I will soon begin to reload my .260 and was wondering what some of you have found to be your best 120 grain bullet for accuracy? I will be shooting a SS Ruger MK-77. I will be hunting der with it.

One of my favorite open hardwood loads (50-150 yds shots)for whitetails is the Remington 120 PSPCL @ about 2650 fps. I use a 6.5x57 with 38 gr of Varget - same charge in a 260 will get you perhaps 75ish fps faster. Surprisingly accurate and very effective for such "cheap" bullets.

personally I have shot a lot of 120 grain bullets in the 260 Rem along with other 6.5 mm Calibers.

I have never had a bad one. Their are cheaper in price ones, and premium ones. But as far as accuracy and/or terminal performance, I think you will just love you 260 period. It has a 1 in 8 twist instead of the 1 in 9 like Remington uses so, it will stabilize the 140 grain and even the 160 grain RN Hornadys if you go that route. I had mine throated out a hair to handle the 160 grain RNs and to seat the 120s out to magazine length. It was a worthwhile $40.00 investment.

I own two Rugers. One sports a 3 x 9 Leupold for Long shots with 100 grain bullets and the other sports a 4 x Weaver and shoots 140 grain bullets for Elk in thick brush or deer in the same environment.

Cheers
seafire

YEAAAAAAAA A person who knows what I mean! I keep telling those people who think you need a 30/338 to kill elk that the .260 140 grain will put an elk down in a New York Second. I will get some Remington PSPCL in the 120 grain. I bought a box of factory Remington 140 PSPCL to hunt with until I get to reloading. I have wondered for a while why someone didn't match the 264 bullet with the 308 case.

People who get to shoot Elk more than once can afford to be less cautious in choosing a gun that's less powerful
than a "worst case" would require.

Elk are generally speaking not as hard to kill as a Moose
and many Moose have fallen to the 6.5x55 and that with factory ammo in the 6.5x55.

A handloaded 6.5x55 is better at launching bullets
suitable for Elk and Moose than a 260Rem, but not by a whole bunch.... certainly not enough to matter in most situations.
In a 260Rem there are three bullets I'd try if I were you,

1)The 125grain Nosler Partition which can be loaded to around 3000fps in the 260Rem.
2)The Barnes XLC 120gr which can be loaded to similar velocities
3)Barnes 130gr TSX (Barnes doesn't make a 120gr TSX..... yet) which should be moving at around 2775-2800fps

The prevailing attitude on these forums is that the TSX shoots better and considering that Barnes bullets behave like a heavier lead core bullet I'd lean towards the 130gr TSX myself for use on an Elk, though I'd be loading it in a
6.5x55 swede.

That is if I didn't already own a 30-06 for which I'm loading 165gr XLC bullets....

As for matching a 6.5mm bullet to a 308 case? what took them so damned long?

It's certainly a better cartridge to hand to a beginner
than a 243Win is...

Though my girlfriend has always wanted a rifle of her own
I probably won't be getting her a 260Rem, but rather a 7mm-08Rem, probably chambered in a Rem700MR.
(and probably an LSS-MR)
I can't think up anything that she might ever shoot at that a 7mm 140grain Nosler CT-Failsafe at 2900fps won't kill.


AllanD

somehow a paragraph got lost....

120's at 260Rem speeds is entirely adequate for ANY deer species up to and including the really BIG "deer" we call Elk and Moose.
I'll question that a 243Win is "adequate" for deer in the hands of someone who isn't skilled and patient, but I have no such questions about the 260Rem which is with factory ammo is the equal in every respect with the 6.5x55 which we KNOW by demonstration to be a "Moose" cartridge.


Insert this as the SECOND paragraph in my post above.

AllanD

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
3)Barnes 130gr TSX (Barnes doesn't make a 120gr TSX..... yet) which should be moving at around 2775-2800fps

LIAR! Lookee here:

http://www.barnesbullets.com/prodtsx.php

In all seriousness, for deer I don't think you need the TSX, I've been having excellent results for years now with the Sierra 120 gr Prohunter. Nothing fancy about it, it just works! I use a maximum load of Reloader 19 out of my Ruger and it smacks em right down.

Super Bon Bon

Ditton the 120 Sierra ProHunter in a 260 Rem. I use 41.4 gr of IMR 4064 in Remington brass with a Federal 210M for 3007 fps out of my 1 in 8 twist Krieger barrel finished at 24". It poleaxes deer. It is a superbly accurate .5 MOA consistently. I don't think you would be dissapointed with it. Seafire got me started with IMR 4064 in the 260. It makes a 90 gr. Speer TNT hum out of a 260 as well. Sure is hard on coyotes at 3465 fps.

RBRN

Good info on the 260. Growing up in the 50-60s in Western Colorado I know that it is shot placement that counts. I was raised to shoot that way and watched as my dad and my uncles take some incredible shots with a .270. Deer, antilope, elk and moose in Montana. A fellow who lived in Meeker Colorado used a 22 magnum to get sevreal Elk a year. of course it was dark and he used the eye as a target. Shoot samll, miss small.

I use IMR 4064 a lot so will definally try it.

I will pass this load on to you as well if you plan on hand loading any 140 gr. bullets. I have yet to see a 260 Rem. that wouldn't shoot somewhere around 42 gr. of H4350 behind a 140 gr. BSP Sierra GameKing or the 142 Sierra MatchKing in Rem. brass with a CCI BR-2 primer. I know of 9 different 260 Rem's that shoot that load extremely well. Veloctity runs 2700 to 2750 fps depending on the barrel. Accuracy runs .5 MOA or less in all three of my 260's. I have a sproter, a light tactical and a long range F class match rifle that all shoot that load very well. All three barrels are Krieger 1 in 8 twist. Enjoy your 260 it will serve you well!

RBRN

Hello Bob1

Any of the 120 grain bullets will do just fine for deer. My personal favorites are the Nosler BT and Sierra Pro Hunter. For the heavier Whitetails in the Midwest and Mulies out West I would opt for the Nosler Partition.

Good Luck

Thanks for all the good info! Good shooting and I will get back with my data as soon as I begin loading the 260.

I don't have a .260 but use the same bullets you do in my 6.5x55. I use the Sierra 120gr. HPBT Mtch for bench shoting and the Nosler 120gr. Bal. Tip in the field. Both of these are quite accurate, printing about the same, .6" (5 at 100yds). I use the same load for both, VV550 43.0 grs.
Actually the most accurate bullet in my 6.5 is the Lapua Scenar 123gr. (same powder load). Best wishes.

Cal

Ive found RL19, IMR4831 & H4350 all good in my .260AI under 120gr SPH & 123gr Lapua. It's a 27" PacNor 1-8. I'm running them just over 3100fps & the better loads will stay under 1/2".
For the guys shooting 140gr, try IMR7828, it's very accurate for me. Now I need to get some 7828sc.