thinking about my 260 being a 243 on roids

[john keyes]

okay I have a 260 and a 7mm-08.  face it: with 120 and/or 140 gr bullets, the 7mm-08 is gonna have the edge in velocity

Now, being that us gun owners are never redundant     I've thought

"hey why not make my 260 a 243 magnum?"

so here is my great idea:  load my 260 with 100 gr bullets and make it a screamin demon?

Hornady makes a 100 gr spire point in 6.5 that has some good reviews.  I imagine getting better than 3000 fps shouldn't be a problem...

what do you think?

[Coyote Hunter]

okay I have a 260 and a 7mm-08.  face it: with 120 and/or 140 gr bullets, the 7mm-08 is gonna have the edge in velocity

Now, being that us gun owners are never redundant     I've thought

"hey why not make my 260 a 243 magnum?"

so here is my great idea:  load my 260 with 100 gr bullets and make it a screamin demon?

Hornady makes a 100 gr spire point in 6.5 that has some good reviews.  I imagine getting better than 3000 fps shouldn't be a problem...

what do you think?

I wouldn’t, for multiple reasons.

1.  I don’t like cup-and-core bullets at high velocity.  Hornady’s 7th Edition lists 3200fps for their 100g Spire Point and at 150 yards it is still going faster than I like for such bullets, especially when they are lightweights like the 100g.  My hunting loads need to perform at all ranges from the muzzle to as far out as I’ll take a shot.

2. A 100g Partition would be more to my taste and Nosler #6 suggests a maximum velocity of 3365fps.

3. Better yet, a 130g Scirocco would get my vote (as it has for my 6.5-06AI) due to its construction and extraordinarily high Ballistic Coefficient (.571 vs. .358 for the Spire Point and .326 for the Partition).   

4. When zeroed for a max rise of 3”, the 500-yard trajectories are -28” for the 100g/3365fps Partition, - 31” for the 100g/3200fps Spire Point and -33” for the 130g/2900fps Scirocco.  Each drops below 1000fpe as follows:  445 yards/Spire Point, 460 yards/Partition and 735 yards for the Scirocco. 

5. Comparing the three at  735 yards:
-106”, 1860fps, 1000fpe = 130g Scirocco @ 2900fps
-105”, 1543fps, 528fpe = 110g Partition @ 3365fps
-111”, 1565fps, 544fpe = 100g Spire Point @ 3200fps

Although the trajectories are close, the Scirocco is the clear winner in terms of retained velocity (required for bullet upset) and energy.

By the way, the only Scirocco available in 7mm is 150g with a BC of .515.  At 2869fps (Nosler #6) or 2800fps (Hornady 7th), while it isn’t far behind, can’t quite keep up with the .260 Rem/130g Scirocco, either.  At 735 yards:

-106”, 1860fps, 1000fpe = .260 Rem, 130g Scirocco @ 2900fps

-123”, 1691fps, 952fpe = 7mm-08, 150g Scirocco @ 2800fps (Hornady 150g velocity)
-115”, 1741fps, 1010fpe = 7mm-08, 150g Scirocco @ 2869fps (Nosler 150g velocity)

My advice, if you want a long range load, is the 130g Scirocco.  Less recoil, flatter shooting, higher retained velocity and 99% the energy of the 7mm-08/150g Scirocco.


By the way, the 130g Scirocco is what I’ve chosen to use in my 6.5-06 Ackley Improved.  For target rounds I use the 140g A-MAX.

[shot1]

It all depends on what you want to do with the 260 Rem. If you want to shoot varmints and red mist them use the 100 gr Sierra HP. I shoot it in my 6.5X55 Swede and it will scatter a groundhog all over the field.

The 100 gr ballistic tip will do good on smaller deer and antelope and the 100 gr partition will do a good job on the larger deer.

But where your reasoning between the 260 and the 7-08 has a flaw is in sectional density of the bullet. The .264  bullets have the edge most of the time. Long range will let the 260 shine. When shooting game those loooog .264 bullets just keep mushrooming and keep on trucking. For an all round big game .264 bullet the 130 Nosler Accubond is hard to beat.

[mjbgalt]

i already did it with my swede.

the nosler BT's are great. i get 3200+ fps out of it.

one-hole groups with 42.5 grains of Varget. and i sold my .243

[Graybeard]

Since the Hornady light mag 6mm Remington gets 3250 fps and their .243 LM gets just 100 fps less I guess pushing a 100 grain to only 3000 would hardly quality it as a .243/6mm on roids now would it?

I also kinda hate to push a standard cup and core bullet that fast especially one that small. In addition the 6.5mm bullet that light is kinda short and fat so loses that velocity faster than would a 6mm bullet so at 300 yards would likely be going slower even if it started faster.

When I had a .260 and I do admit I kinda wish I still had it the bullets I considered proper for it were the Nosler 100 PT, Nosler 125 PT and Hornady 129 BTSP. That was before the bonded bullets had come out for it. I believe both Nosler and Hornady now make a bonded 130 for it and I'd add both those to the list. IF (GREAT BIG IF in my experience) the Barnes TSX in that weight range will shoot well in your rifle I'd add that one as well to the list.

My thoughts were a little like yours really in that I wanted it to be a .243 heavy not so much "on roids" as you put it as far as looking for more velocity but for a bit more bullet weight. Still I was NOT trying to make it into a 7-08 a round I truly love and appreciate as a deer hunting round. In it I have standardized on 139/140 grain bullets so I wanted to keep my bullet weights between what I'd use in a .243 and the 7-08 thus the list I gave above.

[roper]

okay I have a 260 and a 7mm-08.  face it: with 120 and/or 140 gr bullets, the 7mm-08 is gonna have the edge in velocity

Now, being that us gun owners are never redundant     I've thought

"hey why not make my 260 a 243 magnum?"

so here is my great idea:  load my 260 with 100 gr bullets and make it a screamin demon?

Hornady makes a 100 gr spire point in 6.5 that has some good reviews.  I imagine getting better than 3000 fps shouldn't be a problem...

what do you think?

 


Hornady has loading data over 3200fps with their 95/100gr bullet in the 260 twst rifle was a Rem 700 with 24" long barrel.  Nolser has data for the 100gr bullets plus 3300fps in the 260.

Alot depends on what you want with those bullets and how they shoot in your rifle.   Sometimes all this looks good on paper but it's fun to look.

[mjbgalt]

Boss, the only issue i have with what you said is that not everyone can/wants to, shoot the LM load only. we like to roll our own or buy other brands too, and with my 4 years experience with loading for the .243, i have tried many bullets and even with the 95 grain deer bullets, getting more than 2900 or so fps on a regular basis, while maintaining accuracy, is damn near impossible.

MAYBE out of a 24" barrel and pushing it hot with little regard to accuracy you could top 3100, but i just haven't experienced that in my many tries at it.

real world velocity on a .243 for 100 grain bullet is more like 2850 to 3000 with a 24" barrel.

the extra 200 to 300 fps come from the bigger cartridge, not loading the .243 hotter, unfortunately.

and the 6.5 Nosler Ballistic Tip in 100 grain looks to me to be every bit as long as the 100 grain hornady bullet. i would have to get off my arse and go check with the calipers but...i dont see where you'd shed any more velocity at longer ranges with the 6.5 as you would with a 6mm...

-Matt

[mjbgalt]

this link shows what i mean better than i can say it.

http://www.nosler.com/index.php?p=15&b=6mm&s=203

[john keyes]

I sure don't begin to proclaim having this situation figured out....

I can pick up my Lyman book right now and the 6mm  can do a 100 gr bullet at almost 3200 with six grains less of the same powder to do it in the 260.....(scratches head.... )
Seems like I just keep going in circles.
Interesting how the ballistic coefficients diminish as bullet wt goes down..
I've got too many guns.