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?

What do you want to know about the 260?

How are you planning to build up your 260 around that 22" MR barrel?

Besides having a factory specs Rem 700 LSS MR in 260, I currently have that same barrel style installed on a stainless Rem 7 action in a Rem factory laminated stock and mounted with a Leupold 2-7x33 in Warne mounts. I also have a blued 22" MR barrel mated with a 700 ADL action and installed in a Rem 700 Ti stock, which I think is a pretty nice hunting rig. If you're looking to build a light weight deer hunting rifle, the 700 ADL/Ti/MR hybrid is a nice and resonably inexpensive way to go. If you prefer the BDL format to the ADL format, you can always have your 'smith inlet the BDL bottom metal into a 700 Ti stock with his mill.

Because of the 260's case capacity, I think that bullets in the 120 to 130 grain range fall into the optimal balance range for deer/antelope and would suggest trying the 120 grain BT, 125 grain Partition, and 129 grain Hornady SST or SpirePoint. For varmints, I think that it would be hard to top the performance potential of the 95 grain VMax. Since I prefer Winchester/Olin and Norma brass to Remington, I usually use Winchester/Olin or Norma 243 brass to make my 260 cases. I'm sure that there is nothing wrong with Remington brass, but my reloading process is pretty much ingrained at this point of my life.

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.

Jeff

The .260 is a wonderful cartridge, perhaps the best for anything from large varmints up to elk. I have generally found 120-125 grain bullets combined with H4350 or Ramshot Hunter to work extremely well on deer-sized game, loaded to about 2900 fps. For lighter game (or a starter load for younger shoots) the 100-grain Nosler Partition is great. If you are after elk or moose you might try a top-notch 130-140, such as the Nosler Partition, Triple Shock or North Fork.

In addition to Jeff's suggestion of the 95-grain V-Max for varmints, I have had good luck with the 85-grain Sierra boattail, using Reloder 15. This shot into well under an inch even in a 1-8 twist.

MD

To add to what these gentlemen have said I'm shooting the heck out of H4350 behind Sierra HP's for my medium game...the 100 grain variety...absolutely excellent accuracy and things die.

I am a fan of lighter for caliber bullets and the 100 gr Partition is an excelent choice....

Good shooting....

Love the 260 and have one in a Ti.

Fav big game load is 45 grains of 760 shooting 120 grain bullets at a bit over 3,000 fps.

For all practicle hunting purposes this load matches the 270 Win using factory 130s. That's not a bad thing at all.

I can also squeze 2,800 fps with 140 grain bullets and not think twice about taking it on elk.

Shooting 85 grain Sierra HP's it become's my favorite varmint calling rifle.

Everything from 85's to 140's shoot minute of bug hole out that skinny Ti barrel.

MD:

In terms of results on game, do you think the .260 gives up much, if anything, to the 7mm-08?

- TJM

Jeff, to make the 243 stuff into 260, are you just running it over the expander ball and trimming? Thanks.

Oh, your PM box is full.

Chuck

Chuck,

I use nothing but 243 brass. Lapua and Nosler, I use a tapered
expander to do it.

Thankyou!

IMO, the 260 is THE dual purpose cartridge that the 243 etc. are just not quite.

JimF

I have had two, I shoot 125 gr partitions. I don't think you are giving up much if anytyhing to the 7-08. the 7-08 is best with 140's, it really slows down at 160 grs. I don't think there is any significant difference between 125 gr partion in 6.5 and 140 gr in 7mm.

Having recently shot several of my hunting partners versions of the .260 I will be having one built for my grandson for his first hunting rifle. Probably based on a Mod 7 action in a lightweight stock configuration. Very mild recoil and more than adequate for any game in Michigan.
I do not see where it would give up anything to the 7-08 in the 100-140gr bullets it is made for and certainly would be negligible as far as huntin applications.
We took his HB model out 2 weeks ago to the hi-power range and in his first out shot 6 for 40 with it (darn turkeys were killing him <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ). At the rifle range all of them group as expected from a .308 based cartridge. (ie.. .5"-1.5" depending on wind and shooter).
MCS

I have the Ruger Mk II all weather in 260. It is a really nice shooting little rifle. I consider it my saddle carbine, especially when compared to the others in my collection which are chambered for magnum cartridges and equipped with 26 inch barrels.

My son got his last mule deer buck with it using a 120 gr Nosler BT over 50 gr of H414 for 2990 fps. I am using Rem factory 260 brass from Midway.

Just to be different from the other big game rifles at my house, I have equipped this one with the NECG peep sight and a front ramp from a Remmy bolt rifle. The front is equipped with a flat topped blade. The kid hollars every time he picks the 260 up now, but the scope can be put back on in a matter of seconds.

At the first opportunity, I will be trading the boat paddle synthetic out for a laminated stock with a decent pad to take the sting out of what shoud be a fairly negligible recoil.

Right now, the recoil is more felt than that from my # 1 in 7STW, or my 06 using 190 gr loads.

i likes mine a whole bunch,kills stuff without beating your shoulder up too bad.no it ain't a 500 yard deer gun but how many of us real hunters shoot big game at 500 yards? it works on our boar's real well too.

I like it. For me, it is an ideal whitetail cartridge for 95% of the deer hunting I do. I'm hoping Rem will see fit to offer the LVSF in .260, but I'm not holding my breath, as Rem has all but turned its back on this one.

Wish I had one.....

One of those might seriously test my "no new rifles, I don't get to use the ones I have nearly enough" resolve.

Heck...as long as we are wishing....I would like to see Savage offer it in the Stevens 200.

I'm a 6.5x55 nut and I can tell you that the 260 will please you. The old 6.5x55 is so accurate and it kills like a heavy rifle. Its been said that the 120 BT kills like a 165 gr 30-06. We waited over a 100 years to do what the SWEDES been doin all that time. The 260 will be a keeper for you guys that never used the old 6.5x55. In a modern rifle the 6.5 bullets can be devastating.

Thanks guys, looks like I might need this one after all. 260 Remguy what do your rifles weigh? My barrel is going on a left hand 700 short action, I have a cdl stock coming, but I think the barrel channel is way too big. I imagine I could get a Ti stock and cut the bolt handle notch for my action and fill in the cut on the right? Or buy a Banser. Probably mostly be used for deer here in Pa, maybe chucks and if I get lucky a coyote.

Baddwuf,

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.

Both are outstanding.

As much as I love the 7-08, when mine is ready for a new tube I'm strongly considering having a 260 put on....

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.

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.

Jeff

tjm10025--

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!

MD

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.

As if you would need anymore convincing; I have used a Ruger compact in 260 for the last two years on wt deer and feral hogs.

Big lightening in a little bottle.


BCR

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.

Jeff

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.

pepaw

baddwuf, I have used the 120 gr Nosler Bt with great sucess on Texas whitetails and feral hogs.

Though I have shot it sucessfully I see no reason to use the heavier bullets on game this size.

BCR

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.

Jeff

Speaking of your .260 ADL synthetic, aren't those somewhat rare? Are they 22" or 24" with sights? Just curious. TIA

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.

Jeff

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.

It has been a few years since I had mine but I do remember factory 140 grain Corlokts shot in the mid 2600 fps range out of a 22" A-Bolt barrel on a winter day.

I don't think that 2900 fps from a 20" with a 120 grain bullet would be a stretch. I have 2 20" barreled 260s, an Interarms Mark X mannlicher and a Remington 7 mannlicher, both of which will do 2900+/- with 120 grain BTs.

If you want more velocity, swapping for a 22" 700 MR barrel is both easy and inexpensive.

Jeff

While I tend to like fast cartridges, the 260 Rem of mine is currently the rifle I shoot for pleasure the most. I find it to be extreamly easy to load for, shoots everything I stuff in it very accurately, is easy on the shoulder.

The 100 gr partition screams along at 3250 fps, which is easily out performing the 243 win, and the 125 partition, or 130 gr Scirocco II put it in great shape for big mulies.

The best analysis of the 260 Rem is this in my book, it out performs the 243 win at both ends of the spectrum, which begs the question, is the 260 Rem really what the 243 win was meant to be? At the lighter bullet wt range it gives up nothing to the 243 win, AND with 120 + gr bullets is about everything a 270 win is with 130 gr bullets. All in a short bolt, light rifle, that's a winning combination in my book. The short mags derailed the 260, but, deservedly, the 260 Rem is getting another look by hunters.

I agonized for months whether my Remington Ti should be a .260 or a 7mm-08. In the end, I was going to have to wait much longer for a .260, while the 7mm-08 was available immediately - so I bought it.

Since then, I've loved the performance on big game of the 7mm-08 and have justified my ownership of the same by thinking it's a better combo for Alaska, BC or Montana, where a grizzly might want to take your kill while you're working on it. I can admit however, in the other provinces and states, a .260 (with the 100 grain Nosler) might be a slightly better deer rifle.

I know that the differences between the two are very marginal, and I'd still like to own a .260 - just because, but I can't really justify it at this time. The two most similar old world cartridges (6.5 X 55, and the 7X 57) have really carved out a long running reputation as "hitting beyond their weight class" - and I'm hearing that the newer rounds are getting that reputation too.

I'm fairly new to handloading, but with most powders I've tried it seems that I can go above book max on powder wght with no pressure signs, but velocity just seems to stall and accuracy degrades. Even at 2 grainns over max I don't seem to gain more than 50-70 fps and groups really open up. What gives?



Iv'e thought about this a few times, but scared that it wouldn't be as accurate. Although I may not be able to use all the accuracy from a field position. The old saw about " Only accurate guns are interesting" fits me to a T.

Thanks,
Dave.

Agree, BCBrian, 3/4 of my rifles I dont need, but I do want and like.........that's what makes our sport so much fun.

You might have a slow barrel. My 22" 6.5-284 is faster than either of my 24" 6.5-284s.

If you have a spare $150+/-, you could buy a 22" stainless 700 MR barrel in 260, another Remington factory synthetic stock, and have them installed on your action. If you decide that you don't like the 22" barrel, or it isn't accurate enough, you could swap back to the original barrel and stock. As long as you don't care where the roll stamps on the barrel are, headspacing a Remington action with a Remington barrel couldn't be much easier.

Jeff

Oh my gawd 260... I thought I liked the 260, but you're a madman with 15, ha, ha!

I love the round. So, much that I got rid of a poor shooting Ruger and rechambered an Arisaka carbine to it. The Arisaka shoots well, but it is a bit homely.

I'm really looking for a full sized gun in this cal without rebarreling something else. You can find the short carbines or maybe a Sako if you want to spring for one.

I've used the 85 grain Sierra quite a bit for groundhogs. It works. I think the jacket is a bit tough though - blows 50 cent piece holes, but always exits. I have some 95 gr vmax's loaded but haven't tried them.

Not sure why this round never took off. I'd rather have a 6.5-06... but rather than fool around with that, the 270 is too appealing a substitute.

If I can't find a nice, full size 260 I also may go the 270 route intead.

TM

For a full-size 260 Rem, the M700 Mountain LSS is sweet - and of course there's the M700 Titanium for those with the funds to spare.

I'm re-barreling a M700 243Win to 260 Rem to get my latest 260.