Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best combo for 1:8 twist .260 Rem

This:

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/ber...brid-otm-tactical-65-30020-p-109324.aspx

Lots of good, effective loads.

I'm getting interested in the new 156 EOL Berger, have some headed my way.

I don't have a .260, but do have Creed, Swede, 6.5-284 and 26 Nosler.

Berger was showing 2,800 fps with the Creed, using RL-26. That's pretty fast for such a heavy bullet in that round. They only give 156 EOL data out over the phone, haven't published it yet. I just sent Berger an Email, asking if they had actually pressure tested those loads. We'll see. They're faster than Horn max, but Horn didn't include RL-26 and their data can be conservative.

Anyway, with a B.C. of .679, that bullet does well at long range, at least on paper. With the Nos pushing it at 3K fps, the 6.5-284 at 2,850- 2,900 and the Creed at 2,800, the Hornady Ballistic Calculator has 500 yd drop numbers between those three closer than I would have thought.

All 4 of the mentioned rifles are 8 twist. A .260 8 twist with that bullet could be interesting. I'd think RL-26 may be a good one to try.

Curiously, Berger had RL-25, RL-33 and Vv n-570 as their powders of choice for the 6.5-284, n-570 the speed champ at 2,905 fps.

Their 26 Nos line up had n-570 as the speed demon at 3,114fps, 90% fill. Others were H-50 BMG, RL-50, U.S. 869, all running 3K+ fps, with 92-99% fill, no compressed loads. Of course, I have all of those. Just don't have Vv 20N29, another good Nos powder.. But, I have enough powder to finish off the barrel if I work at it...

About 400 round count with some Hawkeye changes to the throat. Still sub MOA. Probably good for another 400, maybe 500. Don't think I'm gonna go there.

DF

That Berger ammo is some seriously good sh*t. I've been shooting it in my custom heavy barrel, and it likes.........

My first 260 is a Ruger 77 all-weather and while it was love at first sight, it turned out to be a struggle to find good loads that it liked. I think I've tried most of the standard bullet/powder combos (100gr BT and Partition....NO. 120gr BT and Sierra Prohunter - OK. 140gr bullets - NOPE.) Finally tried the 120gr TTSX and found good accuracy with Reloader 19. Inadvertently shot some of my Ruger reloads in my Forbes and it liked the TTSX/RE19 combination even better than the Ruger.

I've had best luck with the 120s in hunting loads. The 120 BT and Prohunter both open up pretty quick. The last buck I shot with a Prohunter caught the bullet behind the offside shoulder at about 85 yds. He was a big, 200lbs+ deer though. The TTSX just keeps going until it achieves a low-earth orbit.

Great cartridge though....I guess that's why I own three.

Kaiser Norton

Just got this email from Berger, asking them if that data had been pressure tested.

No, that data has not been pressure tested yet which is why we aren't able to send out hard copies via email at this time. It was developed using the QuickLoad software as a stepping stone before we can move into full pressure testing verification. Once its tested, it'll be added to our website and hopefully into an eventual 2nd Edition manual. We don't push our pressures up to the SAAMI redline so there is a little safety buffer built in, but you will want to start on the low end and work up slowly and watch for signs of pressure within your rifle.

So, take it as presented, start low, go slow.

QL sometimes gets pretty ambitious with it's info. It's only a guide, not definitive data. Even backing off a bit from their red line loads, you still could be in Zombie land and need to be careful. So, do I trust 2,800 fps with 156 EOL's in the Creed. Maybe not...

Especially if 2,650 or so is in the Horn max range; a 150 fps gap at the top end gives one pause (me for sure)...

If it sounds too good.....

DF

so I made it to the range today with some very limited ammunition.

I had 3 100 grain ballistic tips --- in the Brux barrelled Savage 260 they shot about 2.5" group
I cracked open a new box of 125 grain partitions and fired 5 of them. They grouped at about 1", maybe a little more but I had two of those shots I was not happy with when I let them go.
Shot a 3 shot group from my brothers reloads of 130 grain GameChangers and they were pretty much a one hole group. I am going to get the load data from him on those rounds and likely run with those. I will also try the rifle with 130 grain Accubonds, and hopefully they will be similar and even better if they were about the same point of impact.

I have had good luck in my 260 with 4064 as well.

100 TTSX: 41.6 for 3166, very accurate.

120 Sierra: 41.0 for 2944, very accurate.

Bet both of those loads will put the hurt on most anything.

DF

There’s been very little said about the Hornady IL 129 offering.....
I know it’s not sexy and there’s others with better form factors and style points......But-
They’re inexpensive and in my experience accurate.

They’ve expanded and held together well on two elk and are simply instant poison on the several big blacktail bucks I’ve shot with them, with both the .260 and 6.5 CM. They’re the first Bullet I try when a new rifle finds its way into the house.....

The 129g Interlock in particular are easy to load, accurate, and effective.

It's very interesting too that so many people use and really like the 120g ProHunter. No doubt it shoots really well in several of our rifles, and I had considered it for my daughter's swede but I had 'heard' rumor it was too soft. May try that next, thanks

I’m using 130 Sierra game changers in 6.5CM tikka, 24” barrel. Pushing them pretty hot with big game. Just under 2900

The 120 prohunter gets pretty good reviews on midway some have plenty of detail.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010525454?pid=517478

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

Back when data was scarce on the 260, I worked up a load for the 100 grain Partitions and Ballistic Tips I had...
4064 was my powder of choice....

out of my 22 inch barreled Ruger 77, 43.5 grains got me 3350 fps out of the muzzle
in my Rem VLS, with a 26 inch barrel, that moved the MV up to 3450 fps...

Nosler came out finally with load data in their next manual... and their recommendation for 4064 was 1/2 grain less than what I had worked up to in my 260s...I've dropped multiple black tails at 300 plus yards with that combo and all went down right there..

I40 grain bullets... 44 grains of IMR 4350... 2750 fps out the Muzzle... that worked real fine also...

The 260s I latched onto back in 1998, are the main reason, I've never gotten all fired up about the Creedmoor...same round in a different wrapper...and bass availability? most of my 260 rounds have 308 stamped on the bottom of them...pretty much all range picked up brass.. I don't shoot a 308, so zero confusion to worry about...

I've always been in the Keith corner (heavy for caliber) so I've got several hundred 140 SST's and almost 8 pounds of H-4350. The books listed max around 42.0 grains and I carefully worked up to 43.5 and zero pressure signs with the best results at 43.1 (2,656fps 22" barrel). I hope to hunt with it, but its primarily a paper-killer. If I do decide to get more in-depth in the long-range game, I'll probably go with either the 135 or 153 A-Tip variety and try other powders.

Here's a post i made back in 2012 on the 120gr Pro Hunter. Rest assured, the Pro Hunter isn't soft at all. As i stated in my earlier post we've only recovered a couple of these bullets and they were lodged under the skin on the exit side after going through both shoulders and were in a nice mushroom, looked like a bullet from a Sierra ad.
https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=28223

My daughter started out with this bullet at age 8 with a model 7 .260 and harvested several deer with it. She's now 20 and has a model 700 260 and is using the same Sierra Pro Hunters that she started out with at age 8 and has taken quite a few deer with this bullet. She's never shot anything but the 120gr Pro Hunter in her .260 with excellent results on deer and you'd have a hard time trying to convince her to try something else. Mike

Guybo54, those 120g Pro Hunter are obviously working really well for your daughter, thanks for that link.

I don't have years of experience with the 260 yet but I have put just around 200 bullets through my new barrel. It seems to shoot everything well enough and even the worst isn't that bad. But I have settled on I4350 with bullets weighing from120 to 140 grains. The 120 gr. Ballistic Tips and Sierra Prohunters are more accurate than I would have expected making groups of around half an inch regularly. The 140 grain Sierra Gameking does the same thing. The 130 gr. ELDM in this rifle is very picky about seating depth, powder charge weight and how the barrel is bedded. Right now for my purposes the "best" combo is a near max load of I4350 and the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip for hunting and my next target load will be worked on using the same powder and the 140 gr. Barnes Match Burner. Hope it plays well.

I typically am as well, rifle and handgun, HOWEVER.....IME, it's hard to beat a 120-130 class for 6.5 in this speed range, for trajectory, recoil, and at ranges to 400 yds, they are PLENTY for the OP's use.

Not a thing wrong with heavier bullets, if that floats your boat, but to 400 yds, I see no advantages in 6.5 at these speeds. I want 2700-2800 mv in a rifle. 2650 is not as interesting to me as 2800-3000 with lighter bullets, that still have good BC in 6.5s. That's just me.

Same in a say 7/08, 140-150s are great, when you go to 160 or heavier, you have to push them really hard, and you have to be shooting really far to see a practical gain in wind, energy, etc. when to most practical common ranges for hunting, the 140-150 class will do great.

So put me in the 'mid-weight' for the smaller short actioned rounds. Even 308 I personally would use no more than 165, in a 338F, 185-210, in a 358, a 225. Other's may want bullet weight maxed out, but do consider drop over distances you hunt vs. other options, and impact velocity and how that affects expansion. No doubt the heavies in like 140 Amax, 143 EldX they will expand downrange, but I feel at 2650, they arc more than I wish, and I know the LR guys are twisting so that means little to them. Just something to look at........as I feel most game is taken under 400 yds, and much far less. I want accuracy yes, but expansion and penetration. Middle weights of hunting construction usually do all of those well, across many ranges near and further out.

I sort of agree but there is value in mass when distances are short. In my 7-08 it would be hard to find a better timber bullet than the 160 gr. Partition pushed to 2600 fps.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm ashamed to say it... I'm getting logical in my old(er) age! hahahaha. I read the book about Carlos Hathcock making kills at and over 1,000 yards with nothing more than a 30-06 going 2,550fps and a Unertl 10x "scope". I went through the velocity craze in my teens and 20's (a .300 Weatherby NUT). I highly doubt I will ever hunt with this rifle (700 Magpul) since it weighs about 12 lbs set up. Its pretty much a gong-gun (if I can ever find a long-range to attend), as I've got my 6.5 Swede ready to go with the aforementioned 140gr Partitions. I'm really loving the accuracy that the 140 SST's are giving.

I'd use one of the tipped bonded bullets, a Hornady Interbond 129gr, Nosler Accubond 130gr or a Swift Scirocco II 130gr.