260 Remington question

[jneilson]

How does the 260 do with a short, (20 inch) barrel? I've been looking for a lightweigh, kinda low recoil woods gun that has a bit of range to if needed.

[basdjs]

I shoot a 24" .260 barrel on an Encore frame and love it.  Very compact and light set-up and very accurate.  With a Simms recoil pad, recoil is similar to a .243.

[saltydog]

 Not sure what issue you are concerned about regarding barrel length. Remington LTR 308 uses a 20 inch barrel and shoots accurately. The 260 REM is a 308 with a smaller caliber bullet and higher bc for weight bullets. Velocity loss is about 40 fps per inch under 24 in the 308 which would not be a concern at typical hunting ranges of under 400 yards. The quality of the barrel will impact your accuracy not the velocity so barrel length is somewhat immaterial. If you are shooting 600 to 1000 yard matches then barrel length would be of more concern.

[jneilson]

I doubt I would make any shots over 250 yards. Trajectory is a concern though.

[40inarow]

If you are shooting out to 300 yards, trajectory shouldn't be a concern. You will love your 260.

[Slamfire]

Velocity loss from a 24" stating point would be in the neighborhood of 200 fps. That would reduce the point blank range around 25 yards. I wouldn't expect you'd miss any medium game while holding on hair out to 350 yards or so, due to trajectory differences..

[aulrich]

I saw a rifle that fits that bill, it is a Ruger 77 compact I was window shopping for a rifle for my boys  but it would really fit the bill as a fast handling woods gun with some reach. One thing the barrel is short 16.5", I dug around a bit and found a review on the Peterson hunting site their crono test of the 7-08 model came out to 95% of the velocity of your typical 22" rifle. 

[kenjs1]

aulrich - don't over look the Remington Model 7 in 260 for an easy to tote rifle.  Reports I have seen indicate better luck with these.  Wish they made it in a BLR.

[handirifle]

Can 260 brass be necked down from 308 or are the shoulders different?

[beemanbeme]

.260 brass can be formed from .308 and 7-08 brass. You may run into neck thickness issues.  It may also be formed by necking up .243 brass.

[handirifle]

Is the 260 much better than the 243, or is it a matter of semantics?  Seems like a lot of times when I read of guys hunting with the 25Cal rifles, they end up using the 100gr bullets anyway.

Is it worth an upgrade from 243 to 260?

[kenjs1]

 MY 6mm has never, ever,  let me down but when a big buck pokes his head out down range I have thought I would feel better with more than 100 grains heading his way.  In truth, that is about the only real difference I see.  Deer would likely be just as dead either way but......I am finding the 260 to be the perfect balance of power, low recoil, accuracy and size for whitetails.  With a 260 you can use 90 to160 grain bullets.  120 soft points and bt's, 125 partitions, 129interlocks and 140 gamekings are the most common choices and if we are talking deer size game I find that a perfect match.  I am with you in that I don't see the point of going 100grain in 25 caliber - though newer bullets are fine for it.   I bought my 260 to be between my 6mm and 270 but now find it overshadowing both.  Mine shoots 140 Sierra's remarkably well and the results are fabulous.  The gameking has a reputation for opening fast ( some say too fast and have trouble keeping its core) but the high sectional density and the slightly modest speed at which the 260 pushes them is a great recipe for maximizing their potential.  If 250+ yards starts becoming the norm then, although many will disagree, I would look to a flatter round and grab my 270, for all else -Get a 260 and you will fall in love with it.

[beemanbeme]

I have killed a grand total of two WT deer with a .260.  The first was a chip shot at 80 yards.  The second was at a known 250 yards from my front porch steps.  My wife was leaning over my shoulder giving me some adult supervision. After the recoil, I rocked forward and looked for the deer.  I asked my wife, "what'd he do? Where'd he go?"  She said, "he fell down.".  The grass where the deer was standing was a little above knee high.  The deer had hit the ground and never quivered, jerked, kicked nor moved.  When I rode the 4 wheeler over to pick him up (yeah, we have it tough) there was no thrashed out grass and the only blood was right under him.  The only other time I've seen something like that was when a buddy shot a bedded down deer right between the eyes.  It was the deadest deer I've ever seen.  I was using a 140gr Rem Core Lokt.

[handirifle]

Sounds pretty impressive so far.  has anyone ever killed a black bear with the 260?

[Slamfire]

Is the 260 much better than the 243, or is it a matter of semantics?  Seems like a lot of times when I read of guys hunting with the 25Cal rifles, they end up using the 100gr bullets anyway.

Is it worth an upgrade from 243 to 260?

Yes it is much better, as it is more'n adequate for larger game. I'd hesitate using a .243 on anything over 400 lbs, but have taken big Caribou and meat elk with the ballistic equivalent of the .260. I even had my best .243 rebored to .260.

[handirifle]

I even had my best .243 rebored to .260.

One advantage to have a Savage rifle, just swap barrels

Now, how does the 260 compare to the 7-08?  Same deal as the 243 vs the 260?

[davem270win]

I have a Ruger compact in 260, and have carried it deer hunting for the past two years. Have shot one deer with it so far. It's light and easy to handle and carry. I feel better with a little more bullet weight than the 243 offers, and I'm using 120 Barnes. I have a friend who is carrying a Rem mdl 7 in this caliber, and either gun would be a great choice. At woods ranges, I don't see any disadvantage to the short barrel.

[handirifle]

Thanks, will have to think it over for a bit.

[Bingo]

   I was give an old Jap Arasaka. It was a student gun smith project. The stock is a manlicker in birdseye maple. The gun is short with a 20 in. barrel and is a real pleasure to handle. Unfotunately, it was reemed for 6.5 257 Roberts and the barrel was no good to start with.  After giving it a little thought I decided to have it re barreled in 260 Rem. As soon as it comes home, I have a timney side safty trigger for it. When I get it back, I'll post some pics.

[Slamfire]

I even had my best .243 rebored to .260.

One advantage to have a Savage rifle, just swap barrels

Now, how does the 260 compare to the 7-08?  Same deal as the 243 vs the 260?

It was a Savage, just lost its accuracy with the lighter bullets.
There is very little difference between the 7mm-08 and the 260, they are both excellent cartridges. The 7mm has some heavier bullets available but they don't have a better sectional density.

[jneilson]

Sounds pretty impressive so far.  has anyone ever killed a black bear with the 260?

It should do the trick on Black Bear. European hunters regularly use the 6.5x55 on Moose and it's ballistically similar to the 260.

[handirifle]

Sounds pretty impressive so far.  has anyone ever killed a black bear with the 260?

It should do the trick on Black Bear. European hunters regularly use the 6.5x55 on Moose and it's ballistically similar to the 260.

I guess that's true, forgot about that.

[Slamfire]

Sounds pretty impressive so far.  has anyone ever killed a black bear with the 260?

It should do the trick on Black Bear. European hunters regularly use the 6.5x55 on Moose and it's ballistically similar to the 260.

I guess that's true, forgot about that.

 

[saltydog]

Is the 260 much better than the 243, or is it a matter of semantics?  Seems like a lot of times when I read of guys hunting with the 25Cal rifles, they end up using the 100gr bullets anyway.

Is it worth an upgrade from 243 to 260?

IMO - yes it is better for a dual purpose use. The 260 is the middle child in the 308 family that all have a similar powder load capability. The 6.5's are the best compromise for use on larger varmits and medium game such as deer. The bore is larger so if you shoot alot you get longer barrel life and better ballistics. The recent developments in bullets have expanded the usability of the 6.5's.  Swedes use 6.5's for large game.

[cccombo]

how does the 260 compare to the 7-08?  Same deal as the 243 vs the 260?

And now the calibre creep starts