Barnes TTSX is 200 fps slower out of a .260 than the 130 grain TTSX out of a .308. Now, I am questioning the benefit of a .260.

The obvious benefit is that I like to only shoot one load out of my rifles so I don’t have to mess with the scopes too much. I have been shooting 150 TTSX out of the .308 and I get just about the same point of impact out of a 165 grain Accubond. I know that the sectional density would be higher in a .260 with 120 grain bullet than a .308 in 130 grains but Barnes seem to penetrate plenty without much regard for SD. Also, the larger diameter would hit harder. I also know that the .260 would have a higher ballistic coefficient but the added 200 fps muzzle velocity would take quite a distance to overcome. Most of my shooting is close (inside 100 yards) and would likely never exceed 300 yards. Is there any advantage within 300 yards to the .260 with 120 grain TTSX versus a .308 with a 130 grai TTSX? Less recoil maybe?

Thanks
............................Given the fact that you will "LIKELY" never exceed 300 yards and most of your shooting is inside a 100 yards, then it won't make a darn bit of difference whether you use a 308 or the 260 Rem. However, if you were to run the #s on a ballistics table and check for retained down range velocity, energy, flatter trajectories and so forth, the slower 120 gr 260 bullet from the muzzle will catch up to the faster 130 gr 308 bullet in all depts I'm guessing somewhere beyond 300 yards.

Recoil with the 6.5s will be less.

There are some videos on you tube you can watch......Type in,,,,, "Ron Spomer 260 and 7/08 vs 308."..........."Ron Spomer 6.5 mm vs 300 Win."........And you will see a few other videos on there showing and proving the benefits of the 6.5s vs the 308.

But given your ranges, and unless you just want to really own a 6.5, you really have no need for one imo.


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Buy the 260 and keep the 308! That way you can make your own decisions! You can't have too many rifles anyway!

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Having shot 308s... both in the military and civilian...

I've never personally owned a 308, when a 30/06 will do more in my opinion...

But owning 260s, since they first came out....20 plus years ago...

I can tell ya this... Started out with 100 grain bullets, with a charge of 43.5 grains of 4064...

that was worked up to, and this was before data was available... I used 6.5 x 55 load data
and worked up...

I've shot several deer at over 300 yds, with a rest... and using a 3 x 9 Leupold scope with
a target dot reticle...on 4 power, I never lost sight picture of the deer during recoil, and watched
it drop like a sack of potatoes thru the scope....

a 308 wouldn't do that for ya...

yet move up to a 140 grain bullet and it will penetrate more than adequately on game the size of an elk...


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The average whitetail deer hunter shoots his average whitetail deer inside 80 yards. In total, my average is well below that, but the last decade has seen me stretch out, taking more in the 150-170 yard range. Although I've not taken deer with a 260 REM, I've seen them used to good effect. I've currently got a 25-06 that I'm working into my deer rifle rotation, so I have at least a little relevant experience.

Look, if it was simply about performance, you'd have stopped with the 30-06. You switched to 308 WIN, because it was a gift. You're switching to 260 REM now, because. . .?

If you want me to get all shamanic with with you, I'd say the bear still holds sway in your world. Until you go back and kill that bear, every chambering you touch will be inadequate.

Almost none of any of this has anything to do with the physical reality of what happens when a bullet hits a deer. Every centerfire rifle cartridge out there is capable of converting deer to venison, and for every DRT story you read about a rifle, a cartridge, or a bullet there will be another one about a deer that got away. For every 308 WIN maven there is a guy who says it is inadequate and still another that says it over-penetrates.

When I've shot 260 REM, I was impressed by its light recoil. When I saw it used, the owner had drilled a 75 lb doe at 20 yards. This is not an amazing feat. However, most of whitetail deer hunting is like this. You plan for the extremes and you are presented with the mundane.

The other devilishly perverse part of the sport is that you can take the same rifle out, same load, same shot under the same conditions and get completely different results. I'm mostly a heart-n-lungs kind of guy. I have seen every reaction from a deer imaginable -- everything from hit-with-a-hammer to nonchalantly going back to feeding before keeling over. I've tried rifles from a 25-06 to 35 Whelen, shotguns and muzzleloaders as well. Neither 25-06 or 35 Whelen did anything better or worse than a 30-06 or 308 WIN.
Quote

For no good reason, I have become enamored with the idea of hunting deer with a light kicking, flat shooting, smaller bullet.



I would agree with you: no good reason. Reason has nothing to do with it. That doesn't mean I disagree with your choice in pursuing a 260 REM. I certainly don't disagree with your quest. Those bears can be tough critters to put down.

OH! One other thing. Whenever I have a misadventure, I always blame the rifle. I always immediately stop using the rifle and go to my backup. The rifle is placed in the back of the safe in a state of disgrace. It is left in the dark for good long time and only put back into service after a severe admonishment. This seems to work. Secondarily, I usually blame the bullet and go about finding a suitable replacement. My remaining inventory of those bullets are usually left to repent their sins for a minimum of 5 years before given the priviledge of returning to service, usually in another rifle.


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Originally Posted by Theeck
I have become enamored with the idea of hunting deer with a light kicking, flat shooting, smaller bullet.


All the ballistic minutiae in your post is irrelevant on deer inside 300 yards, or even 500 yards... the above the salient statement in your post.

Though the 260 answers what you want, I think the Creedmoor would be an even better choice.

My sense is you're overthinking this... whitetail deer are just not that tough, any of a 100 cartridges will work to perfection.

Might as well use something that doesn't beat you up. My favorite used to be the 250 Savage...


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A low recoil (and though you don't mention it, light and handy) rifle is worth pursuing, but don't expect any performance miracles on game; with good bullets and good shooting, you'll be fine with almost anything (although less recoil may make you a better shot).

If you decide to go ahead with your notion, I'd suggest the 6.5 Creedmoor as well, for the better selection of available rifles and ammo as much as anything. .260s are a bit scarce and the ballistics are practically identical.


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