I have been considering this caliber for a while since I like the thought of using 308 or 7mm/08 brass necked down to 6.5mm. I am a real newbie to reloading and have never attempted this. My question is how is this accomplished? Do you just run a 7mm/08 casing into a 260 rem sizing die and it narrows down the neck? Any information would be greatlt appreciated.

Be sure to lube the case. Why not just buy .260 rem cases?

I probably will buy brass to start with but I have a friend that shoots 308 and doesn't reload so there is a source of free brass.

You may find that an intermediate sizing of 308 to 7mm will provide straighter brass.

you can buy 100 pcs. for about $45.00 i just bought some. but yes, you can resize. i have used .243 or 7-08.. like 45otto said, lub real good. and then trim

Most factory rifle chambers are cut fairly sloppy. The advantage of using 7/08 brass is when you neck it down, it takes up a couple of thousands of that slop. Problem with 308 brass in a 260 is it comes up 0.02 short and takes away the advantage of the 260s longer neck.

Just my worthless opinion but the 260 is one of the best all around whitetail cartridges out there. Rifle manufactuers just cut it short with such poor selections in rifle choices.

There is something about the 6.5/.260 (.264)caliber that generates excitement. After surfing boards for years it seems obvious. Another thread close to this one about the 6.5 Swede, has so far 51 replies.

Savage is going to add .250 Savage to their line up. It apparently was a fine cartridge in the 1930's.

IMHO they should chamber the 6.5x55 in there long action and .260 Rem. in short action. I'll bet if they were in the racks, they would sell.

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:

Just my opinion but the 260 is one of the best all around whitetail cartridges out there. Rifle manufactuers just cut it short with such poor selections in rifle choices.

Very true. The problem for many cartridges of good design is the manufacturer's greed for instant profit. So they try massive hype as a substitute for a sound long term marketing development plan.

Then if the hype doesn't work almost instantly, they abandon both the good cartridge and all the good hunters/shooters who might enjoy it now or in the future. Such manufacturers do not deserve our support, as some have learned the hard way.
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quote:

Originally posted by Burlington Road: Savage is going to add .250 Savage to their line up. It apparently was a fine cartridge in the 1930's.

Not only was a fine cartridge, but still is!!
Was killed by the cost of making 99 Savages, lack of devotion to the shooter-users by the then-management of Savage, and the birth/hyping of the .243 Winchester/.244 Remington.

I love the cartridge and have never viewed the .243 Winchester as a superior replacement. I've owned and used the .250-3000 in the Model 30 Remington, Models 99 and 20 Savage, Mauser Kurz, and Remington 700 Classic.

I sure hope Savage brings it back in a nice walk-around short-action sporter with a good trigger rather than some two-ton clunky varminter-come-tactical-fad rifle.

Thanks for all the responses I have to say this is one of the friendliest forums going. I really appreciate all the advice and will keep it in mind when I get going with this project.

I have been reloading for the 260 since before factory ammo was widely available, 10/97. Most of the thousands of rounds of 260 that I have shot have been built around Norma and Winchester/Olin 243 brass. I like those brands of brass better than Remington and they have worked very well.

If you are new to reloading, I think that the 2 best pieces of advice that I can offer to you, other than to be extra careful when you drop your powder into the cases, is to use new brass that is dedicated to each rifle and to use Imperial Wax as your case lube. If you use new brass, I have 100 cases for each hunting rifle and up to 300 for each varmint rifle, you will know its history. I have never understood why anyone would reload brass that they pick up at the range, as it seems like a suboptimal solution and (potentially) a waste of $$ spend on the other components.

Jeff

I neck down Win 7/08 and 308 brass all the time for my 260 Rems... in fact I originally purchased a bag of 100 cases of Rem Brass and it was evidently a bad lot, as I had all sorts of trouble with it...

The first time you neck down 308 brass, you will have a donut ring around the neck/shoulder junction on 308 brass... but don't worry about it unless you have a tight chamber...

when it is shot, it will not be there, when the brass forms to your charmber...

I use a lot of range brass.. to address 260Remguys concerns here... I put each into a loto a lot of 10 each and into a sandwich ziplock bag with a 3 x 5 card on it...

I log the load, data and components on the 3 x 5 card.. so I know the lots history... on line one I put range brass or factory load, but make note of it being range brass...

If I start getting neck splits on 2 or 3 cases, I just scrap the rest or use them for make up brass on other lots...

I do this to all of my brass, regards of caliber, whether new or not... this way I have a complete history of each batch of 10 cases ( 20 round lots on some 223 varmint stuff)....

doing this and modifying load techniques have allowed me to stretch out the life of the brass...

earlier this evening I was loading some 223 range brass, for the 20th time on those 2 batches....sorted by Brand ( Rem)....

Experimenting on techniques to stretch out brass life is a nice winter time experiment for me this year...

I think the "issues" with Remington brass have been greatly exaggerated. I have loaded about 1250 new cases in the last 6 months and I have not experiences any issues. My Remmington shoots excellent groups and i have come across one case with a loose primer pocket. I always neck-size all new cases prior to loading the. I have two Remington 260 rifles. I dont hotload or use very heavy bullets. I use 85gr-120gr bullets for small game, coyotes, etc.

And yes, this caliber has impressed the heck out me. I have not fired my 300 Win mag or 308 since I have begun to use it. Its a good one.

I've been reloading for over 38 years and learned the basics from a man who had been reloading for over 30 years when he taught me. My primary objective in reloading is to find a load that provides an optimal balance of potential accuracy, velocity, and bullet penetration for the intended purpose for each of the 200+/- rifles and handguns that I reload for.

Since shooting is my primary hobby, I don't worry too much about component costs, so the variable factor that using used brass adds to my equation isn't cost effective for me. The value of my time far exceeds any savings that I would see from using range/used brass and I don't feel safe using used brass or other people's reloads, but as with many things, YMMV.

Jeff

I agree completely. Thanks for your views.

quote:

Originally posted by 260remguy:
I've been reloading for over 38 years and learned the basics from a man who had been reloading for over 30 years when he taught me. My primary objective in reloading is to find a load that provides an optimal balance of potential accuracy, velocity, and bullet penetration for the intended purpose for each of the 200+/- rifles and handguns that I reload for.

Since shooting is my primary hobby, I don't worry too much about component costs, so the variable factor that using used brass adds to my equation isn't cost effective for me. The value of my time far exceeds any savings that I would see from using range/used brass and I don't feel safe using used brass or other people's reloads, but as with many things, YMMV.

Jeff