I've noticed that Remington chambers their Mountain Rifle in (among others) 260 Rem. I don't know anyone that owns a 260, but the data in my Lee manual looks interesting - on the surface, at least....

Any opinions on this caliber, & especially the load development potential, would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

....this is a good cartridge and reloading won't improve things.....it's loaded pretty hot already.

I have a .260AI on a heavy bbl. M700. I am liking this little cart. so much I may just get one of those mtn. rifles as a loaner rifle (at least that's what I am telling the wife). You should get pretty close to 2700fps w/ 140gr bullets & 2900fps w/ 120grs, plenty for deer & antelope. Light weight, low recoil, effedtive downrange, what's not to like?

It's a great cartridge! It's basically a modern version of the old 6.5 x 55. That cartridge has a great reputation in Scandanavia as a moose gun. I'll be using mine on everything BC has to offer. I'll use 140 grain Barnes TSX's for the bigger stuff. My daughters will use slowed down 100 grain Noslers (when fired at around 2700fps) they only kick around 10 pounds of recoil.I hear from people who own them, they penetrate as well as 30-06's with 180 grain bullets - but then they should, as they have similar sectional densities.

Great cartridge and the perfect cartridge for starting out a young hunter. I get 2800 - 2825 fps with 44g IMR 4350 with the Nos 125g Partition in my 260 with 24" bbl. This is my favorite bullet in 6.5mm cal. I have taken 8 deer with this bullet in my 6.5-06 over the last 15 yrs. It is a fantistic bullet......LR

Don't hesitate to get the .260. My younger brother bought one for his wife for Christmas, and it is a very nice gun. I have a Remington 700 Classic in 6.5x55, shooting 140 Grn. Hornady and Nosler bullets, and have used it very nicely on deer. As said earlier, the 260 is basically an updated version of the 6.5x55. They are great for low recoil, and very nice accuracy.

The 260 simply wins the title of
'Little Big Man' hands down over virtually every cartride out there. Imagine simply necking up a 243 Win 0.5mm and getting a moose stopper that pops varmints like a 25-06 and still works well for 1000 yard target work. A couple of years back, american Rifleman featured this round in a Rem 40X that averaged 5 shot groups of .313 MOA with 15 different loads. With a 160 gr RN it has the same penetration characteristics as the 220 grain '06, which is no small feat.

It has an expansion ratio that is a tad more than the '06, and like its big brother, the 260 does well with R22 shooting heavy bullets and IMR 4064 with light ones. A 22 inch bbl works fine, and you will never burn it up, even when launching 85 gr HPs at 3500 fps.

If you like the 270 130 grain bullet at 3000 fps, you will love the 260 with a 120 grainer at 3000 fps...they have the same BC and SD and have the same trajectory.

My favorite load for my Ruger model 77 comes right out of the Lyman Manual, with 48 grs of R22 giving a 140 gr A-max 2811 fps...retained energy at 300 yards is 1700 FPE, so it will easily take something fairly large about as far as the average hunter should be shooting.

By the way, only Ruger has the 260 with a 1 in 8 inch twist rate, which is better than the 1 in 9 that the competitors offer if you want to shoot VLD 140 grainers or 160 grain Semi-pointed bullets. The throat is still cut tight enough to allow you to touch the lands with the 95 gr A-max, so they know what they are doing. The slightly deeper seating needed for the heavy bullets is not a problem as the small diameter bullet uses up very little powder space.

I have a Mountain LSS in 260 rem and it's a great deer rifle. Extremely accurate, I load H4350 and 125 gr partitions for deer. I f I use ot for Moose I will use 140 gr Barnes or partions.

I just don't see the 260 Remington as a moose or black bear cartridge. I know it should work but I have rifles with more power. I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered a sporter in this round?

For a youth or recoil sensitive person it would be fine as well as for target shooting. The only factory brass however is Remington.

Bear and deer are open at the same time where I hunt most. I have three .358's, two 8-57's, three 30-06's etc. I see no reason to handicap myself.

Savage99, it's true that RP is the only maker of brass, but I use .243 Lapua, Norma, etc. & just neckup. Of course I am fireforming so I have that extra step.
I agree, I have more rifles available for elk, moose, etc. I think the .260 in a very trim rifle is a great high couintry rifle & much better than a .243 for the new hunter.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Savage99, it's true that RP is the only maker of brass, but I use .243 Lapua, Norma, etc. & just neckup. Of course I am fireforming so I have that extra step.
I agree, I have more rifles available for elk, moose, etc. I think the .260 in a very trim rifle is a great high couintry rifle & much better than a .243 for the new hunter.

I do the same, but fireforming is not necessary...a necked up 243 IS a 260.

quote:

Originally posted by Sabot:
The 260 simply wins the title of
'Little Big Man' hands down over virtually every cartride out there. Imagine simply necking up a 243 Win 0.5mm and getting a moose stopper that pops varmints like a 25-06 and still works well for 1000 yard target work. A couple of years back, american Rifleman featured this round in a Rem 40X that averaged 5 shot groups of .313 MOA with 15 different loads.

Sabot, I sure like the way you describe this round!!!

After reading your post, I'd go out and buy one.......'cept I already have one.

You are right Sabot, but I am shooting a .260AI, so I have to fireform anyway. I keep telling myself I need another light handy rifle & a .260 would be perfect.

I love the .260 Rem!!! Potent on deer, light recoil, a rebirth of the old 6.5x54mm Mannlicher cartridge, with a bit of attitude that puts it at the head of the 6.5mm class.
Larry

Several years ago I thought it would be nice to neck down the .308 case to accept the .264 bullet. Well they did it! The 6.5 bullet has a great BC and I love it. I bought a new Ruger MK77 SS in the .260 and shot some 140s from it. Going to try the 120 soon. Great gun and not just for young people! I am 60 and have hunted since I was 11 and love this caliber!

What every one else said. The 260 is one fine cartridge. I use a 90 gr. Speer TNT with 45 gr. of IMR 4064 and a Fed. 210M primer for 3465 fps on coyotes and it blows big holes in them. Try somewhere between 41.5 and 42 gr. of IMR 4064 behind a Sierra 120 gr. ProHunter. I get 3007 fps out of my 260. That load pole axes deer. For larger game try about 42 gr. of H4350 behind any 140 gr. bullet velocity will run about 2700 fps and penetrates extremely well. Just last Saturday I shot lenght wise through an 80 lb eating hog. He was facing and just sligthly quarter toward me. I put the cross hair on the front of his left front shoulder and shot. The bullet broke the front shoulder and exited out the back of the right ham, breaking the bone and leaving an exit hole a little bigger than a golf ball. Distance was 127 steps, the bullet was a regular old cup and core Sierra 140 GameKing. You won't be dissapointed with it! I like the 260 so well I have 3 of them. One for 1000 yard F class Competion, one built as a tactical rifle for sniper competitions and one for a hunting rifle.

RBRN

Great info on the load for the 120 grain. Looking foward to loading and shooting it.

The .260 is one of my top two favorite calibers. I killed three deer this year, one with the .260, right at the 200 yard mark. It went down, and never twitched. The .260 is accurate, light recoiling and just the right caliber for a mid-lightweight rifle for deer hunting.

The .260 is what the .243 was supposed to be.

The .260 Rem started out as the wildcat .263 Express where it was a very successful target cartridge. A-Square introcuced teh 6.5-08, leving Remington to invent a new name for their cartridge. Low recoil and good downrange numbers worked on the range, and the bullets poke holes in paper really well.

If you want to hunt, however, the .308 Win is a way better cartridge. So is the 7-08 -- both have larger cross-sectional area in the critters.

My kid rifles are .243 Win, 6mm Rem and .250 Savage. These are good for low recoil and light rifles.

A lady friend shoots a .260, and she does well with it. But she can shoot.

jim

I have shot the 7MM-08 for about 7 years or so. i still have it. But now i do most of my deer size game hunting with the .260 rem. it is a grear round. I've used it for 2 full seasons.and have droped deer as fare as 300 yards. i do alot of beachrest shooting. and love this round. i reload all my stuff. .260 i load 41.5 grains of RL-15 with 120 sierra at 2922 fps. with ruger M77 SS. shot over croney.less than 1" group at 100 meters.