hi guy's i had my heart set on a 243 howa HB for use as my long range everything rifle . mainly for shooting from vehicle at most of the pests we encounter in australia . now it is only after reading last night on some sniping forums & 1000 yd forums that the barrel wear seems to be a isue & as well a twist rates . :roll: now the old 6.5x55 devil & 260 rem are awash inside my brain again . now i know the 260 vs 6.5x55 fight has been going for years & as far as i'm concerned i'll go for the 6.5x55 . mainly because i know in australia theres a chance that most little country gun shops have one dusty box of highland , rem or pmc sitting behind the counter . also there made on a std action length which allows for the projectiles to be seated out farther . & most 6.5's have a twist of 1:9 or faster for the long 140 gr projectiles .
now pluses for the 260 are a short action which the bench rest guy's like & maybe the abilitly to rechamber or rebarrel to 6.5x47L , & factory ammo is loaded to a higher preasure . but being a hand loader thats not a problem , btw i'm sure theres heaps more loaded ammo for the swede .
so i'm not sure what to do now , i don't really know of any HB varmint style rifles out there apart from a tikka t3 varmint in 6.5x55 & don't know about the 260 rem .
well i must say i have used a m38 6.5x55 as my hunting rifle for the last 16 years & have over 1200 cases , dies , all sorts of projectiles so that goes in favour of the swede . finally i think the 260 rem or 6.5 would allow for more pratice at the long range range . .
anyway i'm all ears for any input you guys have , especialy to do with rifles with heavy barrels .
