The only decision that is pretty tough is the decision between a .260 Rem and a 7mm-08. Both are built on the old .308 case and the only difference is either a .26 or .28 caliber bullet.
If I lived in the South and primarilty hunted deer, then the .260 would, hands-down be the choice. If I lived in the moutain west and would be using this gun to occasionally hunt Elk, then I would choose the 7mm-08.
Anyone using the 260 ? for what? Just bought a take off barrel and not sure where to start? Its a 22" stainless Mountain contour and I thought it might make a nice light deer rifle?
The .260 Remington is good to go for just about anything. I personally feel that too many folks just are not aware of the merits of the 6.5/264 caliber. The Swede's have known its capabilites for over a hundred years. Your selection of the .260 Remington is an excellent choice.
Ol' John
PS See the attached pic...6.5 Grendel to the .264 WinMag and everything inbetween except most of the European 6.5's.
Last edited by HondoJohn6508; 06/18/06.
Near the Llano River in Castell, Texas Mark Twain was right..."There is no such thing as too much good whiskey!"
I haven't seen a 700 CDL, but would suspect that the barrel channel will not offer a tight fit for a 700 Mountain Rifle contour barrel. If I was a lefty, I think that I'd opt for the Bansnar/HTS stock or keep checking the McM site for a lefty internet special with an MR contour BC.
I'm not sure how much any of my 260s weigh, they range from light XP-100s to a heavy long barreled Mauser, but are mostly Remingtons: 6 Rem 700s, 3 Rem 7s, 2 Rem XP-100s, 2 Interarms Mark Xs, 1 Savage 99, and 1 Savage 11. The 3 260s that I use the most are the 700 ADL/MR/Ti hybrid, the 7 stainless laminated mannlicher, and the 7 stainless laminated with the 22" MR barrel.
Not that you'd notice. A 140-grain bullet has proven to be plenty on elk-sized game from about any rifle, as long as the bullet penetrates deeply enough. There are plenty of good 140's in 6.5mm!
I have one of the orginal 1994 Rem 700 BDL SS Syn with DM and 24" barrel. Just put one of the new Burris 2X7X35 with balistic dot on it. I have used this rifle for doe management on my lease with Horn 140 and a mild load of H4831. I have a 15" barrel for an Encore also in 260 Rem. I have used this with 120 NBT on antelope. The 260 Rem is a very well mannered cartridge, easy to reload and shoot. It just works.
Beware of thieves, scammers and dishonest members on the "Fire" classifieds. Ya there is a thief here too. Whatever!!
It is pretty easy to rebarrel a Steven 200 to 260. Midway has offered 24" A&B barrels for around $125 and www.savageparts.com has 22" Savage factory barrels in 260 priced at $135.28 (blued) or $235.00 (stainless). All you need is the barrel, a barrel wrench, and a headspace gage to swap barrels.
what bullet would you guys recommend for eastern whitetail hunting, shot are generally under 100 yds. I'm very partial to a 165 Nosler partition in my 308 for deer
"I currently have 15 260s, just got a 700 ADL Synthetic last week, and have a few extra barrels around in case I find a Remington 600/660/7/700/722 action that needs a proper barrel."
wow, I guess you do like them!
I got mine as soon as there were available in a Model 7 SS 20". If it had a 23" barrel, I think it would be have slightly less muzzle blast and better balance. But the caliber is great. I shoot only factory 140's now for killing hogs and hunting deer. Accurate with little recoil. I see almost no difference in the .260 and the 7mm ballistics. For killing game, there is no difference.
I have friend in the business who got me 1 of the 1st Remington 7 stainless synthetics that was shipped in late 1997. I took 17 deer with that rifle between 1997 and 2000, but didn't like the balance of the rifle, so I restocked it with a Remington 7 laminated stock and rebarreled it with a stainless 22" Remington 700 MR barrel. The changes were worth the cost, since it balances/handles better now than it did in its original configuration.
I like the 129 grain Hornady SST and SpirePoint for deer, as they offer a nice balance of velocity, penetration, and accuracy potential. The old Remington factory loaded 120 grain BT and 125 grain Partition have been very accurate in my 260s. I have owned several more 260s, but sold/traded them to make room for other/different rifles.
They were a non-cataloged limited run a couple of years ago. Grice Wholesale in Clearfield, PA, is a major Remington wholesaler and usually offers several non-cataloged Remingtons every year. IIRC, the non-cataloged 700 ADL synthetics were in 6mm, 257 Roberts, 260, and 7mm-08. All had 22" barrels with open sights and were matte finished.
I like it. Mine is a Ruger boat paddle all weather and it is about a practical a rifle and round as there is. I use the Hornady 129g spirepoints/Re19 for TN whitetails and it works super. Recoil is negligible and muzzle blast is not overpowering either. With the ability to handle bullets from 85 to 160g I can't think of a better all around cartridge for 99% of what most of us do.
Except maybe the 6.5x55 for which the .260 is the US equivalent. The Swede handles heavy bullets better for the occasional rogue horse or whatever but the .260 fits in a short action which is nice in a handy light all arounder imo. With lighter premium bullets it is a super youth/neophyte rifle cartridge. Now a 20" barrelled model 7 with a 3 position safety and non 'disconnector' trigger would be about perfect. Plateau Hunter
I have had excellent results using the 120 grain Nosler ballistic tip on whitetail bucks. My shots have ranged from 20 yards out to 268 and the 120 BT has performed beautifully at all ranges. I keep thinking I should try the 125 Partition, but at this point the 120 BT has performed so well I see no reason to stop using it. Gotta love the .260
I'm a pre-64 Winnie kind of guy, but if I were in the market for a new rifle, the .260 would be at the tip-top of my list. What a delightful, excellent performing cartridge.
Well with all those that like and shoot the .260 I am sure to be in good company. The NULA just got side tracked I went yesterday to get a copy of an FFL and work out a deal to order a nula and my dealer happened to show me a new just arrived Kimber 84 in you gussed it .260 rem well it now resides in the cabinet next to the TI. All said and done model 84 and saworsky 3-9-36 worked out to just a little more then half the cost of the NULA. Great deal on scope!! Now if it wil shoot with the Ti it will be great. Oh had to trade my model 94 7x30 waters to get the deal. (What a used car salesman) gotcha
Does anyone like the .260 rem? Nope, but i love my 6.5X55 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> All kidding aside, if i didnt have the swede, i would probably have a nice compact, light, little model seven stainless in .260.
My 6.5 has proven to be very deadly and extremely accurate, its a 700 classic, and its hunting weight is around 9 lbs, heavy but it doesnt stop me from going where the deer are. I think its weight, plus its heavy barrel and a 1 in 8" twist, make it so accurate.
I have used 120, 129, and 140gr bullets and all have exited, except this past season, a 140gr Speer Hot-Core did not exit on a rib shot whitetail buck at 35yds, and the deer weighed around 150lbs live weight. Next on the list is the 130gr TSX or the 160gr Hornady round nose, i know two totally different bullets but which ever shoots better is next.
I have a Stnls Mdl7 that I traded for a couple of years ago, about a week or two before rifle season. I wasn't real impressed with the groups or velocity of factory 140 corelokts. About 2.5" at just under 2500fps. That winter I bedded the action and stiffened the forearm. The fisrt handloaded group from it was under a 1/2" and the average for three 3 shot groups was about 5/8". I was in love, then I shot it over the chrony 2500fps with a 120grn sierra, I was out of love again.
I eventually found a load that averaged right at 2700fps and shoots around 3/4" with the same 120 grn sierra. Still I wasn't over excited because ,although I'm not a speed demon, I would like more velocity. Could it be a "slow" barrel? Figured I would try it as is and eventually change it to a 7-08.
The little rifle is a joy to carry. Light, short and quick pointing. I really didn't expect much but decided to carry it opening day of last deer season. About thirty minutes after daylight I shot a smallish buck. BANG FLOP! I truly didn't expect that and now I'm intrigued with the round. I carried the rifle the rest of the season but didn't find any deer worth shooting <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />. I can't wait for this season and a chance to try the rifle again. I may even shoot a deer or 2 to donate if the occasion arises.
What kind of velocity do you all get from a 20" barrel? Should I expect more?
Thanks, Dave.
Those who are always shooting off at the mouth usually aren't shooting straight.
Build a man a fire and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.
