Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 260 Rem vs 308

Truth

[bleep]’ A.

Not much of a decision, 260....

If you already own a 260 there is very little incentive to trade for a 6.5 Creedmoor. But if buying a new rifle there is no reason to choose 260 over 6.5 Creedmoor. If you don't hand load the 6.5 is absolutely a no brainer. It does everything slightly better with inexpensive, readily available factory loads. Try finding ANY factory loads for 260. I can't think of anything a 25-06 does that a 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor doesn't so better and a 243 just as good.

At the ranges you're talking about there is little difference between 308 and either the 260 or 6.5 other than recoil. The 308 will be in the 15-16 ft lb range vs about 12 ft lbs for either the 260 or 6.5.

I have owned a 260 in a Remington Model Seven stainless, with 20" barrel. It was very accurate and easy to carry. I sold it, but that's what rifle loonies do. I currently have a Tikka T-3 Hunter in 6.5x55 and that is very accurate as well. If I were to buy another 6.5 caliber rifle, I would do as JMR40 says above - buy a Creedmoor, and for the same reasons he states.

Another consideration is what kind of a rifle you want. Do you want a light, short carbine-style rifle for woods hunting, or do you want an all around rifle with full length barrel. If the former, I would look to buy a Model Seven or something similar. My favorite eastern woods rifle is my Model Seven in 7mm-08. It's an early model with blued 18-1/2" barrel. It carries nicely and is perfect for sitting in a tree stand.

Let us know what you decide.

The

I have both a .308 & .260. Identical rifles (NULA) They are within a few ounces of each other and balance the same.I have shot both mulies and whitetail with both and really cant see any difference as to the effect on game. In my MIND the .308 hits harder, but that may be cause it kicks a bit more. If heavier game was on the menu I might lean more towards the .308. I use 165 BT in the .308 and 129 ABLR in the .260.

Either one is excellent.

Lefty C

both the bambi's I've taken with this combo were DRT. little kicking on the ground and thats it... I'm sold on the light for caliber TTSX loadings. wanna try to 160gr. in a .338 federal next.

I'd suggest using the 260 gun money on a handloading setup...

It'll make your 308 more interesting.

But, if you just want a rifle the 260 is a great choice IMO.

I was thinking about that. I just don't have a lot of space for it. Also, it would take me at least 500 rounds (over $1,000) of premium rounds just to break even. If I start shooting more it might be worth it.

I will look into the 6.5 Creedmoor when the time comes to buy a long-range deer gun. I am somewhat aware of it's abilities but it looked to be equal to a .260 Rem but a few fps slower. The factory ammo seemed to me more match ammo and heavier bullets than the .260 Remington. I'll have to give it another look when the time comes to see if it really does "everything slightly better." The availability of factory ammo is not an issue for me. The local Cabela's carries it in a few varieties. I also buy ammo online and it is available in all the variety that I would need.

I missed the mark with my handload suggestion earlier. I thought you wrote something about buying bullets, so that had me thinking you were a handloader.

I know this thread began as a discussion of 260 vs 308. As I have grown older, I look for ways to lessen felt recoil when possible. The 6.5 caliber offerings today give me that possibility without sacrificing performance on game. I love my 308 but it gets left in the safe more and more as the Creedmoor and 260 have proven themselves in the game fields to my satisfaction.

I have both, the Creedmoor and the 260, along with a 6.5 Swede. Factory loadings for the Creedmoor are far more varied than for the other 2 calibers. All the factory ammo I've shot through my Creedmoor are very accurate. So accurate in fact, I haven't had to begin loading for it, yet.

I will not get rid of the 260 even though I shoot the Creedmoor a bit more now, even though it may not push bullets any faster than the 260. I believe, if I wanted to do a handload comparison, I would find the 260 runs faster than the Creedmoor for most all hunting weight bullets. When you get over 140 grains, the Creedmoor may begin to show a faster fps than the 260. That's my 2 cents. Your results may vary.

IMO/E it's not about financials, but tailoring loads you want, when you want them. As far as space, I started with a single stage press mounted to a board that was held up by two L-brackets next to my computer desk in a 1 bedroom apartment...

If you are going to stick with factory ammo, I'd go Creedmoor over the 260. Better options and availability.

Let me add a +1 to the handloading route.

Although it would not be my first choice, The Lee Breech Lock Kit can be had for under $140. Lee dies can be had for $30 a set. This would be adequate for a 1-chambering beginner's setup. This is a rig that could be set up on the kitchen table or a desk and stored in a footlocker.

My point here is, given an existing 308 WIN rifle, a shooter can build custom ammo that is better suited to the task. I've done just that with my one 308 WIN rifle. It's a Savage 99. I deliberately downloaded it to 300 Savage levels for use out of my treestands. Recoil is not much more than a 30-30, and it makes an awesome 150 yard deer rifle. I'm sure it would work out much further, but I just don't have those kind of distances available from my treestands.

Just knocking 5% off the MAX load turns just about any hunting rifle into a much lighter shooting rig. It also frequently produces a really accurate load without a whole lot of work.

And just BTW: Our whole deer camp runs off standard Cup-n-Core Hornadys and Remingtons and 90% of what gets lobbed at the deer is powered by H4895. There is no need for us to be using premium loads.

WRONG 260, 6.5 Creed and the 243 do NOT even begin to approach a 25-06 in muzzle blast. MB

Update: Based on this endorsement, I bought a 25-06.

I couldn’t resist the urge for a new toy. I bought 60 rounds of the .308 VOR-TX with the 130 grain Barnes bullets. I’ll see how they do. Since I was off the .260 I decided to buy a 25-06 to play with. I got a Browning X-Bolt in the white gold model (stainless with a walnut stock). It has a 24 inch barrel so I don’t think the muzzle blast will be too bad. I just need to pck out a scope for it.

Funny timing. I just added an X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 25-06. Now I just need to get it set up with the Talley’s and VX2 I bought and and then see how it shoots 110 AccuBonds.

Cool. I almost bought that model too. I have a couple black synthetic rifles already and I thought the White Gold was nice looking. Good luck with it. I have VX-1 scopes on all of my rifles and have never had a complaint (thus, I keep buying them). This time I am thinking about a VX-3i because it comes in 4.5-14x40 with the Boone and Crockett reticle. I thought that might be a nice option for longer range shots that the rifle should be capable of. Any thoughts on that scope?

Also, Alex, are you hand loading those Accubonds? My intention was to use the 110 Accubonds for deer but the only factory loads that I have seen are from Double Tap and they cost $60 a box. If that is all I can find, I might use the E-Tip copper bullets for $1 less per shot.

Federal sells the 110 AB. I love the 100g. BT, never had a deer take more than three steps.

The White Gold is a nice looking rifle. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I think the VX3i will be a fine scope for the rig. I have a VX2 4-12x40 with the LR Duplex reticle. As far as ammo, I load all of my own. I’m planning to start with Nosler book loads of RL19 under the 110 AB.

The VX-3i 4.5-14x40 is about my favorite hunting scope from Leupold. Awesome glass! I'd have to go count them, but I think I currently have about 6-7 of them on rifles. The CDS turret is a nice option if you're going to consider shooting some longer shots. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you try one!