Ok, first off, I'm not going elk hunting with a .260 Rem. What I am trying to do is suggest an accurate, flat shooting handy little rifle for a buddy of mine for Mt.goats, dall sheep, black bear and up to caribou in Alaska. The reason I'm asking here is well, if it will work on an elk it will do great on the animals mentioned. I have no experience with the .260 so I would like some first hand accounts on it's performance. I've read a great deal about it and it sounds good but I'd rather here from someone who's BT/DT. thanks

I'd use it w/confidence to sane ranges - 300-400 yds, IF the shooter will put the bullet thru vitals, using a good bullet esp. in 129-140 grain. Many bullets will work very well, but a 130 Accubond is a great place to start IME.

Might go w/a 140 Partition on the bear, if not the wonderful penetrating 130 TTSX Barnes. A 120 Barnes TSX is also a very good bullet IMHO for large game, proven on larger game by a member here who took it to Africa w/120 TSX IIRC.

It's enough gun, IMHO for all those, assuming shot placement w/a decent bullet.

I heard someone over at nosler tipped over a few moose it seems using 120 Ballistic Tips thru heart area. Accubond, Barnes, and Partitions will cut thru deeper where needed to reach vitals.

I've never shot an elk with a 260, but have shot both Kudu and Eland with a 6.5x55. An Eland is bigger/tougher than most elk that I've seen, so if you are shooting a properly constructed bullet and can hit your POA, you should be OK. The smallest cartridge that I've used to shoot elk was a 7x57 and that elk died within a few steps.

Jeff

Should work about like the 7mm-08 or .308 Win, both of which work.

I'd take it over a .243 Win any time and the .243 Win has dropped a lot of elk.

I'd have no hesitation taking either of my .260 Remingtons with 140 gr. Nosler Partitions after elk. As also suggested the 120 or 130 TTSX bullets should do well also.

two-sick-steed...

Thanks for the replies so far. Just wanted to hear, (or not) that it's performence on game was as good as I've read on paper. The 7mm08 and .308 were other short actions I had thought about mentioning but I'm still thinking the .260 has the edge in trajectory/penetration. Let me know if I'm thinking wrong.

you're not.

The 260 will kill elk as well as the 708 or 308.

The .223 will too if everything is perfect.

Nice elk Huntsman22 !

Swampman700- I don't live anywhere near perfect! That's why I'm asking.

I'm going to end up talking myself into one. Maybe get a discount.

My daughter shot 4 elk and 4 deer with a 7-08. She started hunting at 12 so I used 140 grain Partitions and a starting level powder charge to keep recoil modest. It worked just fine, then she turned 16 and she has been too busy to hunt since. With that experience I would not hesitate to use the 260.

6.5x55, the 260 rem twin did the deed at 250 yards

I was waitin for huntsman to chime in. He ain't sceered to stick em with a 260 and a TSX.

Joseph

And a lefty!! I like it!

I've killed Elk with a .257 Rob. & 115 gr Nosler Partition handloads, with nary a problem. I hunt here on the ranch, and a long shot would be still be shy of 100 yds.

Respects,

Richard

No problem at all with the .260 and elk. I have killed a few truck loads of big critters with a 6.5-06, which is only 200 fps faster than the .260. It is the hammer of Thor on critters. My favorite bullets are the 120 grain Nosler Ballistic tips for deer sized game and 140 grain Hornady Flat Base spire points for everything else. You DON"T need premium bullets for the .260 and I DON'T recommend them. The low velocity makes them work more like a full metal jacket. Cup and core bullets are the bomb in this smaller round. My overall choice is the 140 grain grain Hornady for everything across the board. Great bullet for velocities under 2,900 fps. It works every time all the time. I haven't been able to get it to blow apart, or fail to mushroom, no matter the range it is shot at. Flinch

A 270 with a 140 would have kilt them more deaderer

What is a .270? Never heard of it. Probably because it won't kill elk. ;o) Flinch

I agree with Flinch. I killed a Cow elk last Oct with my Swede and the 140 IL at 2525mv. One Hornady thru the ribs worked perfect. Swede's and 260 Rem are twins, and you can actually shoot them, kill stuff, and have fun all at the same time.

Flinch, won't argue w/your C/C comment, wonder if the plain Corelokt would be same/same vs. Hornday...they shoot sub moa in my #1 Ruger, not bad for a cheaper option.

H22 - Beautiful Bull sir - congrats, I hope to be lucky enough some day....

Rockchucker -also congrats, noticed as well leftie, tell us about your rifle as I assume it's custom.....thanks.

Merry Christmas all - and long live the 6.5s

my all around hunting rifle, chambered in 260


ill chase elk with it, my wife and daughter chase elk with a 7-08 and there aint enough difference between them to matter.....

I've done it with the swede. Wouldn't hesitate to do it again with any decent bullet about 120 gr. Or more.

6.5 BR: I have no experience w/elk but I use 270/130 Core Lokts for whitetail, 100-200 lbs. Over the years I have observed they are a little tougher than Hornady ils, WHICH I USE. The Core Lokts work fine but the expansion is a little less than Hornady. (same cal. & wt)

That said, the Core Lokt should be PERFECTLY FINE on elk.

JWALL
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There's a 260 Rem in every 270 Win > GRIN

Thanks for the info Jwall.

I run 140 grainers out of my 260 Rem at 2750 fps...

that is some serious penetration potential...

6.5 BR: Just a little more info. I run the 130s at 3100fps or more in the 270s, no matter which bullet I use. Both the Hornady and Core Lokts work well but the Core Lokts opens a little less, which means penetration would be better.

IIRC 250 yds is about as far as I've shot a whitetail w/270. My preferred shot is broadside behind the shoulder. I don't take the straight on or the hole in one shots. Even with close shots both bullets work well but the Core Lokts give less bloodshot area which is good.

I've read a couple of times on the fire someone calling the Rems, core loss. That has never been my experience. I've not found any bullet fragments, all have been pass thrus.

NOTE, the 270 130 is the only Rem Core Lokt I've used to any extent and NO 6.5s. I expect you will test and compare your caliber and weight for terminal performance. I also expect you to find good results. I would like to know if you're not satisfied with them.

Good Luck with your SUB CALIBER > GRIN real big.

JWALL
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An Old Handloader Deaf in Left Ear

We've been using the 260 with great success on elk... stopped counting how many had fallen to the little guns at a half dozen... admittedly haven't seen a big bull shot with one yet. Based on the amount of damage and the penetration shown to date, I'd not hesitate to dump a big bill with a 260.

140 NPT, 140 SGK, and 140 NAB at MV from 2600 to 2750 all work fine. SGKs are the easiest to catch, they're pretty fragile. The Noslers, not so much.

Matt Man: Fantastic, I certainly wish I could draw an elk tag.

I give ya'll a hard time from time to time, but it's all in fun.

Keep on keeping on. I like your bullet report also.

JWALL
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There's a 260 in every 270 Win. > Grin

260 pushing factory 140 SGKs seemed to work okay. The more I shoot it, the more I leave the 300 WM in the safe. Just got the wife a compact for Christmas, and with the limited shooting I've done with it, it seems to look promising.





Note the 2nd cow was after we helped a guy track and gut a cow that he had shot about 10 times with a 270 shooting the never-fail Remington Core-Loks.

Well I suppose one can not argue long against the success some have shown with their .260 caliber rifles. I once also took an elk under perfect conditions with a 25/06 but that rifle will never accompany me to the rocky mountains again for hunting elk, speed goats yes but elk no. I will stay with my chose caliber and that is the .338 diameter bullets going out of a .338/06 or my .338 Win mag.

Have nothing against the 338 family.

The OP asked if the 260 worked on elk, and I gave testimony to my experience. IMHO the 260 works great on elk.

I too have my eye on a 260. But I do wonder when going small really starts to matter. If dropping to a 308, then a 7mm-08, then a 260 doesn't matter, when does it matter assuming decent shot opportunities to the boiler room? Just curious, nothing more. Can't argue with dead critters though! Look forward to loading one up.

I can see where you are coming from. I felt the same way for a long time. One of the reasons I like the 260 so well is how well it mimics trajectory of the 300 WM. Higher BC also plays a roll for me, however, I say shoot what you are comfortable shooting.

If you are able to shoot a 460 Weatherby comfortably, and not flinch, but all means do so. 300 Win Mag is about my threshold for pain when it comes to recoil, and after shooting it a bit, I can manage it, however, it is not necessary, nor IMO recommendable for a beginner hunter to go out and get the biggest baddest gun he can find so he can show how large his huevos are.

There's a 243 in the safe that doesn't get used, it keeps the 300 WM company. YMMV, but from what I have seen out of a 260, it is going to be my "go to" for a long long time.

I sat beside one of my friends (about 5 years ago) on a snowy hillside in Idaho and watched him shoot an average 6X5 bull at about 125 yards with a 7mm Rem mag. and 175gr. factory loaded Core Lokts. After the first shot (which hit perfectly behind the shoulders)the bull turned an walked uphill. My friend shot again and hit the bull right in the shoulders. The bull kept walking.....the third shot was also in the shoulders and the bull then turned downhill and walked about 40 yards before collapsing. He had to be shot in the neck a fourth time to die. The autopsy showed that all three 175gr. 7mm Core Lokts had mushroom early and big and none of them penetrated more than 2/3 of the way through the elk broadside. A 7mm Rem Mag. is a fine elk cartridge if you use good bullets and with good bullets, one shot anywhere in the chest cavity or in the shoulders is all you should need. I dont know about all Core Lokt bullets in all weights or all calibers, but the 175gr. 7mm bullet is far too soft.

The "Core-Lokt" Remington sells now ain't the same bullet grandpappie used...

All bullets are not created equal NOR behave similarly when impacting at varying speeds.

No doubt, the 7 mag is proven and Corelokts, yet the combo? Depends.

What I do know about them, I fired a 7mm TCU 14" handgun at point blank range into a creosote post and dug it out, it was the 150 gr, a bullet that IIRC Rem designed w/a dual bearing surface if you will, shorter riding surface area to lower friction.

None the less, I have that bullet somewhere, it looked 'Ad pic perfect' a NICE fat mushroom w/o fragmentation. Granted my MV was around 2,000 but I shot point blank range and it went thru alot of wood. I was actually fairly impressed. It was not 'field performance test' but it gave me confidence accuracy/trajectory aside, they WILL hold together well.

Mattman, when the 7/08 came out, the 140gr load actually used 139 Hornady's for a long time. Not sure if or how many other 'corelokt' loads might have used Hornady IL's but suffice to say NOW they latest 140 CL load is named 'NEW' and apparently is a different bullet. How it's construction might vary from older 'corelokts' or true corelokts - not Hornady's I cannot say.

What I do know is the 6.5 CL's fly flat, killed many deer w/120s, VERY effectively - as in all dropped on the spot w/6.5x55. In 140 gr in 6.5, I find they often are just more accurate and seem to hold up a good bit better on longer shots, like 400 yds, vs. the 120 version, and that likely is applicable to other bullets in that caliber as well.

Nice post/pics of the elk kills above.

I hear you PRM about 'when does going smaller' get too much so.

Yet my response is even though one may drop from 30 cal down to 6.5, when you use a 140 class bullet, your mass in the bullet is a great deal more than a 6mm, and often a good bit more than a 25 cal, so I think 6.5 is perhaps a 'threshold. Not that a good 25 or 6mm won't work w/good bullets, they will.

In the end, 'Good Shot placement/thru vitals + properly constructed bullets = dead critters' and that rule IMHO applies regardless of headstamp, paper ballistics, etc.

Every shooter has their limits and should know them. Inside that, every bullet has their's also, and when that is placed w/in it's 'window of effectiveness' if you will, it works.

I.E., A varmint bullet is NOT necessarily going to fail, or be WRONG, on a large animal "IF" the shooter KNOWS he must go for head/neck shots. Yet, for everyday use w/o the need to 'hold fire' on a variety of shot angles, true 'game bullet's" will provide more latitude in where you must hit to kill.

I think that 7 mag/175 CL elk, was dead on it's feet and just had not realized it yet Sometimes those big animals can absorb alot of lead before they give up the ghost.

That said, a Partition are Accubond, or even Barnes might be my pick on a fast Magnum round that might see duty at close range on large animals. I well recall Warren Page taking one at around 475yds w/7mm Mashburn using 175 partitions. Slower impact speed helsp penetration as well.

sundles: no.1 I have no experience with elk period. MOST of my experience with core lokts has been with 270-130 06-150 and 6mm-100. On whitetail 100-200 lbs. they have performed extremely well.

Bob Hagel thot highly of them too and said "they were the best of the cup/core."(not verbatim) I UNDERSTAND that was 30 yrs. ago and things CAN change.

I have a STOCK of 270/130s from several yrs. back and I'll put them UP AGAINST any and ALL CUP-CORES. Again, deer not elk. I like and use Hornady ils. and the core lokts I have are tougher.

I think it was 260 rem guy or 6.5br I told at their velocities, the 140 core lokt SHOULD do well and I expected they would test them BEFORE shooting an elk.

We know that diff. calibers, diff. bullet wts, & diff. velocities, diff. lots can show VARITATION in performance.

Before I would use ANY cup/core on elk or larger game I would thoroughly test them on diff. media. (ABC NBC CNN et.al. TIC)
Especially since we KNOW of lot-lot variation in EVERYTHING.

I have NO REASON to disbelieve or doubt you, it just has not been my experience. MATT MAN may very well have the secret to the ?

I don't PRETEND to be an EXPERT or AUTHORITY and I don't want to be a KNOW IT ALL. Verbosity and Bloviation doesn't PROVE you know ANYTHING.

Just a thot to consider. If we don't fuel a fire it will go out.

JWALL
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Verbosity and Bloviation doesn't prove you know anything. JW

is a 260 an ideal elk round? no prolly not but with one in hand i wouldnt hesitate to go after elk......with good bullets it has no problem punching through an elks vitals and that is what matters....if you prefer to use a 338 have at it, ive got a 338-06 i would prolly use more if it didnt weight over 9 pounds ready to hunt....i really didnt think that build out to well thinking i need to get either one of the Ruger Africans in 9.3x62 or get a long actioned Kimber and rebarrel it to such for my "big" rifle....

If your gonna chase elk with a 260, use 140s, NAB, NPT, HIL, in that order...

If your rifle won't seem to stabilize 140s, slap yourself, HARD, for settling for a 9 twist and drop down to a 130 or 129 of similar construction.

If you don't have the ability to reload, get Federal Premium 140 SGKs, and start saving for a press. The SGK will NOT punch through heavy bone and keep trucking, nor will it work to shoot them up the azz with. Stick it in the boiler room, and schitt's gonna die, and die quick...

BTW, if anyone wants to buy an OTC or landowner tag so I can pop a huge bull with a 260 to prove a point I'm game. Have leave time will travel...

I'll even use my wife's or one of my kid's 260s. You pick.

I'd use it on elk, with tough premium bullets, maybe they're not needed to bag one, but if things go bad, I'd like the extra bullet integrity and penetration. It looks like people here have bagged elk with standard c-n-c bullets without issue using the 260 though. Just my two cents.

My 260 Sako 75 22" shot 140 Amax, 140 Berger, and 142 SMK, just fine, all well under MOA w/9" twist. Other '9' twisted guns would have to be shot to see, but MY rifle spun them just fine.

FWIW, alot of elk dropped w/130 C/C bullets via 270 Win.

A 129 Hornady 6.5mm is VERY close to a 130/277. They hold up well on impact - in fact about as much as a 125 Partition.

140s will give you more of what already works.

The above is not 'Pretend'....

If I had a 9 twist I'd not hesitate to run 129s or 130 to make life simple... and agree the 270/130 is almost as good

Still a firm believer that the SD/BC of the 140s is where the 6.5 pixie dust lies...

I like the 120 tsx and 140 Nosler AB in my .260 Rems. Wouldn't hesitate to use either on elk. Coreloks never - had a 180 grainer blow up on a elk shoulder at 200 yards out of a 300 win mag. Broke the leg, but no penetration. He was shot 3 weeks later by a hunter on the same ranch. Leg broken, but feeding away and wound was mostly healed. After telling that story a few times, I've heard 20 similar experiences with them. With all the money and time I put into hunting, there simply is no reason not to use a premium bullet.

I personally don't believe the .260 has enough going for it to take on mature bull elk in the wild. I did it once with a 25/06 but everything was darn near perfect that day and I did have a perfect broadside presentation under 200 yards. NOPE! I say the .30-06 should be the smallest caliber attempted to take bull elk. I'll drop down to the .270 Winchester for cows though with premium bullets like the 160 grn Nosler partition.

two years ago my daughter and i came up on a heavy 6x6 bull we coulda killed with a rock, daughter only had a cow tag in her pocket though.....

as i said is the 260 an ideal elk round? no but i wouldnt hesitate to take off after them with mine, my daughters "elk rifle" is a 7-08......a good bullet out of either will take out an elks plumbing if you can shoot half way decent....

I guess you .308 Win & .300 Savage guys are SOL.

No first hand experience with it on elk , but a friend of mine bought a model 7 youth for his grandson in 260 several years ago. The grandson is still shooting that rifle ( put the full size stock on it) and has laid low a slew of antelope,deer and elk, and a cougar with that rifle.
It's the ballistic twin to the 6.5 swede and that ol girl has a long and healthy track record on things from tiny to quite large.
Get your 260 put it thru the paces and find your best load for it. If you put a bullet where it needs to go, you won't be disappointed.
Elk shot in the ass with a 338 a half dozen times won't be any deader than one shot thru the heart/lungs one time with a 260.

Shoot 'em where they live with a 260 and they die... and I've seen more DRT bang flops on elk with 260s than any other caliber... maybe cause we quit hunting with anything else. Elk ain't exactly bullet proof, and no amount of slug will make up for crappy shooting.

Darn!!!

Prezactly... and the yielded table fare is much different in quality and quantity.

IIRC, Craig Boddington took a 260 to Afrika for his Daughter to shoot. I don't believe they had no issues killing things there with a 260. Zebra and Kudu were among the game taken and they are bigger and tougher than Elk.

Writer Greg Rodriguez did likewise with his young son and daughter doing the shooting. Ruger 16-1/2" compact poking little holes with the 120 TTSX.

Alan

I have shot elk with a 270 and now use 257 weatherby, 260 should have no problems. Shot placement is what counts.

Wonder how many times 'ol Elmer Keith has turned over in his grave when posts such a this come up?

Times, bullets and acceptance have changed.

Alan

I think it is a less than ideal choice for a purpose built/purchased rifle to use for bull elk. Will it do it? Yes. Are there far better cartridges, certainly. In fact, I have killed elk with both the 7mm08 and the 260 and prefer the 7mm hands down.

I think the 260 is a very reasonable cartridge for cows and makes a good youth round but it does run short on steam at medium ranges and I wouldn't tout it as a 500 yd elk round. As for using using only cup-core type bullets and shunning premiums, I call BS on that. Have seen too many shot with Partitions to fall for that logic. Partitions work just as well as lower velocities as the core lokts and better at higher velocities.

I don't use mono bullets under 7mm caliber so can't comment on what a TSX would do!

As has been stated plenty, the 140 accubond running around 2700 is very good. My daughter's rig is running them slower than that and they have all exited with good expansion on deer sized game.

Shot one with a 130 Accubond; went 200 yds and lived at least 45 seconds. Shot was perfect broadside in the lungs. Wasn't real explosive and I suspect that's why he went so far. I kinda like my elk to fall a little sooner.

A 140 grain 6.5mm of equal construction to a 180 grain .308" should penetrate about the same.

Neither drop stuff like lighting at 2,750, but both kill well.

Just dropped a mature cow elk @ 175 yds last Saturday with my 6.5x55 using Nosler 140 Partitions....she didn't know what hit her...elk soon in the freezer.....

140 Partitions in a 260 hammer big elk no problem.

placement? and I would imagine the bullet exited right?

Thx
Dober

The Accubond did NOT exit.

140 NABs from a 16.5" compact do... unless you're a fair bit away.

I guess the next post will be about 243 for elk ?

And a .223 for deer.

Stunt shooters us all.

Thanks again for all the replies, and a reminder not to get all bent out of shape over using a .260 on elk. As stated in my OP, I figure if it will work on a 1300 lb bull elk it will surely work on a 500 lb caribou 350 lb black bear ect... It seems the general consensus is that it will. I'm not into stunt shooting nor am I going to suggest an iffy caliber choice to a buddy.

dmsbandit,

I don't know where you got your information on African game. While some kudu bulls get pretty big, on average they are not quite as large as big bull elk. They also do not have nearly the reputation for toughness as some other plains game animals.

Zebra size depends on the species, but the most commonly hunted species is also a little smaller than a big bull elk. They do have a reputation for being pretty tough, though my wife killed a big stallion pretty easily with one shot from a .308, using a 150-grain E-Tip, in the right place.

..............With proper placement it shouldn`t be a problem. On a video posted here via John Burns, Wayne Van Zwoll used a 6.5 Creedmoor to take a bull elk at 603 yards using a 129 gr Horn SST.

For black bears, caribou and certainly throw in the hogs, a nice handy rifle chambered in the 260 Remy will work just fine.

Agreed.

Joseph

Good elk tags are much harder to get, and good elk are much harder to find, than they are to shoot/kill. A .260 will absolutely kill an elk. But you won't see me carrying mine on any hunt that matters much to me. I've had only two premium bull tags in my career, and both hunts were more than a fair bit of work. I do everything I can to maximize my prospects for success, and carrying my .260 would not be consistent with that approach.

A ranchland hunt for cows--sure. A hunt where I am covering multiple miles and multiple 1000s of feet of elevation in a day, to MAYBE get one shot--no way am I carrying a .260.

i used a 6.5x55 swede and a 120 ttsx to kill a huge cow elk in dec. 265 yards through the near shoulder and out the second to last rib on the far side. she ran 50 yards and died.

work great for me.

i'll be bull hunting this year and i'm going to pack a bigger gun. i found out there are too many variables in hunting elk and i want to make sure all the bases are covered.

My point exactly. Cow hunts are typically much more easy going, and I never heard anyone say "I just shot/missed/ turned down an shot at the cow of a lifetime." Big bulls are a different bargain. Of course then the question is how much bigger do you have to get to cover your bases.

i went to a 7mm stw. if i don't like it i'll move on

p.s. i was completely satisied with the 6.5x55

That sums it up pretty good right there. These aren't the "good ole days" for most of us. I would never advocate one of my elk hunting clients bring a 260 Remington as their primary rifle unless they had physical limitations that limited their choices somewhat. This year, other than archery bulls, I had 7mm Rem mag, 300 Winny and a 338-378 WBY. All were more than adequate, however, all took more than one shot!

With all due respect, all took more than one shot because shot #1 wasn't placed well.

Perhaps the recoil of the rifles in question was a bit much for your sports to handle, thereby causing them to flinch just a bit and not place their pill in the boiler room? After all, neurosurgeons don't operate with meat cleavers...they use a scalpel.

Well, I can't see what trying to disrupt life in the field with a rifle has to do with saving life in a sanitized surgery!

Aside, it seems there's a lot of very shootable rounds bigger than the 260 but smaller than a 300 WBY that are suitable elk rounds... the 30-06 is one that comes to mind.

Hmm, I've often wondered if a 180 Noz would work on elk in a 06?

Dober

I can't say with any certainty

Maybe we can find an elk next year..grin

Dober

Won't get a shot unless the power windows are working though...

Dang, thx for reminding me to get those fixed..<g>

Dober

Well, keeping them up ensures good saturation of the all-time best cover scent... cigarette smoke.

+1...



I think second hand stories to that effect are nothing but vicious rumors.....

wonder how the 100 grain TTSX would dig through an elk launched @ 3100 out of the 260?

Would work fine, no doubt.

I'd still be inclined to a 120-130 were I using something like a TTSX...

thanks

they make a 120 TTSX.... not a 130 that i am aware of

the regular ol' 130 tsx does fine. no blue tip needed....

Huntsman, what's your 130 load, speed, etc?

Sako, thinking of an elk hunt?

Brad, My reloading stuff is still skwirled away in the trailer(and hard to get to) since the divorce, but I use Varget. I'm thinking it was 42 gr? Or was that my 95 vmax load? heck, I can't remember... Clocks at 2850, tho. I do remember that....

No Worries With The 130 TSX. They Will Do The Job,I Killed a 5x5 Two Years Ago In Wyoming.Shot Was About A 80Yd.Bullet Entered Just Above The Heart And Traveled Long Ways and Lodged In The Opposite Ham. He Went About 75 Yd.I Took Alot A Kidding In Camp About Carrying A Pellet Rifle{6.5-284}.Friends was Carrying A 280AI and a 300WSM. Both Killed Elk, But 7 Shots Between The Two.Funny They Didn't Say Much On The Ride Home

Although not a TSX or a TTSX I run 130 AB's at 2900fps with H4350

Thanks 22.

Cartridges are more alike than different... unless guys can't shoot em!

If I were walking out the door tomorrow to hunt elk with a 260 I'd be running a 130 AB over H4350!

That's only because of your tsx experience..... So far, mines been better. That said, I have a whole bunch of 120 ttsx's to load up.grin

Really, it's more about my Accubond experience. They just work.

that, too.

It looks like this may well be a well dead thread - but hey I'll try.

I am in the process of deciding on a caliber to hunt elk on Afognak Island in Alaska - and the big choice is between .260 Rem and 308 win. Afognak Elk are Roosevelt Elk and larger than Rocky Mountain elk, and the ones from Afognak Island are even abnormally large for Roosevelt elk. I've see bull elk from Afognak that weighed 1400 pounds - even shot one myself that weighed around 1300 pounds.

Anyway, I have done a lot of elk hunting and all of my elk have been shot with a 300 win mag. But the thing weighs a ton and I don't think I shoot it all that well. And it's not just me. In fact I looked at our group elk hunt statistics and over the years we've shot 15 elk. Non magnum rounds (.308, 270 and 30-06) are 8 for 8. No one has ever failed to kill an elk on our hunts when using a non-magnum. And 4 different people have shot elk with a non-magnum.

With the magnum rounds (300 win mag, 338 win - and also 4 different shooters) the success rate is WAY lower - like 7 out of 15 tries. And only one of those was a wounded animal that got away (A shoulder shot at 50 yards!). All the rest of the failed elk were complete misses or branches etc. And in my defense I was 5 for 5 with elk with the 300 win mag before I had 3 bad shots in a row. And this is why I am dropping the 300 WM.

Anyhow, I own a 270 win and 308 win and 260 rem (in addition to the 300 WM) and am thinking of taking the 260 into the field this year. But it just seems so small. But hard to argue with stats too.

My big worry is long shots. Sometimes on Afognak Island you just can't get any closer when the bulls are out in the middle of a big alpine bowl. Another consideration is weight and compactness. My old 300 WM is a beast. And I am sick of carrying it thru the brush, and up the mountains. On Afognak we generally carry our camp on our backs for 60 miles or so (in 2012 we GPS'd our route as 65 miles). So light and compact means a great deal.

Anyhow, I looked at the ballistics and noted that the 260 seems to carry the punch a bit further downrange than the 308 (I use 140g bullets Sierra Gameking in the 260 and 180g Federal soft point in the 308). Also the 260 has a far higher sectional density. So the 260 is what I am going to go with for elk out to 300 yards - thoughts?

Finally, I will add that I've shot almost 40 sitka blacktail deer, mountain goats, and one reindeer with my 260. I know it well and it seems to drop animals quite decisively out to 400 yards. I like the rifle -only I guess I still don't quite trust it for elk! And finally my 270 has a very long barrel and no ballistic reticule - so I'd prefer to use the short action 308 or 260.

Patrick

I can guarantee you a Rem 725 rebarreled to .260 with 140 gr. Corelokts will kill a cow elk at @ 150 yds drt, wolf at 40 drt, and several caribou drt at 200 - 400 yds.

Unless you pecker shoot one first. But that WILL slow 'em down!

Allow for windage....not to mention remembering to use the range-finder...

Seems like our moose hunting brothers across the Atlantic made a pretty good run of killing moose on driven hunts and other woodsie type hunting scenario's with the 6.5x55.. There are a slew of great bullets for the 260/6.5 Swede.

Did you use the 140 Sierra for all of the deer and other animals you shot with the 260?

I'd think with a good bullet, it'll work. You shooting it well is probably 95% of the hunt anyhow.

Good luck and take lots of pictures. They are some BIG elk. Never shot a Roosevelt, but I'd love to get into them sometime.

All of them were with Remington factory 140 gr. Corelokts, which is the most accurate factory round I've found for my rifle to date. MOA or less. Haven't done any reloading yet.

Yeah, I know...no animal dies unless it's done with.a Premium ......

What rarely gets discussed, is that the 6.5 rounds seem to kill way better than they should if you judge them by the paper ballistics. I believe that it is that long bullet spinning extremely rapidly that imparts a very killing impact on an animal. If defies its size.

Donner,

I have no actual knowledge of a .260 Rem. I'm going to guess that it's close enough to a 6.5 Swede to be its twin. About two decades ago a Finnish dude told me that he and other Scandinavians hunt HUGE Scandinavians moose with the 6.5 Swede, so a .260 Rem ought to work on elk.

I was going to take my 260 on my Kodiak deer hunt with Art. I was talked out of it. I ended up taking my 300 H&H. It worked fine. The concern was bears. Is it ideal for elk? I don't think it is but will certainly work just fine. My preferred bullet for big game with my 260 is the 140 Sierra game king. Seems to really thrive at this velocity!

Use a Partition and don't worry about the elk......
........can't speak for bears.......

Casey

I know the 260 rem with 140 sierra gamekings is an excellent Kodiak deer and goat round. It has been my go to rifle for everything but elk until now. And even if it works for elk (hopefully I'll be able to let you know on that one) I do know I would not use it to hunt brown bear.

I carry pepper spray for the bears. Pepper spray works (I used it once) and I'm not sure if I would be able to kill a bear quick before the bear got to me (or even get a shot off) even if I had a 375 HH. So for me the 260 rem is fine.

And as I said I've learned that the 300 win mag or 338 isn't ideal for elk either. I'm hoping I'll actually kill better with the 260 because I'll shoot better with it.

But I have to admit those 260 cartridges just look so darn small. .. .

And finally I agree with las about the corelokts. I used them all the time until they stopped selling them here. VERY accurate in my 260.

I also think because the 260 has lower velocities that soft core and cup bullets work just fine. I know I have had no issues with bullet failure with almost 40 animals and counting. And I have had some catastrophic bullet failures with my 270 and 300 WM. I had to stop using sierra gamekings and ballistic tips in my 270 because at close range they did crazy things. I once blew a grapefruit sized hole in the shoulder of a deer with a 130g ballistic tip from the 270. It ran off and I had to kill it ugly. The same thing would not have happened if I had fired the same bullet at the lower velocities of the 260.

And thank you all for the advice, I now have the confidence to use the 260 rem on Afognak Elk. I'll let you know how it goes.

Not sure why you think the 300 and 338 aren't ideal for elk as I think they are. I have killed 11 or 12 bulls with a 300 Wby and found it never lacking. Most of those bulls were killed with 165 grain X bullets but I also used 200 grain Barnes originals, 200 grain hot cores and a 250 grain Barnes original. All were excellent bullets for elk. I never recovered an X bullet from an elk. I did recover a couple of the 200s in the far skin.

If recoil is your nemesis I can't understand that but it doesn't mean the 300s are not ideal for elk. The 260 is fine. The only other bullet I have used on really big stuff in the 260 is the 130 Accubond. It seemed to work fine on feral horses.

I normally hunt with a 7mm Rem Mag loaded with Hornady SST or Swift Scirroco. I bought my wife a .260 based off the reviews on the recoil. I have killed everything from Southern white tail to rocky Mountain elk, to mulies with the same 150gr bullet pushing 3100fps put of my 7 mag.

Well, this year I want to use the .260 to prove it's worth to myself. I bought 2 boxes of ammo and am wondering, what would you use? I have a box of Barnes TTSX in 120gr and Federal premiums with sierra gamekings in 140gr. I saw the bullet results thread and darn near 100% weight retention in the barnes intrigues me, however I know the gameking is a proven killer. Help me choose because I keep teetering either way.

Go Barnes.

Charles Sheldon didn't think he was under gunned with his little .256 Mannlicher (6.5x54) whilst traipsing around Alaska and shot a fair bit of big critters:

".. I always had a .22 rifle to use for shooting grouse and small animals, but for large game my Mannlicher, .256 calibre, is the only rifle I have used in the North.�

Another good thread from time past.

Nice reading words from nice people who haven't posted here in a good while.

Take care

I have noticed that being full copper, the 120gr Barnes TTSX is every bit as long as the 140gr. SGK. I have yet to hit the range with this .260 Rem though so we will see which ones it spits out better.

Just a sidenote, this is the thread that convinced me to buy a .260. I got a savage model 11 with the 1 in 8 twist. I'm working midnight shift right now but I am super excited to get it out to the range. It should be able to fill my idaho cow tag!

I use my 260 a lot mostly with 120 BT or 120 TTSX. As much as I love it I wouldn't carry it on Afognac. Have hunted there 4 times and carried my .375 and never felt "overgunned"

Lefty C

Welcome to the Campfire MachoKing.

I hope the fire is good to you.

One of my hunting partners is seriously angry at me for wanting to hunt with the .260. He is saying he won't help me track an elk if I shoot it with a 260. Funny thing is, he never tracks or even packs out because he's a little primadonna baby. I have full faith a 120gr barnes ttsx will smoke a cow elk out to 300 yards no problems.

time for a new primadonna, err, partner.....

i have killed a grand total of 1 elk. it was a big cow at 300 yards with a 120 ttsx out of da 6.5 swede. worked very well. wife just killed a med size cow with a 6.5 creedmoor using a 130 nab it worked as well.

Just killed another cow elk with a 130 accubond at 2850 fps out of my swede, 306 yds, 1 shot and down, heart shot, bullet exited. 2 other cows shot at closer range previous years the accubonds have not exited with lung shots, 200-250 yds, but expanded perfectly and were balled up on the hide on the offside.

The farthest I have had any elk travel with a good lung or heart shot has been 50 yds, most have been down in less than 10 yds. Going to get around to trying the 120 TTSX one of these years but the accubonds have been working so well.

My bulls have been shot with a 280 and the bull in my avatar was taken with a 257 wsm. Place a decent bullet in the vitals and it will work. Built a 280 ackley just for elk but my swede is so much lighter and easier to carry that I find myself grabbing it instead. I think many use calibers larger than they can handle, therefore they don't practice with them and shoot poorly as a result. A precisely placed bullet is much more important than caliber.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...95172/GAP_260_Rem,_Barnes_127_LRX,_7#top


Pass throughs on quarting large cow at 725 yards with the 127LRX. She covered a total of about six feet distance from where I shot her to where she fell. I'd say the 260 can do the business at any "sane range" of 800 yards or less.

Amen....I can't understand why anyone would use the 260 when so many better options are available.

I can't understand why anyone would poke one thru the lungs if they want them to fall 'a little sooner'....

I went with a .260 for my cow hunt this fall because I had back surgery in August, and it was the lightest weight and recoil rifle in my inventory. It did not seem lacking.

I have killed 1 elk with my 260- died just as quick at the 20 other elk I have killed using "elk" cartridges.

I've killed two elk with the .260, 130gr Berger Hunting VLD. One six point bull at 125 yards, and one cow at 700 yards. They were broadside lung shots, both shots passed through, both critters went less than 25 yards. Have seen eight other elk taken with that round with good results as well. It reminds me a lot of the 9 elk I've killed with a .270. It's like anything else, make good shots, sharpen your knife, make poor shots, put on your tracking boots....