Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 260 Remington?

Hey all. I'm currently holding a quote from Short Action Customs for a 260 build. Just looking for some light hearted conversation regarding the 260. Recipes, target pics, hunting stories, good bad or ugly. Before we get started,there is a Creedmoor in the safe right now. Now need to open that can of worms. If you want to weigh in with the skinny on your favorite 260, let's hear it.

My only 260 is a Remington Mountain Rifle. 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips with H4831 and H414 have been accurate and excellent on whitetails. For the last few years I switched to the 129gr Hornady PSP over 47.8grs H4831. They're nearly as accurate as the Noslers and they dig a little deeper.

My daughter has been using a .260 Remington since the age of 9 and she's 18 now. I started her off with a .243 at the age of 8 then purchased her a rem model 7 in .260 for her 9th birthday. She used the model 7 up until the age of 13 then I purchased her a 700 sps in .260 and that's what she still has. She wanted a wood stock like dad so I bought a CDL stock for it then bedded the action, floated the barrel and put a Timney trigger in it and she absolutely loves this rifle. She's killed some nice deer with her .260 and I've taken a few with it myself. Her deer load is a Sierra 120gr Pro Hunter in front of a full house of H4350 and it's performance on deer has been excellent for her. Her rifle is very accurate and she's a great shot with it as well. I don't think one can go wrong with the .260 Remington.

Bearcat has about the nicest version of the 260 ever made in my opinion....
and I'm not a big Remington Fan... but they sure did a nice job on those Mountain Rifles.

I could talk about a .260 all day long, and never shut up....one of my favorite, best rifles.

Game my family and I have taken with it:

Elk
Mule Deer
Antelope
Big Horn Sheep
Mountain Goat
Black Bear
Wolf
Grizzly Bear

I have a Sako 85 in 260, it feeds slick and smooth.

A few years ago I shot 3 does out of 8 crossing a field ... the field is only ~250 yards wide.

I also shot 600 yard bench with it rapid fine just to see what I could do, IIRC the group was 3.5” or just under.

That is one big coyote!

Nice pics, Scenar. I really like my .260. My favorite bullet is the 129 Interlock, over a max load of Re 17, for 3010 fps. I loaded a few 130 ELDM that a buddy gave me. It hit the same poi as the Interlocks, so I took them to Wyoming and shot a doe antelope.

I am considering building a new one on a Savage action that is a bit longer, to provide easier loading for long bullets. I have a Creed and really like it with 147 ELDMs, but I just like something about my .260. I have not found a load in either the creed, or .260, that will not shoot well. I have become a real fan of Criterion barrels.

My younger brother, with a sheep he took in the Breaks back in 2011.

One shot at 320 meters with the .260 and one 130gr Berger H-VLD3000fps...

309 meters, 130 Berger H-VLD



My better half with a nice buck antelope she took at 185 meters with the same rifle...

Agreed. One of my favorites.

She is stacking up some nice deer. Way to get it done!

I always enjoy your pics Pat. Especially the mulies.

I've been hunting with a Sako 75 stainless in .260 for the last 10 years. I've used only Nosler 120 gr Ballistic Tips in it. It has the slower 1/9 twist barrel but accuracy is as good as my custom rifles. It's my go to hunting rifle.

I have a Ruger 77 MK/II 260 stainless put together by Greg Young (Southern Precision Rifles) that I absolutely love. It has a Brux barrel and sits in a McMillan Classic "Flame" stock.

It shoots Nosler 120 Ballistic Tips loaded on top of H-4350, into tiny groups! Mine has a 1/8.5 twist. If you build one, I recommend a 1/8 twist.

I'm getting another 260, Tikka T3 stainless/fluted soon and I can't wait to shoot it. The 260 is a good cartridge.

Cool. That is one bodacious pronghorn.

Got me really thinking about a 260 now...

My Montana Rifle Company 260 22” 1:9” with 100 grain Barnes TTSX's is one of my favorite deer hunting combos.

100 grain Barnes TTSX @ 3080 - 3100 fps

0.010” off the lands

44.8 H414

F210

Lapua brass

The 260 with 100 TTSX has produced very consistent terminal effects culling deer and feral pigs without tearing up much meat.

Most of my shooting is close to very close, 100 yards to as close at 30 or even less on pigs.

So, bullet construction is more important than bc for me, although the 100 TTSX has produced DRT's out to 212 yards.

Cull buck, trophy class 6 pointer. Ingram Bullnose with old Westinghouse Ivory Micarta.



Different deer, 90# doe - entrance wound, diagonal through and exit behind the off side leg.



Exit on the offside, produced dropped where it stood.



Entrance after leg was removed, showing hit squarely into bone.



Exit wound on a pig that was running. I aim for the base of the ear, but did not lead enough. Nonetheless, the 100 TTSX blew out a vertebrae.

Another DRT.

I've been shooting 260's for quite a few years. I even took one to Africa on a fun cull hunt with 120 BT's. Took quite a few animals with head shots at night but did shoot 2 kudu bull trophy animals as well. Didn't have to look for them after the shot.

I sense that trip have had 2, 260 AI's built and like them even better. 123 SST's and 123 Lapua's are working well on deer and antelope at 3087 and 3090 out of 22" and 23" barrels.

I'm switching to the Nosler 140 gr. Partition this year because I'm just about out of 125's. Got a nice fat doe at 123 yards with the following load, she only went 20 feet and it was over.

Gun: Mike Bryant Custom Remington 700 with Krieger 26 inch 1 in 8 twist.

Bullet: Nosler 125 gr. Partition
Powder: XMR-4350 44.5 grs.
Primer: Federal 210
Case: Remington
LOAL: 2.776 (2.270 base to ogive for 0.006 bullet jump to lands)
Average Velocity: 2938.10 fps
Extreme Spread: 26.15
Standard Deviation: 11.91

Similar load with IMR-4350

Bullet: Nosler 125 gr. Partition
Powder: IMR-4350 44.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 210
Case: Remington
LOAL: 2.776 (2.270 base to ogive for 0.006 bullet jump to lands)
Average Velocity: 2925.65 fps
Extreme Spread: 23.32
Standard Deviation: 8.00

And the one I'm working on for this year. I'll probably switch to Remington brass too.

Bullet: Nosler 140 gr. Partition
Powder: Hodgdon H4831SC 44.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 210
Case: Nosler
LOAL: 2.790 (2.269 base to ogive for 0.010 bullet jump to lands)
Average Velocity: 2699.85 fps
Extreme Spread: 19.27
Standard Deviation: 9.27