I am currently in the "middle stages" or organizing my hunting and shooting arsenal and I am trying to decide what to do. I currently have a .270 I use for most of my hunting and would like a short action "little" gun as a back up to hunt with. I have my eyes on a Ruger 77 compact stainless/laminate but I can't decide between the .308 or the .260. I have shot a .308 out of a win 88 and enjoy shooting it, but I have never shot a 260. I imagine the .308 has a little more kick out of the compact 77, but I don't know how much more. I hear the .260's are GREAT-light recoil yet hit hard enough with the 140 grn to take elk and moose and hogs with some shooters reporting the .260's recoil is so light that they see the bullet strike it's target. There seems to be a wide range of loads for the .260-anywhere from 85 grm varmit loads to the aforementioned 140 grners. Now, as a non-reloader I worry some about availability of .260 ammo where as .308's are everywhere. Also, the .308 has proven it has staying power but the .260 is realtively young and I wonder if factory ammo will be available in 50 years?? I also have seem only 150 grn .308 ammo or higher, but is there any .308's with the lighter loads? Having said all of this I only recently narrowed down the choices to the .260 from the swede 6.5X55, the 25 06, and the 264 win mag, mostly because I wanted the shorter barrel and the smaller/light gun, but I do NOT have my heart set on either.

So given this senario, what you'd you recommend?

Dave

My opinion? Everybody needs a versatile .308 Win. The .260 is interesting, but the component availability for .308 is greater.....like Lapua brass and vast bullet choices. It is a tough choice, but I standardized on .308 long ago. It will do nearly everything well.

First off, you will never "see your bullet strike it's target" with a light rifle. I have a light 260 and that is bunk.
Secondly, the only factory ammo available currently (that I know of), are the Remington and Federal loadings. Both companies offer 120 and 140 gr bullets. Remington used to offer 125 gr partitions, but no longer. Yes, you can handload bullets from 85 to 160 grs, but for factory loads- 120 or 140s.

That said, I would pick the 260 over the 308 and the 270 nine times out of ten. The tenth time I'd settle for a 308. In my opinion, the 260 kills way out of proportion to it's size. There is something magical about it. Recoil is light, accuracy is generally good. And, if you're a good boy scout, ammo supply shouldn't be an issue. If it ever becomes a obsolete relic, ammo can be fashioned out of any of the other 308 based cases. Yes, I know that means handloading, but educating ones self is a good thing, too.
There are a LOT of good bullets availble in 6.5mm.

Cooter