Just got my Nosler Reloading Manual #5 and was intrigued by their comments in the section for the 260 Remington. They designed the 100 grain Nosler partition especially for this cartridge, and claim that the bullet has become especially popular with white-tail hunters across the country.

Now the velocities you can get with this bullet in the 6.5 Swede and the 260 Remington are down-right impressive, but I have always heard conventional wisdom say that the 125 grain or 140 grain partitions are more appropriate for deer. So I am curious to know who is really using the 100 grain partition on deer sized critters, and what your results in the hunting fields are?

Thanks!

Had a .260 and it wouldn't group the 107 grain bullet because it had a 1-9 twist. Took the barrel off and had it chambered for another caliber. If you don't want real good accuracy you could probably develop a load tht might shoot good at a 100 yards for game. Haven't used the 100 grain Nosler bullet and don't know the twist of your barrel and every barrel will shoot different so it might work out something. Remingto has now dropped the .260 from the VLS line of rifles. That might tell you something about the .260 ! Good Luck

I don't have a 260 but am trying to talk myself into one (and not succeeding!)

I have 6.5x55 reloading dies and hope to pick up another rifle in that caliber soon. I sold my last one because I couldn't bring myself to sporterize it and I don't want to hunt a bolt action with iron sights...

The lightest bullet I've used in my 6.5X55 M-700 are 120 grain Noslers for whitetails(2), fallow deer(3), and hogs(2). Though the 120 grain Nosler did kill all the animals with one shot and none ran more than 50M, I will not use these anymore as they did not make an exit wound on any of the game I shot. I now use only 130 grain or heavier bullets (I prefer 140 grain Barnes XLC)to ensure an exit wound. I used a 140 grain XLC to kill an Oryx and did get an exit wound. It is easy to get trapped into thinking more about the high velocity and flat shooting properties of bullet flight rather than terminal performance.

[ 08-29-2002, 21:23: Message edited by: Long Pig ]

I've shot the 100 gr. Ballistic Tip in my M700 260 Remington. My smallest 5 shot group was .8" @ 100m. They look to be an alright bullet for hunting, probably best for antelope or small deer at longer ranges.

I've used alot of Nosler Partitions on game, particularly the 95-100 gr. .243 bullets.
I can tell you they rarely fail to shoot through an elk class animal with a classic broadside shot through both lungs. If you try the near shoulder, they will break it, and penetrate both lungs, but seldom exit.
Therefore, I strongly suspect that the NP bullet will do quite well on any deer class animal with the 100 gr..264.
I wouldn't go that light, however. I like to know I can shoot'em in the fanny, and have them penetrate. I would either switch to the 120 gr. NP, or go to a Barnes X in the 100 gr. weight. E

Dogger, I don't have a 260 Rem and I haven't shot the 100 gr NP, so I guess I'm as much an "expert" on the topic as are many others! On the other hand, I do have a Contender 6.5 JDJ that has harvested about 25 head of big game, mostly whitetail deer, but also 2 pronhorn antelope and 2 mule deer. To me, the 100 gr NP seems like a "solution to a nonexistent problem." I have been totally satisfied w/ the performance of the 120 gr bullets on game w/ my 6.5. Don't see how the 100 gr NP could improve on this. True, the 100 gr NP can be pushed to higher velocities than the 120 gr bullets, but when I looked at the bullet drop, I didn't think the 100 gr NP would have an appreciable advantage over the 120 gr bullets. I quit using the 100 gr NBT on big game some years ago because I was unimpressed w/ it's penetration. Just my thoughts. Gary T.

When Nosler introduced the 100 grain Partition, I was somewhat shocked. Referring to rifles, the 6.5s really come into their own with 140 grain bullets, and this is the weight that allowed this bullet diameter to build its enviable reputation. In fact, a 140 grain 6.5 at 27-2800 fps MV is one of the very best killers of medium game and has racked up an impressive string of one-shot stops for me, including several dozen wild hogs. The trajectory is sufficiently flat, and the on-game performance is predictable alomost to the point of being boringly monotonous.

But I can see where someone seeking to bag a prairie goat with the .260, 6.5x55, 6.5-06 etc. may want the slight extra flatness of trajectory and even somewhat lower recoil. But for me, I'll take the 140 any day as an all-around bullet weight in the various 6.5 rifles.

DOGGER,
I also don't have a .260, but I have played with several .264 calibre rifles, including the 6.5x55, 6.5x06 and the .264 Win Mag. I didn't see any of them as fit for game larger than deer. I tried several different weight and make of bullets. IMHO the Nosler 125 grain Partition was the best one of the bunch. The bullet expanded at all velocities and still wouldn't come apart at close range hit at high velocities. I took several deer and antelope with it and was never unhappy with it. I hope that this is of some help. Good luck.

I shoot the 100gr ballistic tip out of my 6.5x55 at about 2,900fps. It works very well on fallow at conventional angles at any range. I really do not need partitions (in fact for me they would be a hinderance) but cannot see how a partition could not be better for a US deer hunter with a bit more space around him.

Poor accuracy due to fast twist and light bullets is IMHO much over rated providing you are not going so stellar the bullets start to think about coming apart. The 100gr bullet is easily the most accurate in my 8.5 twist rifle.

There are many ways to skin a cat, 100gr and 6.5 or 260 is a flat, light recoiling and effective way of shooting deer. The beauty of 6.5 is versatility so take advantage of it and use some 100grainers!

Hi all

Just a couple of questions about a .260 rem.

I just put a Ruger compact 77 on layaway in .260 remington. I expect all of my shots to be under 150 yards. I might stretch to 200 but it would be highly unlikely.

Can someone tell me the twist rate for the ruger compact 16.5 inch barrel in .260?

Basic reloading question next.

What is the basic rule of thumb for twist rate versus bullet stabilization.

Faster twist rate allows better stabilization for (lighter/heavier ?) bullets.

Also, with this short of a bbl what might be the better powders to use with a 110 gr. and a 120 gr. bullet and what velocities might I reasonably expect from this rifle?

Thanks

Jim B.

Dogger,

I had forgotten that Nosler made a 100g Partition in 6.5mm. I don't have a Nosler Reloading Manual. What does Nosler have to say about shooting the 100g Partition in a 260 Rem.? Do they mention the impact velocity range the bullet was designed for? What kind of velocity are they getting with that bullet? I have been trying to find some 100g Barnes X bullets to try in my new 260 but they are no longer made. This might be an alternative although they wouldn't have the BC that the 100g X bullet has.

It seems no one has answered your original question of how the 100g Partition performs on game. I would sure like to hear from someone who has actually used this bullet. Wonder how it would hold up on a 20-30 yd. shot with a muzzle velocity of 3,300 ft/sec.?

By the way, the 6.5s did earn their reputation using heavy bullets (140g - 160g) with high sectional densities providing excellent penetration (and deservedly so). Their relatively slow velocity (2,500 - 2,800 fps) worked great with the bullets avaliable. Now that premium bullets are avaliable that can withstand high impact velocities and provide good penetration, one shouldn't ignore the benefit of a flatter trajectory. It is a viable alternative and shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, in this "magnum crazed" era we are in, I would argue that the low velocities (compared to many cartridges) of the heavy bullets are partly responsible for the lack-luster sales of the 260 Rem. Those familiar with this leathal combination seemed to want to stick with their trusty old 6.5x55 while the velocity and trajectory pursuaded few potential customers. I wish Rem. would have originally loaded the 100g Partition at about 3,250 ft/sec (24" barrel) when they originally came out with the cartridge and had put some money into maketing that combination. Maybe it would attract more people to the 260 Rem.

I handload the 100 gr partition in a .260 M7 remington for my cousin's 11 year old son. I purposely download it to 2800 fps and chose this light bullet to keep the recoil down. When the boy started hunting with it he was 9 and the first year he killed two does with it. The following year he got another doe and last year he got a really nice nine pointer. Bullet performance has been excellent with complete penetration out of every shot, all of which have been either shoulder or heart/lung shots. Bullet expansion was excellent as well with much internal damage. None of the deer have dropped in their tracks, all going between 20 and 50 yds before dropping. He did wound one smaller buck with it but it was the result of bad shooting not bullet performance. We sighted that buck about two months later and he was limping from the healed leg wound. All in all I think it's more than enough bullet for the job, I wouldn't hesitate using this combo on deer. It's a much, much better combination than the same weight bullet in .243 on deer.

[ 09-04-2002, 09:08: Message edited by: boltman ]

Doubtless the experts will correct me but I undersatnd it is the LENGTH of the bullet rather that the weight that determines twist. For example I had a 6.5 barrel with a 1:9 twist. It would shoot Hornady RN 160 gr but I would not stabilise the longer BarnesX 140gr.

100 grain Ballistic Tips were the most accurate bullet in this barrel.

I have used the 6,5mm 100gr Partition in my 6,5x65R (3,430 fps) and have seen others use it in a 6,5x57R (3,300 fps).
On deer sized game their performance maybe described as monotonous.
They always expanded properly (chamois taken broadside at 302 measured meters) and penetrated deeply (both shoulders of a 120 kilo wild boar at 25 paces)
Small deer are knocked down faster with non partitioned designs such as the hornady spire point and the nosler balistic tip.
Long pencil like bullets in the 140 to 160 grain range made more sense in the old old days, when none of the premium designs currently available were there.
You know, it takes a lot of animal to stop a 125 grain Partition, and when that is the case I would find it more sensible to move up to a larger cartridge.
Regards,
montero

The Austrian ammo maker Hirtenberger loads a 105 grain Nosler Partition bullet.
This bullet does not appear in Nosler's catalogue.
Does anybody know if they are available as a component?
montero

Hola Montero I think Nosler change a few years ago the weight from 105 to 100 grains in the 6,5 Partition line , and it's not produced any more .

Saludos

Daniel