The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles I want a .260 !Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Not sure why I want one, not sure witch one to buy ,or mabye build, But I want one, Witch way would you likly go ? I Could buy a factory , mabye a Ruger MK 2, I saw a couple today for 450 or so, But i would need to replace the trigger and its a little heavy for the type rifle I have in mind, A Kimber , nothing wrong with this choice except they are spendy and not so easy to find one in .260, I aint about to spend 850.00 or so dollars on a wood stocked rifle I have not seen, If I buy rather than build I am leaning right now twords a Model 7 remington CDL. The only negative on the CDL is I would prefer a 22 inch barrel to the 20. I usually like a CRF type action but the model 7 is prety darn cool, i would stick somthing like a VX2 2X7 Or VX 3 1.5X6. Seems like with a 125 grain bullet (give or take 5 grains, and aproaching 2900 FPS you should be able to confidntly take medium game out to 350 yards witch is probably as far as I can shoot anyway. Another option I have is to build one on my .old sako Browning .243. But Buy the time i was done with that I would probably spend as much as the Kimber and also be out a cool .243. Well, I am in no hurry I need to buy 2 scopes befor I get anymore rifles, but a .260 is comming home with me ,in the next 3 to 6 monthes, Witch one ? and is there another i am over looking ? ...tj3006 freedom1st | ||
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I like the Kimber a lot. Rebarreling your Sako is certainly a good option. A fitted PacNor should set you back about $450 & you get the bbl. length/diameter you want. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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I might consider a pac- nor barrel but I would have my smith do the instalation. Pac nor put a cryoed barrel on a 270 of mine and it was a big dissapointment. A kimber might be the way I go but I probably want wood and blue steel and that means I would need to see the rifle before I fork over that that much money. ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I have one in a Remington 40xb. Some say the 40xb rifle is overpriced but it is the most accurate rifle I own. I just love the caliber. Has to be one of the best deer cartridges out there. Take a look at the Remington 700 Mountain Rifle with the laminated stock. Very nice. In my area they are around $735. A little more expensive but the Sako Finnlite is a nice rifle. If it were a box magazine I would own one. Just never liked a clip fed rifle. Free men should not be subjected to permits, paperwork and taxation in order to carry any firearm. NRA Benefactor | |||
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If you don't wnat to build a 260 or 6.5 x 55 and are not opposed to a non-US made gun, you might take a look at what CZ has to offer. I understand that their accuracy is pretty good right out of the box and the triggers aren't all that bad either...Rusty. | |||
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Another vote for the Remington LSS Mountain Rifle, I'm buying one in 260 just as soon as I get my tax return. You can compare the 260 to other cartridges at www.biggameinfo.com. It flat smokes about everything as far as drift and trajectory. I would stay away from the model seven in 260, the action is shorter than a 700 and you may run into problems loading 140-160gr. bullets, not for sure on that, but the action IS shorter. The 700 action is very nice. | |||
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After owning around 30 260s, my favorite factory configurations are the 700 Ti, 700 LSS MR, and 7 Mannlicher. If you want light, go with the 700 Ti. If weight isn't a critical factor, go with the 700 LSS MR. If a stalking rifle interests you, go with the Custom Shop's 7 Mannlicher. My current favorite 260s are, in no particular order: 700 ADL/MR/Ti hybrid. 700 ADL action, 700 MR barrel, 700 Ti stock. Not quite as light, or as expensive, as a "real" 700 Ti, but good enough to meet my needs. 700 LSS MR. The action has been glassed and the barrel has been floated, so it shoots good groups and balances nicely. 7 LSS hybrid. Started life as a 7 Stainless Synthetic, but now sports a 673 laminated stock and 22" 700 LSS MR barrel. I think of it as a "7 Improved", but it cost more to put together than a 700 LSS MR costs, so why bother? 7 LSS Mannlicher. Started life as a 7 Stainless Synthetic, but now sports a 7 laminated mannlicher stock. The Custom Shop wouldn't make a stainless 7 MS for me, so I had to gather the parts and do it myself. Shoots OK too! Jeff | |||
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TJ, Pac-Nor has built ALL my rifles in the past except one. My #1 Ruger they did shot a .498 group at 330 yds three shots-6mm BR, and recently sighted another scope on my 7BR, cloverleafed at about 75 yds, NEVER had a bad shooting Pac-Nor and Chris stands behind his work. That has been my experience. Also, Seafire had his Ruger's 'throated' so the 260 would accept heavy's w/o getting too deep in case, and they have the 8 twist, Remington uses 9. All else equal, I like, want, prefer the 8 twist or even 7.5" in ANY 6.5mm. Heard good reports on LSS MR but you may not have great accuracy over 129gr, those and under are fine on deer. | |||
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Still plenty of options out there in the .260 Remington. I am sold on my M-7(MS) which just lays down deer like there is no tomorrow. I started with a little M-7 CDL that didn't like 140 grain bullets and loved 120 grainers, then I own two other .260s as well. From best shooter to worst, they are: Remington M-7 Mannlicher Browning 1885 Steyr SBS-96 American Remington M-7 CDL The first two give reliable one inch groups or less, even with R-P factory ammo. The others have not shown such reliable accuracy, but I suspect it is only a matter of experimentation to bring them into line. The appealing thing about the .260 Rem, imho anyway, is the minimum of meat loss with the maximum impact on the target, just like the old/ancient 6.5x54 and 6.5x57 cartridges. LLS Mannlicher Collector  | |||
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I went through the same thing this summer. I wanted a light, mild recoiling rifle for medium game. Had many options like 7-08 or one of the .24's or .25's. I bought the 700 Mountian detachable mag. I wish I had of wised up and got one years ago. So far this year I have taken a large black bear at about 100 yards and a huge Whitetail Doe pretty close to 300. Bear made it 10 feet before going down. The 125 partition broke both shoulders and kept on going. The doe went down so fast I thought I had missed, both lungs were shredded. Now that I have had time to find a good load I like this .260 even more. So far I have been able to get .75" or less for three shots the last couple of times I have been to the range. I started 30 thou off the lands ended up at 35. As I increased powder charges groups got better, then opened back up before I got the velocity I was looking for. I switched to Federal GM primers and started over Bingo! With the primer change other bullets have started to shoot better than with the previous primer. So for next year I may have some options for bullet choices. I too wish I had an 8 twist so I could shoot the 140 partition, that would be pretty close IMO of one of my 06's with a 180-200 grain bullet at a reasonable range for bigger game. | |||
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Thans for all the replys, I used to like the remington Mountain rifle, but they ruined it for me when they put a detachable magazine on the blue ones and I don't really care for stainless steel either, The model 7 is a vary short action but I don't plan on using many heavy bullets in it anyway, I have other rifles if I need a 140 150 or 160 grain bullet. A hibred model 7 CDL with a 22 inch tube would be great I was just thinking I could rebore my little sako .243, I have another .243 (CZ 550 American) I might consider a 6.5 swede, My smith has a small ring comercial husky action with a 24 inch ER shaw SS barrel and I could get into the barreld action for 350.00. I think I might love that set up, I would probably have him cut and crown at 22, He also has a nice turned stock sitiing there that it would drop right in, hell thats not a bad Idea, if the barrel was not SS I would jump on it, well, I gotta get a scope or 2 1st. Thinking 1.5X6 Leupold for my .308...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I have a Kimber 84M in .260 Rem with a Nikon 2x7 Monarch compact scope. The rifle is very light and works exceptionally well climbing around in the southern part of the Black Hills. It has a 1:9 twist so I handload 129gr Hornady SPs over H4831SC and get very good accuracy and a potent deer round. I killed two deer this year with this combo, one shoulder shot 4x2 buck and a brisket shot doe. Both were shot at approximately 50 yds. I did not have to track either of them. I also have a 6.5x55 CZ 550FS that thrives on 140gr Hornady SPs that is equally as effective on deer. You can't go wrong with either a .260 or a 6.5x55 loaded with appropriate bullets on medium size game. BH1 There are no flies on 6.5s! | |||
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As mentioned above, I think the most important thing in picking a 260 as far as the barrel is concerned is to pick one that has a one in 8 twist... It will stabilize the 140, 142m, 144 grain match and hunting bullets... plus the euro heavy 156 grain hunting bullets plus the Sierra and Hornady 160 grain RN's.... A one in 9 twist will reliably stabilize the 129 grainers on down.... Ruger offers a one in 8 twist, and the Remington's are one in 9...I don't know on the Kimbers etc... I myself, would pick my favorite action and apply my favorite style of stock to it, and then specify an after market barrel, with the length I wanted and the one in 8 twist...or even one in 7.5... like the older Mauser 6.5 x 55s.... with 100 and 120 grain bullets it will equal the speed of the 25/06... and the 129, grain bullets will hit 3,000 fps, or just under in a 22 inch barrel... the 140 grain bullets are capable of 2750 fps.. their aerodynamic capabilities make them flatter shooting than many other cartridges, like the famed 270.. and the high sectional density, penetrates much further than foot pound charts would indicate..... I still lean toward my favorite cartridge being a 6.5 x 57.. or a 257 Roberts, necked up to 6.5, with whatever name you wanna give it... but on a long action, with the chamber throated to magazine length.... But on a short action, the 260 is one capable little round...way beyond what stats would indicate on a lot of different scenarios... cheers seafire  | |||
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If you're not interested in the Husqvarna action, I would be and would appreciate if you'd email me your 'smith's contact information. I can be reached at remguy260@msn.com Jeff | |||
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Sierra, for some reason when I contemplated a 1885, I thought they had a 10 perhaps 9 twist. 10 seems very slow but may have been what I read-sometimes specs are wrong in literature though and it would be very rare to see that twist in a 6.5. My 243 was unreal accurate. 2 out of 3 in half inch at 200 yds! Smaller than the reticle! It took my then 12yr old son's first 2 deer with 85gr BTHP, 1 at about 300, other about 225. It was like a bomb when it hit them, devastating. Guys, I had a 6.5/308 which was mistakenly by the barrel maker done with 9 twist, and 2 Model 7's with 9 twist, one in 18.5 other in 20, my custom was 23". None of the 9 twist would group the factory 140. WHY in heck remington would at the time introduce a new ctg and load 1 freaking load, 140 that their OWN guns slow 9 twist would not shoot is beyond me! Well, actually not given my history with Rem. But, as above, put your own tube on if you want a rem action and to shoot heavies. I will always use an 8 as std in 6.5, and prefer even a 7.5 if the maker offers it. I think some misunderstanding lies in that 1. Perhaps Remington is run by non-shooters! 2. Faster rounds i.e. 264 win mag can sometimes get by with 8.5 or 9 and it helps moderate pressures using long bearing surface bullet. | |||
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Ok so mabye I should l;ook harder at the ruger , it does have the right barrel length and twist ! ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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TJ, I have owned 4- Ruger #1's, 2- 77MK II's, and am thinking about a 260 or 6.5x55 myself because A) they have the right twist-to shoot 85-160's B) they seem to be built like tanks, and work C) my experience has been they shoot fine and the barrels on the new Rugers made in-house are very slick and consistent D) they are reasonably priced E) 1/2 the cost of a Kimber, custom, and a 1/3 of a Stery which is one cherry rifle-If I sprang for the $$$$$$$$$ this below would be sweet I do believe. http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976749425.htm Oh, TJ, if you can live with 129gr or under, you can do fine with a 700 say LSS MR in 260 if you get a good one, and I hear the CZ's shoot real well also in 6.5x55, now for GUARANTEED out of the box accuracy, it is said by many the T3 Tikka's shoot VERY WELL in 6.5x55, and other rounds too. They do have some plastic bottom end with detach mag-that I could live without, but you do get a Sako barrel and at a price not much higher than Ruger, and a good trigger I understand. For a quick twist out of the box 6.5x55 look at Ruger, T3, and CZ and you might find something that you like. | |||
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I have a couple CZ rifles now, and i am sure a 550 American would be a great shooter, But I suspect it would be throated like my Fulstock 7X57, meaning seating bullets out so far the lighter ones don't get near enough to the lands. Also awfully heavy rifle for a relitivly light caliber. A t-3 in wood and blue would be great ! If I find one in 6.5 swede it would be tempting. But right now the 77Mk2 is looking good. I saw a Tang safty ruger in .308 at a show this weekend, and almost bought it for a rebarrel, but I could set up my VZ 24 action for the same price, so I passed. As far as the mountain rifle goes, if they made a blue steel wood stock hinged floor plate model I would likly buy it. I would prefer a 1 in 8 twist though, if I were to take a 260 or a 6.5 swede on a black bear hunt I might want a 140 grain bullet , but otherweise a 125 would be fine...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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To me bullet weight is what seperates the 260 from the 7mm-08. Does it not make more sense to use the 7mm-08 with the 140 and above bullets and the 260 with the 120 range. | |||
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A Kimber Montana in 260 is incredibly light and a joy to pack. I can also recommend Pac Nor to rebarrel you Sako. They do a great job for about $450; however, you Sako will weigh a couple pounds more. Lou **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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This would be my pick http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976684733.htm Can't beat a Steyr! Says it has a 23.5" barrel!  ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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I just got a 7th edition hornady handbook and it gives rifle used Rem 700 24in barrel and 1:8 twist. Has rem changed their 260 to a 1:8 twist?? I did have the mtn 260,it had 1:9,a ruger in 1:8 and now have a rem 700 BDL 24in barrel with 1:9 twist. All three have been exceptional shooters out of the box,I did try the factory 140 core-loc out of the mtn rem and ruger and they shot pretty good,but the 120 is what I use for deer in the 700 bDL and that is all I need for deer where I live.Took one last year at 442 yds hit behind the shoulder,allmost touching the shoulder,small hole going in and about the size of a 50 cent piece out the other side, went only 12 yds. It is not my only deer rifle so usually just hunt with it once in awhile. If you can get a used one in the bdl at a good price and satisfied with the 1:9 twist I would grab it,I have only seen one at the gun shows and he wanted a lot more for it than I gave for mine new. I saw on one post where a fellow was haveing savage to build him one.Been thinking of have them build me one.If tikka would offer one in the t3 varmit I would get one in a heartbeat. The 700 bdl does pretty good with the 85 gr bullets as a varmit rifle also.Only thing did to it was adjust the trigger.  | |||
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Lots of new info here, Thanks for the link on the styer, I had the same rifle in .308, nothing wrong with it at all except I don't like detacable magazines and the stock is just ugly to me. I might except the detacable mag if the rifle had a wood stock. My .308 shot prety well though , I sold it and bought my Pre 64 featherweight in the same caliber, its much more my style. I still want a .260 but I realize the 7mm08 and the .308 are really prety much as good for the same purpose...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I disagree with the statement to get an 8 twist to be able to shoot heavier bullets then the 129 gr. First let me say I'm not opposed to the 8 twist and if I had the choice I would pick it. With that said let me say I built a 6.5 Jap Arisaka action into a nice custom little 260 Rem. It wears an ER Shaw barrel that I had them cut to 22 inches. It shoots 140 gr Remington bullets into less then one inch at 100 yards and for your information the twist on that barrel is a 9. So don't automatically say nothing but an 8 will shoot 140 gr bullets until you have tried your rifle. | |||
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Owensby, perhaps a typo in the manual, perhaps a custom barreled action, but it is likely to mean a rem barrel, there were some early production model 7's that were recalled in 260 and most never left the wholesale/retail and went back as they were said to have the wrong twist? I presume Rem made some 8's as they used on the classic 6.5x55 in the past, and for whatever reason felt it was wrong? All I can figure is pressure may be less with slower twist. Maxpayne, you are correct, no absolutes, but I wonder if a bullet is borderline stable in flight, what happens to it when it hits game? Does it stay nose forward and dig deep? Or does it tumble or go off course? Military arms often twist 'just enough' to encourage tumbling of a FMJ and make it more effective. I want a high SD bullet going in a straight line on game when possible. If it works, you cannot argue with it. | |||
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6.5, guess I should have mentioned that I shot a whitetail doe with that 140 Rem bullet. By the way I reloaded them, it wasn't Rem factory ammo. Distance was just about 100 yards. The doe was facing me at an angle. She took the shot in her right front chest and I found the very well expanded bullet right under the hide in her left ham. It had penetrated the entire lenght of her body. It didn't tumble and it created massive destruction all through it's path. I'd have to say that bullet wasn't on the verge of being unstable. That statement about Remington might have been worried about higher pressure with an 8 twist in a 260 doesn't make sense if they used it in the 6.5 Swedes they made. Before you go and say they operate at a lower pressure for factory ammo, be aware that Remington is aware that their 6.5x55 will be reloaded for. I'd have to say one reason may be that it would be impractical to load a 160 gr bullet in 260 Rem because for one the magazines are short and for two so are the SAAMI spec throats. So Remington knew heavier bullets then 140 gr mostly would not likely be shot from it. | |||
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Max, Like a lot of guys, you are making the assumption that a 160 grain Round Nose, needs to be pushed to high velocity to do a good job... I did throat out TWO Ruger 77 Mk 2's in 260 to accept the 160 grain Hornady and Sierras.... Those long bullets DO NOT need a lot of velocity for deep penetration... and they are a useful bullet in a 260... I load them in the 6.5 x 55 for years before I got a 260... behind a load of 30 grains of RL 7, for an MV of 2200 fps...I do the same in a 260... even if they are seated way down deep...you are using 30 grains of powder... Zeroed 3.5 inches high at 100 yds, they are dead on at about 200 and about 3.5 inches low at 230 to 240 yrds.... A 260 is a more versatile rifle with a one in 8 twist! Some will stabilize the 140s with a one in 9 twist.. but also SOME WON'T!..... A one in 8 twist is the most versatile way to fly...American manufacturers stick with the one in 9 because it was made originally for the 264 Win Mag and the 6.5 Rem Mag.... and they have the old 'we've always done it this way" syndrome! | |||
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Personaly i do not see any reason to load a 160 grain bullet. I have lo0ts of rifles and I would just go with a 7mm or 30 cal. If I want a round nore I might go with my 45/70 or 35 whelen...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I was speaking from MY experience with 3 rifles in 6.5/308 and 260. Great penetration with the 140 and yes it stabilized fine, but again I have heard too many people who used a 9 twist say it was marginal to inadequate for >129gr bullets. Sako told me that the reason the 260 is 9 twist in Sako and Tikka's and the 6.5x55 is an 8 twist is that they twist for whatever is the 'middle weight' for that cartridge. Since there are no 'heavier than 140 gr factory loads to my knowledge' in 260, then they twist for it to 'supposedly handle 140's' I do think if you polled most 260 shooters that have 9 twist barrels, the accuracy would be MUCH better with 129's or under vs 140's. My guns 'patterned them' vs 120-129's grouping. Just my experience, and my feelings remain that if I were to buy a 260 factory with 9 twist, I would never plan to fire over 129's, but were I to build ANY 6.5 ctg in a custom, it WILL have an 8 or perhaps 7.5 twist. I have NEVER had an accuracy issue from using a barrel with TOO fast a twist. My 6BR is 8 twist and does great with 70's, some people even drop to 55's. On the flip side, a 9, 10, 12, or 14 will never handle the 105's in an amax, the 12 tops at 85/87's and the 14's about 70-75 in that BR. So, I never worry about spinning too fast, but I do worry about marginal twist compatibility for some bullet/ctg combos, esp. in a hunting rifle where after impact stabilization is important. | |||
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