Earlier this year, I bought a Savage 11 FCNS in .260 Remington. This is my first year as a Wyoming resident and I hope to use it for antelope, whitetail, mule deer, and black bear. I have a .30-06 for elk although the .260 sounds quite promising with certain bullets. The .260 is definitely a reloader's round and I have tried loads with 100, 120, 125 PT, and 140 grain bullets.

For antelope in particular, I have tried the 100 grain Hornady Interlock and the 100 ballistic tip, both with H414. I have trouble even hitting the same target with the 100s as the 120-140 stuff, and when I do, the 100s shoot like poop with 3-4" groups typically. I also have some 100 Partitions but want to get the other 100s to shoot well first.

The 120 TSX, 125 and 140 PT, and 140 BT are all pretty accurate in my .260 with its 1-8" twist. My .30-06 is too easy to reload for...the 150 PT and 168 TSX are very impressive for my shooting ability. Maybe I should stick to the 120's and up in the .260? I appreciate any info, thanks!

I don't believe it's an Interlock.

With 100's I would look at Varget, Big Game, RL 15 and any of the 4350's. H 4350 and H 4831 sc have done very well for me in the past with 120 gr and heavier bullets. From your list of bullets the 125 gr Pt and 140 gr Bt would be the ones I would look at if the 100's don't work. I have a LH Predator Max 1 on order in 260 Rem to replace my old gun, hope it comes in soon.

If you're going light, like the 95 to 107 gr bullets, you should be going to a faster powder. I used IMR 8208 XBR VERY successfully with the 100 gr Partition. Fast, accurate, and low ES/SD's.

Alan

I agree with this. My .260 didn't perform like it should with reloading manual 100 grain powders (Varget, RL-15, Big Game, etc.). Once I lit it with H4895, Benchmark, etc. it started to perk. 8208 would be a good one too I bet.

There is only one way to determine what your rifle likes or doesn't like -

JMO,I shoot a Cmoor and with the 95gr. bt. I use IMR4064 and it works very well. With the 120 gr. it's H4350.....later

my 260 with 110 AB loves H414/W760

I had excellent luck getting the 100-grain Ballistic Tip to shoot in my first .260 with H4350, RL-15 and Varget--and those were all the powders I tried.

I have had pretty good luck with Benchmark and 4064 shooting 95 VMAX and 100 BT's.

Hodgdon Benchmark worked well for me with 100 grain ballistic tips. I believe the final load was just over 40.0 grains with a CCI 34 arsenal primer. It shot very well, and averaged a little over 3100 FPS in a 24" barrel. I've also used Varget behind the 100 grain BT's as a fireform load for the .260AI, with excellent accuracy potential. Good Luck!

Thanks for the replies. I picked up a pound of Varget yesterday. I also have TAC which I like for 5.56 but have never found any .260 data for it. H4350 is one I like for .30-06 and made a good group for the .260/120 TSX.

My chrony should be here Monday...hoping for some nice velocities too.

The 100 Hornady says "Interlock" on the box. I've heard this is a decent bullet for deer as well as antelope.

One of you mentioned a "110 Accubond" in .264...I only know of the 130 and the 140 that just came out. Could be another brand new one?

Once you find a good load with the Hornady, switch to the 100 TTSX for hunting. Same powder shold do well with accuracy and velocity. You just have to find the OAL your gun likes. Performace on game will be outstanding.

Good advice, if you have some IMR 4064 I'd try some. 4350 is a staple for many bullets in the 260. Varget shot great in a former 7/08 w/100s, as well as 120 and 140s, may well be a good one also.

4895, RL15, and Benchmark mentioned above also good ones.

If me, I'd settle on a 120 BT for Antelope and deer if you want one bullet, but rather a 125 Partition, a 140 of your choice, or a 120 Barnes on Bear, the 129 SP is a great all around bullet as well.

I think better accuracy would give the heavier bullets my choice, not changing POI for other game. If you have 100s now try the above powders.

The Barnes are great bullets, but if you shoot far out w/a mono bullet, the expansion may not be best on a small animal like antelope IMO. I'd go for shoulder shots if you do.

FWIW, the 130 AB is my go to for everything in 260, I'd shoot Mice to Moose w/it

Is it SKU 2610? The Hornady website has it as a varmint bullet, and it isn't cross listed as an Interlock.

Yes, SKU 2610. The "Interlock" might be a misprint on the box then. I think I'll pass on big game use, even for antelope.

So many 6.5 bullets to choose from...I wound up with all of the BT and Partition weights. I like the overall numbers you can get with the 120s, need to work with the BT more.

The 120 Bal Tips work great on deer. My friend's Browning Low Wall likes H4350 with those.

I like the 100 grain Partition for shooting medium game with most of my 260s. I use, mostly, H4350, H4831, and H4895 with Winchester/Olin cases and Remington primers. I start with H4831, using a drop tube, and if it doesn't work with loads that have proven reliable in other 260s, I try 1 of the other powders before changing other variables. If I have a 260 that won't shoot, I try the 129 grain Hornady SpirePoint with either H4350 or H4831 in Winchester/Olin cases, as this bullet has been excellent in almost every 6.5mm application that I've tried. The only time I haven't used it in a 6.5mm rifle is in long throated 6.5x55 military barrels.

Jeff

Seafire on here has used the 100 Hornady's very succesfully on deer, he might chime in.

You have good friends mathman, a 260? Win has 6.5x55 in the LW.

BTW, the '96/'94 Swedes do fine w/129s Even seen them wad up 85ers tight. Even w/long jump.

Yes, a 260.

Here's the story. My friend was just getting into rifle hunting and he'd been talking to "experienced guys" who basically told him to get a 300 mag and he'd be ready for anything. He had visions of elk hunting with a brother in law, so he bought into it. The right sale came around and lo and behold, he had himself a lightweight Mk.V in 300 Weatherby.

After a few range trips with Kong, and figuring out his hunting would 99% be for deer, he was in the market for a deer rifle.

Time passes, and we're at a gun show. I was cash strapped at the time, so I was mainly picking up a few reloading supplies and secondarily acting as a rifle guide. Rounding the end of an aisle, I spot this Low Wall. I'd seen them before, but in cartridges that didn't interest me, so I wasn't immediately excited. But hey, why not give the pretty little thing a look? Heck, the asking price was something like $650.

I had it in my hands about two whole seconds before I told the guy to consider it sold. My friend didn't take long to see me trying to get his attention. When he walked up I said "buy this", and I guess he trusted me. Even though he had no prior knowledge of that kind of rifle, he bought it then and there.

The timing was good too. While he filled out the paperwork, another guy who had looked at the rifle earlier tried to buy it out from under my friend by offering the dealer cash well above the asking price.

So yes, he is a good friend. If he wasn't, I'd have bought it myself and figured out how to pay the light bill later.

When son was 8 he put a 100gr Hornady out of a Rem 7 SS .260 thru both shoulder bones of a 120lb doe and it exited. He was sitting on my lap and the deer was about 30 FEET away from the shooting house. Load was not near max but I'll have to look it up. Wouldn't hesitate at all to use that bullet on any deer.

Hornady 100s are just fine for deer, I have taken several with them...

when I first got a 260, this was before load data was available.. so one had to sort of work it off of 6.5 x 55 load data...

I knew IMR 4064 to be very accurate in the Swede, so I just carried it over and worked up.. both my Rem VLS and my Ruger 77 seemed to both like the load, with whatever brand 100 grain bullet I used... I tested other but both liked 4064 the best...

later Nosler came out with their recommendations in their newer reload manual... and they recommended a charge of 43 grains of it, (IIRC)... my charge that I worked up was half a grain higher, so I gathered I was in the ball park...

it was accurate and flat shooting...

oh, and when they were finally shot over the chronograph, the MV out of the Ruger 77 Mk 2, was 3350 fps with a 22 inch stainless barrel....

the Rem VLS had a 26 inch barrel.. that one did get a little throated out to be able to shoot 140 grain bullets.. so the throat isn't factory... but out of a 26 inch barrel, the 43.5 grains of IMR 4064 is clocking 3450 fps consistently...

that load seemed to better my other loads with Varget, Rl 15, and a host of others...including H 414, BLC2 and W748...

the Sierra 100 grain HP is another one I have used that said varmint bullet on the box, but it downs deer just fine also...

and if you use reduced loads, it shines even a little better...

My chrony got here yesterday and I made it to the range before dark last night.

First up was the 100 BT with Varget. I worked up to the book max of 43.0 and got 3164, 3162, and 3185. The group went into 1.25". I wanted the 100s to go faster BUT the damn things finally shoot worth a crap!

Then the 120 BT with Hunter powder. I worked up to the book max of 48.0 and got 3026, 3036, and another 3036. The group was almost the same, about 1.25" again.

In the Big Game Info ballistics calculator, the trajectory is very similar out to 400 yards, with the 120 taking the speed and energy numbers. They both offer an MPBR of about 300 yards so I think the 120 is the way to go. For deer and antelope anyway.

I tried Varget, RL15 and H4350 in my .260 Ti and found no joy. Finally settled in on 47.5g H414 and 100g Nosler Partition, CCI 200 at 3150 fps. Runs 1/2"- 3/4" for 3 shots if I let the barrel cool. H414 was listed in several articles as a top powder for light bullets in the .260.

In my first - a 6.5-308 by Pac-Nor, I ran H414 ALOT, 100BTs and 129 Hornady's. Did real well.

Re: 129 SPs, the bullet has a relatively short bearing surface, so gets really good speeds more like 120s than 140s fwiw.

Last thing, If you are using Rem brass, consider this:

Winchester 7/08, just run thru die to squeeze neck to 6.5.

My rifle shot 123s in WW708 brass, under .2 w/a 6x scope at 100yds.

I have also shot Federal 708 and 308 brass put the first 2 of 3 into ONE hole w/130ABs, from a Sako 75 sporter, at 200 yds, w/a 6-20x Leupy, and did it Back to Back right after the bbl cooled. Rem brass did not.

I believe brass choice can shave about .2-.3 off, maybe more...

There is always Lapua for more $$$, an option. 1.25 is not bad at all for a big game rifle. I bet it will put the first shot out of a cold bbl within 1/2-3/4" from POA everytime if no bedding issues. Perhaps closer.

MOST of my kills are 1st shot, so 1st shot cold bore accuracy is more often KEY, vs. groups, on game anyhow.

Good luck, looks like you are making good progress!

Been playing with 95's in my Faux Ti, 120TTSX next. Fingers crossed....

Should have no problems getting the 120s to shoot in your rifle, might consider RL17 and 19 as well.

I suspect you are using a factory 1:9 twist tube, it will likely shine w/120-130gr. Some do fine thru 142s as well, but I like the former weights.

Not sure why you want to use the 100 grain bullets so bad on big game. I have seen several messes with them on antelope. I mostly shoot them at coyotes and use target bullets. With 100 grainers and 108 Lapuas, I use Varget, Big Game and R15. I tried Benchmark and nearly blew my gun up. I called Hogdons and talked to them about this "starting" load and it disappeared from their loading data!!! BE CAREFUL with Benchmark in large cases (compared to BR cases).

My go-to bullet for deer and antelope has been 120 Sierra Game Kings. I recently shot a large bear with 140 Sierra Game Kings. Both work pretty darn good, shoot good and are reasonably priced, unlike the ballistic tips.

Dennis,

I had some bad experience trying to follow their overzealous load recommendation on that one with the 95 grain V Max...using Benchmark...

Benchmark performs just fine in the 260.... one just has to be leary of some of the load data floating around for it..

it was pretty optimistic...or else a misprint that just got overlooked...

just work up is all fellow handloaders need to do.. no news there...

I tried it with 120 grain Ballistic tips and it did a FINE job for accuracy and decent velocity also... 2900 fps range IIRC...

but I am a 4064 and RL 15 fan in the 260, so that is what I shoot the most of in them..

What's the take on H4831SC and 120 TTSX's? Have some on hand to try, but I gotta say...the little "crunches" when seating the bullet make me a tad nervous. Having flashbacks to my old 38 Super...

I've shot many compressed loads in .260s using H4831 or SC with bullets from 120 to 140gr. and have observed no adverse effects. As long as you aren't exceeding book max, aren't seeing pressure signs, and your velocities aren't unexpectedly high, you should be fine.

John

personally I can't see anyone being able to get enough H4831 or SC in a 260 case, regardless of bullet weight to achieve overpressurization of the case...

regardless of how compressed the load may be...

4831 is way too slow to be useful with 100 grain bullets in the 260 Rem. I think it is too slow for 140s myself. I would be more inclined to try H414 than 4831. If I stuck with a rat turd powder, it would be Varget or 8208 or 4007.

Running 100gr BT's over H4350 in mine, avg 3160fps...this is my coyote load.

For deer and such, I prefer 130gr AB's over H4350 for 2850fps...

1:8 twist 21" barrel...

I get a nice balance of speed and accuracy with H4831 and the 100 grain bullets in 20", 22", and 24" barrels. I use a drop tube so that I can get 50 grains of H4831 to settle in the case.

Jeff

With my 260AI and a 22" barrel, I get 3350 fps with 108 Lapuas using R17. I hit 3400 but decided it was too hot. This, with Lapua brass.

I tried 44 grains of IMR 4350 with a 140 Rem Corelokt in the Ruger... and decided, why change a good thing...other bullet weights its 4064...

That is running 2750 fps in a 22 inch barrel...

My bear load is a 140 Sierra Game King @ 2850 fps. Tried it out last week

My Remington Mountain Rifle likes the Barnes TTSX 100 grainers using H414. I haven't shot anything with this combination yet. I've used the Sierra 120's in it and it worked well. One downside, if there is one, of having too many rifles (whatever that is) is choosing which to hunt with the coming year! LOL!

I shot my first antelope with a 120 SGK out of my 260 Rem. Range was 300+. Goat just sat down like a dog after the shot and then after a few seconds, fell over dead.

Nice bruin, details please.

My .260 has a thing for the 120's, it likes NBT's, Bergers and SMK's. Shot a group @ 300 the other day with the SMK's and H414 that went a bit over 1.25".

Dober

I've never tried the 100gr bullets out of my 260rem, but I have 2 swedes that really like them. 44grs of 4064 with a CCI 200 gives me 3100fps and a 300yd MPBR with the Ballistic tips.

All things considered, the 129gr SST/SP might be the best choice. The SST for the longer shots on smaller animals [pronghorns, deer] and the SP for tougher critters like bear, elk, sheep, etc. The POI should be pretty close for the first 250-300yds.

My Ruger 260 likes the 100 gr Sierra HP and H4350. It is very accurate but makes a bloody mess of whatever you hit.

I have bought other brands and weights but have not tried them yet. The Nosler ballistic tips just look so bad I will have to try them.