I have a few questions. Leaning towards the creedmore but open to the 260 Rem as well. How would you compare accuracy between the two? Are you able to spot your hits in the scope? What is the optimal barrel length that should be used? Thinking of a Tikka Sporter or CTR. Thanks.

I have several of both and the advantage of the Creed is that its shorter case allows for longer, VLD, bullets to fit in short action magazines and the Hornady and Winchester/Olin factory ammo is more accurate than any 260 factory ammo that I've ever shot. I doubt that there would be any meaningful, noticible(?), difference in field performance when shooting the same bullet to the same POA/POI.

I've never shot the Creed but I have killed I think 4 deer with the 260 Rem. in a stnls Mdl 7. Using a mild load with a 120 grn Sierra Pro Hunter it stays under MOA at 450 yards, no problems. Three of the deer were under 50 yards and all three fell in their tracks. At that range I couldn't see the hits in the scope, it simply happened to fast.

The fourth was a smidge over 400 yards, I didn't actually see the impact itself but I do remember seeing his reaction to the hit in the scope. It was a neck shot but I missed the bone. He ran about fifty yards and laid down where I couldn't see him. When I was about 200 yards from him he took off and ran about another fifty yards before falling dead. I did throw another shot at him before he fell but I missed.

That's my limited experience with the 260. Hope it helps.


Dave.

To me the 260 is the best of the short actions for whitetail. I have the tikka T3 hunter version and am quite pleased with it. Light, great trigger, and sub moa accuracy. The ballistics are so close to the 270 (especially past 300 yards) that it is almost a wash.

I run several 260s... and have had at least one since they first came out.... with it benefits, never saw a reason to try a Creedmoor...

I deer hunt blacktails, which are from antelope sized to around 200 lbs or so...

the 260 has flattened them, but its been heart shots mainly, as they can deliver that kind of accuracy...

my usual load for them is a 100 grain bullet at 3350 fps...

have been able to not lose sight picture of deer going down in the scope on 4 power at distances of 200 yds or further...

the plus side is that neither one are going to be a bad choice....

I could see running the Creed in a semi, but since I will be using a bolt the 260 rem is looking like a good choice. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

That begs the question, why the 260 in a boltgun over the creed?

Two peas in a pod.

If you're a brass slut, .260 for the win with Lapua brass.

A good friend of mine has a precision rifle in the 6.5 Creedmore. I have one in .260.

In shooting them side by side in the field, at long range steel, I cannot tell any difference between the two.

I like the .260 just for the fact that I can easily make brass from various common SA cartridges, and in fact the majority of my .260 brass is from M118LR brass.

If you roll your own-260, factory ammo-creed

Because the "Creed" is elitist, and the 260 is a workingman's rifle.

Ask Dogshooter, as I believe that he has a Tikka in 260 and is an experienced Creed shooter, but in a RAR-Predator.

I have a 260, just for those days I feel like actually working.

and 3 creeds for those 'elitest' type days when I won't get any work done. Those days surely outnumber the productive ones.....

Is that the one you call "Blue Moon?"

My thoughts too! :-)

Lapua Brass.

6.5's kill a lot better than one might think.

Talk about elitest......

Excellent think I will go the working man's route with the 260. More brass selection seems logical.

What rifle?

Tikka CTR or possibly changing a 308 build to the 260?

Want a LR profile rifle that a newer shooter can use and for varmint hunting with less recoil than a 308/7mm-08.

the 243 somehow missed your consideration?.....

Be ultra-elitist and run a 6.5x47 in lapua brass.

Not a fan of the 243.


RDW that's just a at tad too much elitist

I can't think of any reason to run a 6.5CM on a Tikka if you hand load.

David

260 was my answer to 243, 7-08, and gasp...270. So much schit overlaps that only your barber knows the difference anyway.


But fellas like to skullphuck nuances to death.

I'm guilty of such things. It never ends. I could have stopped at the 30.06 but why?

This sounds about right.

I bought a Browning Low Wall in 260, liked it so much I bought a Browning A Bolt in 260, then a Remington 7 in 260. Can't control myself..is there a 260 anonymous????

Seafire, what 100 grain projectiles are you sending through your .260?
A TTSX at 3300 fps sounds interesting.

I'm gonna go one step further and be an ultra, ultra elitist and run a 6x47 Lapua alongside my 6.5 Creed - because I can.

I'm going Uber-Elitist and shooting a .338x47....

Now that's a rifle looney!!

6.5 T-Rex

Just get a 6.5x55 in a T3 and be done with it. That's what I did. Twice.

And roll Le Pouy for the snob factor. Pinky out, Muffy.....

Hey now, I represent that remark !

The two main reasons to go CM have both been mentioned. The cartridge's reason for existence is to load ultra-long ogive LR target bullets at magazine length. If that's the game you want to play, it's probably the right tool for the job.

Hornady is pushing for the success of the cartridge, and prices its loaded ammo very competitively. So if you're not a hand loader, there's another reason to go CM.

But if you want to kill things and are a hand loader, there's a lot more load data for a lot more killing-things bullets published for .260. Plus, Tikka chambers for .260, but not CM.

I have a 260 and I can't say enough about the accuracy. It is far more capable of one-hole accuracy than I am.

My biggest concern was accuracy variance between the 2 calibers, but that helps alleviates the concern. I'm looking forward to giving the 260 rem a chance. Thanks.

Not listed I know, but the 6.5 Swede is the most mild mannered hard killer of a rifle I've ever fired, no recoil, very pleasant blast, and 140 partitions at 2780 are pure hell on whitetails.

You can have Lapua brass, and spot your hits with it too.

6.5 x 55

I hunt these three but the shorty on left in Lapua attire is the little engine that could..Like gunner says the Swede with 140 gr Partitions barking on the door of 2800 is the cat's meow for so many reasons.

The 127gr LRX is a great topper as well..

I went long action with a 6.5-06AI. Also went heavy barrel but fluted to keep the weight down. Told Big Brother it was my 600-yard clay pigeon rifle. Little did I know at the time how right I was.

Now I wish I had one in a sporter weight as well.

I've got an ULA in 6.5-284 and it is a sweetie. Easy to load and easy to shoot and it kills deer and antelope most effectively.

I use 120gr NBT's and 54.0 grains of Hunter for about 3100fps.

And it is very accurate.

Steve

6.5 x 284 is a dandy

I have owned them all I believe . I settled on a 264 win mag and a 6.5x55. The 6.5x257,6.5x284 6.5-06 6.5 CM and the 6.5x51 all shot perfectly well for whitetail poison. I am considering a 6.5 STW like Layne Simpson shoots, however I can do most every thing with what I have . The 6.5x47 I am sure is awesome but after shooting the 6.5x51 extensively, I know it has limitations. I just sold my rem 700 260 dm mountain rifle for $850 to give me money for a Norwegian Krag 6.5x55 and to scope it. It had a beautiful Bishop stock and a rust blue job to die for. The checking is meticulous. So any way you go you will enjoy great accuracy potential and kill power you can't beat easily. Just do it.

Too many choices not enough time? I wouldn't mind a Swede or 6.5-06 but trying to stick with a short action this go around.

A Swede or 6.5-06 may be on the list further down the road. They sound spectacular.

I thought you said you were buying a Tikka?

David

It is an option?

My understanding is that Tikka does not make a true short action. If you get a short action chambering it is in a long action with a bolt stop set for the shorter chambering. If it's not a true short action, a 6.5x55 would seem to be as viable a choice as a 260 or a 6.5CM. Lapua brass, great accuracy, ballistics virtually identical to the other two.

David

I had forgotten about that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I thought I read somewhere that the 6.5 Swede had issues with manufacturer brass like Prvi, I don't remember the exact issue?

The 6.5-06 appeals to me more than the Swede but barrel life would be better with the Swede from my understanding.

I'm still pretty set on the 260 rem.

Due to the reduced pressures and temperatures required, you could probably get better barrel life with a 6.5-06 than the Swede or even the .260 Rem if you pushed them to the same velocity levels or equal life with somewhat higher velocities in a 6.5-06.

My fire-form loads for the 6.5-06AI are maximum Hodgdon 6.5-06 loads. They lose about 5% velocity over what Hodgdon lists. Accuracy with the fire-form loads is outstanding, too, just as it is with the AI loads that follow.

My choice of the AI config had to do with brass availability and load identification. Properly headstamped 6.5-06 brass is expensive so I fire-form .25-06 brass. Although I don't own a .25-06 there is no guarantee I won't have one some time in the future. Once fire-formed to 6.5-06AI there is no way to chamber a 6.5-06AI load in a .25-06, regardless of the headstamp on the brass and visual identification/differentiation of the two is much easier. Still have to be careful with 6.5-06AI fire-form loads but even then it would take a big hammer to chamber one in a .25-06.

Not too concerned with mixing up ammo but it is good to be aware of. Thanks. I could see a future 6.5 swede or 06!

This^^, I have 3 6.5x47 Lapua's.

What the hell, since others have mentioned it already:

Be ultra-traditionalist and run a 6.5x55 in lapua brass.

Geno

Too late to edit my post above but a correction is in order. My 6.5-06AI fire-form loads are maximum Hornady 6.5-06 loads, not Hodgdon. I do use Hodgdon powder for them, hence the brain fart.

I did it only once, but I am sold on it. Just having a difficult time finding a load that will shoot over an inch at a hundred. Last time out, five different loads with different powders and bullets yielded five groups as small as 0.56 to 0.75. Gotta hate results like that from a hunting rifle using hunting bullets.

6.5 Swede here too. Pic the cartridge before the action length. A long action is what, about 3/8" longer than a short action and few ounces heavier in equal designs? Not enough to change up cartridge choice for me.

No your right but just prefer the short action, although if I went with the T3 it would have to be a Swede now!

Seems like the WSM and 6.5 would be a good pairing.

I've owned/own several 260s including the T3 sporter. I've also owned the grendel, 65CM, and 6.5x47L. Besides the anemic grendel, the rest are excellent and interchangeable IMO.

The T3 Sporter 260 was an excellent rifle. I'd highly recommend it. It was suprising light too.