Looking at getting a new rifle for my wife, and wonder which would be best. She currently shoots a model 70 XTR in 243. It is really a heavy rifle. She looked at some Remington model seven youth rifles today and liked them. How does the recoil compare between 243, 260, and 7-08? I have several 6.5's, and 243's but am not familiar with the 7-08.

7mm-08 has very mild recoil. If she is very recoil sensative, shoot a 120gr bullet. If not, any good 140gr will do.

RH

Both will work great, but I'd go 7mm-08 for the great bullet selection and ammo availibility... and ability handle heavier bullets, etc.

-jeff

If you reload, you already stock the 6.5 bullets.

I doubt there is very much that the 7mm-08 can do that the 260 can't or vice versa.

More factory ammo for 7mm-08 if your not a reloader.

I do reload, one of the 6.5's is a 6.5 X 57 mauser, very little loaded ammo available in the US. The wife is not really recoil sensative, but she does not like a model 70 lightweight in 30-06. That rifle kicks more than my pre-64 300 H&H at full tilt. I will see which of the two are available, leaning toward the 260, as I already have bullets.

Well, In my opinion the .260 is everything that the .243 should have been. Just enough extra thump to make the difference. No significant difference between it and the 7mm/08, when using bullets of similar construction and weight. Major difference (to me) arises when you look at ammo availability. The .260 is much more a reloaders cartridge, with significantly less factory options available. Either operates well within the others' "design parameters", with a slight edge in bullet weight going to the 7mm. With all that blather said, I'd pick the .260 and run..........

Kaiser Norton

I'd lean towards the .260 just because you could load some 100 grain Partitions that will be very shoulder friendly and also kill very nice.

Like the others said, if you reload, run with a 260. I own 2 and just bought one for the girlfriend. If you dont roll your own, go with the 7-08.

Er.... One of each?


ATB
T260

I dropped my 7-08 for a 260 as a deer rifle. Both acually are very similar. The 708 has a touch more recoil and will handle heavier bullets (160/175gr) better if needed. For deer sized game a 120 gr bullet is all you need in the 260, and as another post suggested a 100 gr Partition is available that was designed with the 260 in mind.

Having two of each....although only one is a field weight 7-08...my choice would be the 7-08 because of rifle & component selections...the 260 bullet selection is somewhat limited compared to the 7-08....either of the two are excellent choices..

The bullet selection for the 6.5mm's is plenty enough for any type of hunting you'll do...

For deer/big game all you need is the 120 BT, the 100, 125, or 140 NP, and for smallish critters the 95 Vmax o the 85,100 Sierra HP...

I run 100 NP's for my deer and I could not be happier...

Never had a .260, but am on my third 7-08, so I must have an affinity for the little cartridge! I recently purchased a Rem 700 CDL SF in 7-08, didn't intend to as the factory specs were not all that appealing in terms of weight. I can honestly say this rifle (for me anyway) is perfectly balanced, so any concerns I had about weight went out the door...with me and the rifle! For some reason it loves 150 grain Core-Lokt bullets better than other "popular" brands with H4350. First time out 10 shot group .9x.4 group. Good balance...good shooter.

if she is shooting deer get the 243 and dont look back....

woofer

if your a bit bigger than your wife.....to get proper eye relief without putting a towel between your shoulder and the but is going to cause you pain i hate sighting in my wifes Rem 7 Youth in 7-08 cause i always forget a towel......beats the hell out of me. however it fits my wife PERFECTLY and she loves it. we were looking for either a 7-08 or a 260, didnt much matter cause i handload some. since she wants to hunt elk but wont be doing so every year we went with the 7-08. for MY light deer/speed goat/general packing rifle i with a Kimber 84M in 260 cause ive got a thing for 6.5's however the wife has found out with a 6x36 Leupy on board it weights less than her 7 Youth with no scope and has been eying it lately

The main issue is that my wife is 5' tall and any rifle to fit her properly will need to be cut down, or be a youth model with less LOP. Her current model 70 XTR in 243 is cut down but that thing weighs a ton. We are not getting any younger, and after a day in the field she is starting to feel the weigh more now. I am going to look at another option, I have a Steyr SBS in 6.5 X 57 mauser that has removeable spacers for LOP. It is much lighter than the Winchester and is a tack driver. I can use my old Sako AV in 6.5X55. Can't bring myself to cut that one down for her though.

Kimber Montana in either of the above calibers would be light as a feather!

-jeff

and more of a chore to cut down........

My thought is get a .308 if you want a short action. I have a .260 and stepson has a 7mm-08. For all around use I think the .308 is better. Also, still don't like the new short mags.

I'd go the 260 with 100 gr Partitions. I have a 7mm-08 and in a light rifle it still has a little sting to it, though I admit the 120 gr bullets are not a problem. That said, however, if I was getting one for my own wife who is not much taller than your's I'd try to get a 260.

My 5'1" wife is deadly with a cutdown 700 .243, but I have moved her up to .260 and 140's for bigger deer and hogs. The model 7 is getting a new stock cut to size with a better pad this week.

stumpy

If deer and similar size are what you hunt, either will do splendidly and the 260 is plenty. The 7mm-08 is a better choice IMV when you get into bigger animals simply due to the fact that it handles heavier bullets with greater ease. My Model Seven -08 does feel about as hard in shooting as does a standard '06 does though IMO. I'd go light on the bullets in either case - unless you/she decide to go after bigger stuff.

My Model 7 LSS in 7-08 kicked a lot less than my 30-06.... FWIW...

-jeff

I have been doing a lot with both cartridges in recent years. I am finding the 260 is winning my heart over, if elk are not part of the equation. The 100 grain bullets in the 260 generate less recoil than any comparable thing I can brew up in the 7-08, and I haven't seen anything walk away after having been shot with one of them. You can easily load them to be going 100-200 fps faster than a 243 100 gr.

Recoil of 140 gr bullets in either the 260 and 7-08 feel quite similar.

But the 260 only acheives its potential through handloading, while a wider range of perfectly acceptable factory loads exists for the 7-08.

Either would be a great choice; the ergonomics of the gun probably matter more than the difference between the cartridges.

Looks like it is going to be a 7mm08, no 260's in stock in my area. Like most have mentioned, the egonomics of the rifle are more important than the differances in the caliber.

Thanks Again

smithrjd

You made right choice going with the 7mm-08, especially since you reload. Lots of 7mm bullet choices. I've two 7mm-08's, a Rem Mtn LSS and a Rem 7600. Tried lots of different bullets and wound up with three I use for different situations. Sierra 100grn HP (extremely accurate) for varmints, Speer 145 Grn HotCors for open area big (deer) game and Hornady 154 Grn RN for woods hunting.

Good luck with your 7mm-08

firstshot
----------------------------
Make your first shot count!

Bigger is better. You can always load the 7mm-08 down a tad with 140 grain premium bullets if you foresee bigger stuff in the future. As far as FELT recoil, it's all in how the rifle fits the shooter between the 2 calibers.

Wayne

Look at an A-Bolt Micro Hunter. LOP is about 12 3/4". My wife's taller than yours, about 5'7", but loves hers. One big reason is because it fits. Forearm is in proportion to the LOP and with a 20" barrel everything balances out. Actually I'm pretty fond of it too. It's a 7mm-08 and up till this year she's been shooting handloads with the 139 Hornady. Hard rubber pad could be a little better but recoil isn't bad. She has no complaints and it really whacks a deer. This year I've loaded some 120 TSX's and we'll probably get a testimonial from a whitetail or two this weekend. Another positive for her is the removable mag. In the A-Bolt the floorplate looks just like a drop down model but having the detachable mag is just a lot easier for her to drop it in here fanny pack till time to load up. And the trigger is NICE for a factory rifle. As far as caliber choice it's pretty much a toss up vs the 260. We've been loading our 260 with 100 & 129 Hornadys and I dropped a buck last year with the 120 Rem AccuTip. The 100's recoil is very mild and the results are impressive. The 129's probably give more penetration but so far all my son and I have had are broadside shots. The 260 is head and shoulders above a 243 from what I've seen even with 100 gr's. I've been impressed enough with it that I picked up a Ruger 77 6.5x55 this summer and am looking forward to sending a 120 Speer toward some fur ASAP. Personally since you load I'd choose the 260 and start with a 100 gr load for deer and maybe never even work up. If it ain't in stock in your area you can get it shipped in. Anything's available on the internet and your gunshop knows it. FWIW