I'm still kicking the around rebarreling my M700VLSA to .260 or 6.5x.284. It will be a heavy varminter & 600yd targets rifle. I'm I going to be seating 120grMK too deep in the 6.5 or can I lengthen the mag. box enough to seat these out a bit? Any thoughts?

I bought a .260 about a year ago, Ruger 77. I am really impressed so far. Several coyotes, 1 elk and a small buck were impressed also.

I really can't say enough good things about it. I would really like to try a 6.5-.284 may do that next.

Built a 260 AI on a Savage s/shot, with Pac Nor barrel, 1/8 twist, very heavy. Probably as close as a 6.5x284 as you'll get. First wildcat, the brass was a pain....but well worth it. Had to turn necks, but it is very accurate as a long range p/dog rifle. 812 yds to date, will probably go over 1000 yd mark this month. Great shooter,accurate, about 20#. Lays out the 107 MKs where you point it.

Utah, what kind of vel. are you getting w/ 100gr, 120gr & 140gr bullets? You said brass is a pain, can you explain? Also is your Savage a short action?

[ 06-12-2003, 18:52: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

I have 3 different 260 barrels. All are 26" lg. hand lapped target barrels with 1-8 twist.

It was pretty easy to get 2800-2850 fps from the 139 grain Lapua Scenar (BC .62) and 3050-3100 fps from the 123 Scenar (BC .56) or the 120 Matchking.

For what ever strange reason, all my barrels seem to prefer the 123 Scenar and the 120 Matchking with regard to accuracy.

The only (minor) down side to the 260 seems to me the brass situation. Remington is the only manufacturer of properly headstamped brass, and it seems to be a bit substandard. The other choice is to neck up or down. I stick with Remington brass and simply neck turn to get consistent neck tension.

Powder such as Reloader 19 appears to be a perfect match for the 260. With my cases, a max. load fills up the case to the base of the neck. No compression but also no air space.

What reamer is used to make the chamber will determine how far out you will be seating the bullet. My gunsmith had the freebore shortened on the reamer he used and I can seat the bullet just off the lands and not be too short. Just be aware of the possibility and the gunsmith can make things right.

My most used barrel has just a bit over 2000 rounds thru it and I need to send it back to the gunsmith so he can do a chamber cast to measure throat erosion, but I have not seen any accuracy problems so far.

Thanks Bruce, do you think there is much of an advantage in going to a .260AI? I would probably make my brass from match .308 anyway.

Just a suggestion on your brass--------

Pick up some Lapua .243 brass and neck-up with either the 260 or the 260 AI.........

Ol' John

There is nothing wrong with necking down 308 lapua brass. It is alot cheaper than the 243 brass. The only thing with the 308 is you might have to turn necks but out of 300 cases i haven't had to.I have a Rem 700. Standard chamber.The neck on the 308 is a little shorter but i don't think it is that big of a deal.

Fred,
Personally I don't feel there is any "effective" advantage to going with an Ackley Improved round. The small velocity gain is just not worth the fireforming hassle and the lack of good reloading data. I have a 22-250 AI and very much regret going with the AI version. Perhaps it is more a function of how much shooting a person does.
The 260 is such an effective round, there is simply no good reason for going with some sort of improvement. A couple of additional inches of barrel length will do the same thing. I have wondered what a 260 would do with a 30" lg. target barrel.

Fred....fireforming and turning necks were time consuming. Velocity...no chrono, so not sure. The 107 MKs seem to work very well, also 100 Nosler BTs. This is mainly a LR p/dog rifle. Brass was Lapua and Federal match 308, necked down. I didn't like the Fed brass, (sloppy pockets) will use Lapua always now. Loads were +5% over 260 Rem max, as per Hodgdon. H4895 works very well. Savage action is SA s/shot. Improved cases??? My nearly stock Savage Tactical 7-08 will shoot right alongside of the 260 AI, probably even more p/dog kills. In fact, longest dog taken today was 755 yds with the 7-08. I may build a heavy Pac Nor quick twist 7-08 barrel.

Thanks for the info guys.

Bruce, if I could get 100fps o/ a std. .260, then it might be a better bet in my 700SA than the 6.5x.284 and worth the slight hassle of forming brass. I am thinking 26-27"bbl. How much hassle are we talking about for AI brass? I am now assuming you can't just necj up. 243 or .308 down & fireform. I can see where you may have to turn necks on .308 but?

Bruce Gordon & fredj338,

Gentleman,

Bruce Gordon--You are quite correct in that the .260 is a fine cartridge as is. Just ask Michelle Gallagher of the Thompkins-Gallagher great shooters family. She won the Wimbleton Cup using a 6.5/08 in the, I believe, year 2000. The 260 with 140gr Sierra MatchKing bullets at a MV of 2900fps will stay supersonic past 1000 yds.

fredj338--As I said I use Lapua 243 brass necked up to 6.5 and fireform as is. Have encountered no problems so far. I needed a short-throated reamer for the 100gr or less bullets and since I had to get a custom reamer anyway, I opted for the AI version. Best of luck whichever direction you decide to go.

Ol' John

Have been gone a week shooting prairie dogs in Montana, glad to see my beloved 6.5mms getting their deserved attention.

The other gentlemen covered the topic well. I did go with a 260 when a friend went with a 6.5 x284.

Did not gain that much velocity on the under 129 gr bullets over the 260.. A pound of powder goes quicker tho.

The 107 grainers are my prefered bullet out to 800 yds, as that is as far as I have been able to shoot at a target with it. Noticably less recoil than the 140s.

I own 8 6.5mm rifles, but do not own a 6.5 x 284.
Brass availability and cost was my first deterent, but after seeing a few friends who have them, they don't do much that the 6.5 x55 won't do handloaded, and I don't buy store ammo except in rimfire.

I just consider a 260 Rem as a cross between a 270 and a 243, or a 243 that one can get bullets up to 140 grains for. ( only a few of us diehards will shoot a 160grainer in one)

Can't go wrong with a 6.5. I think the 6.5 cartridges and the 338/06 are the most overlooked cartridges in the USA.!!!

Thanks guys, Hondo what kind of vel. are you getting from your AI, bbl. length, etc.? SInce this is a rebarrel job, I can go any way I want. The mag. length is the only limiting factor.
I have quite a bit of .308 match brass as that's what this rifle is right now. So I will probably form my brass anyway.
Seafire, I have to agree w/ you on the .338-06, I'll reserve my comments until I get my 6.5 something up & running. It does seem like a good balance of trajectory, accuracy, recoil & power (if you need it).

Fred;

I usually prefer Winchester brass over Remington.
So for my 260s, I buy winchester 7/08 brass and 308 brass and neck them down for my 260.

so all of that 308 brass can be of use in the old 260, or 260 AI if you go that route.

As a side note, I was fortunate enough to be elk hunting last fall with the last gunsmith still practicing that worked under Parker Ackley. ( Chick Donnelly) I asked him about Ackley improving the 260, and what would it gain for me (also the 6.5 x 55). He told me that he did not favorite it for the efficiency the cartridges already had. He told me that Ackley had played with them both, and came to the same conclusions.
For the 260 he was refering to Ken Waters old 263 Express or whatever he called it, essentially a 308 necked to 6.5 mm. Back in the days when the bigger talk was necking it to 270 or 7 mm ( early 1960s).

Just thought I would pass on their prospective on the subject.

Thanks for that note Seafire. I'll take that under concideration. Since you are .338-06 fan, you'll appreciate this one. Way back when Mr. Ackley was alive & still writing for Shooting Times or G&A, I wrote & asked him about the .338-06. He replied in the mag. and while he liked the cartridge, he thought I should just get a .338WM & down load. Can you imagine a wise man like that making a statement like that about my beloved .338-06!

[ 06-20-2003, 04:43: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

Fred:

I don't care what your wife says! you are a good man, with good tastes and a class act!