Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 260 Rem 140 Core Lokt

Has anyone ever cronographed plain old green box Rem Express 260 Remington factory loads with the 140 grain Core Lokt bullet? I did four rounds today out of a 24" barrel and they averaged 2,504fps.

Remington site shows them going 2,750fps.

I'm wondering if my crono is going bye-bye because I had trouble turning it off and then on again to reset it...it didn't want to come right on like it always has and I had to wiggle the switch. I noticed it doing this when I first turned it on so I put a new battery in it, but that didn't help.

I shot some Winchester Super-X 22lr through it and they were right around 1,200fps, like I think they should be, but I'm guessing on that.

Anyone know if my 2,504fps is right, or is 2,750 what you have gotten?

I've seen similar from Remington match 308 ammo. WWWWAAAAAAAYYYYYY under listed velocity.

Fortunately, it was just over 1/2 MOA accurate (1.1" @ 200 y)

I get 2550-2570fps thru a kimber montana. Shooting chrony BETA 12' from muzzle @ 400' elevation.

Thanks. I'm at about the same elevation where I shoot, so I guess even though my cronograph was acting funny, it was reading accurately.

I think I'll look for a new one anyway though. I had an "accident" with this one once, and maybe it didn't get fixed completely. It's twenty-some years old anyway.

Thanks for the replies.

I think the velocities posted by the ammo companies are developed on Madison Ave. Not a shooting range. I'm not surprised that the printed and actual velocity are quite different. I think you'll find that pretty much acrost the board with store bought ammo.
I do know they load their ammo to pressure and extrapolate the pressure into velociy in some way. Everytime they buy a new batch of powder they don't run out and chrony it and print new boxes.

I knew it would be loaded on the safe side, but I didn't think there would be a 250fps discrepancy between their numbers and mine, considering I have a 24" barrel. Oh well, it'll ruin less meat this way.

My 22" Mountain rifle runs the 140 factory load 2500-2550fps.

another good reason to reload..

I don't trust factory ammo...too much inconsistencies...

I do know that 44 grains of IMR 4350 gives me 2750 fps out of a 22 inch barrel factory Ruger Barrel...with a 140 grain Corelokt or a Hornady 140 grain SP....

The fastest 140gr factory load I have fired from my Kimber M84 has been the old Speer Nitrex GS load @ 2650 fps. Remington and Federal both ran ~ 100 fps slower.

FWIW, using handloaded 140gr Corelokts in my .260, I find them very accurate and very letal.

Maybe Remington loads them down because they get fired in so many Remington 700 rifles... If everyone shot Rugers, then Remington could also load them to 2750fps.





Just kidding---and my token Remington 700 dig.

Ken,

I've always found almost all of Remington's ammo to come up short when they advertise their MV's...

one of the exceptions were the old Rem 06 loads with a 220 grain RN on it...

I haven't bought factory ammo in so long its not funny.. I have a bunch of vintage mid 1990s ammo, I picked up post season before I started handloading..

I'll even disassemble it at times, to just see what the factory was loading in a combo I am thinking of...

but curiously tho, I disassembled two different 06 loads with 220 RNs on them... from two different boxes, bought at 2 different seasons...

one had a powder that looked like 4064.. or 4350...stick powder

the other one had a powder that looked like H 414...or ball powder...

boxes were the same... I just know I picked them up after different seasons...

bottom line I learned not to trust factory load stuff.. regardless of who makes it... besides I seldom load my ammo to duplicate factory specs...instead I tailor it to the situation and place I am hunting..

When you find a store bought load that works well for you, you need to run to the store and buy as many boxes of THAT LOT that you can afford.
The major cartridge companies call up the powder making companies and say, "send me over a couple of tons about like xxxx". When the powder arrives, the guys in white coats take some into the lab and determine how much needs to be loaded in a xxx case to achieve xxx pressure which, they figure will give you xxx velocity. They relay this info to the guy running the powder dumping machine and the beat goes on.
Sorry to say, there isn't a little old lady running bullets over a chrony nor do they print new boxes everytime they switch powders. This is also why it is a major no-no to try to identify a powder by appearence. The powder in that store bought cartridge may not even be a canister powder.

A 140 gr. soft point out of my 6.5x55 at 2500 fps has had a great killing record. I use this load in a rifle set up with peep sights and have no reason to change other than it is easier to get deals on bullets in other diameters.