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For you .260 shooters, do you prefer the 120 or 140 gr loads on deer? I recently picked up a Browning 1885 Low Wall .260 and am undecided on what to feed it. The 140 gr load seems a mite heavy in the .260 and I have concerns about the penetrating abilities of the 120 gr polymer tip loads. The 125 gr Partition load seemed perfect but of course Remington discontinued that one. I plan to shoot factory loads at this point because I have far too many other things to load for and won't be shooting it that much. So, do the 120 gr Ballistic Tip or Accu-Tip perform ok on average sized deer or is something like the 140 gr Sierra BTSP load the way to go? Thanx. | ||
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SC, My experience is somewhat limited to one rifle and 3 kills....all with 100 grain Nosler BT's being shot by a girl aged 13,14,15.....3 years, 3 good bucks(all over 17" and 8 points or better) she has yet to see a deer take a step after the trigger falls!!! 271 yards, 197 yards and this year with "daddy" calling one in to her lap 27 yards!!!! It's all about shot placement!!! Her rifle is a Remington BDL SS, DM with a 24" barrel and it generates 3204 fps with 43 grains of VARGET and the 100 grain Noslers! With fairly decent accurracy.... .391"@100 yards....that's all five shots inside of one of the "SHoot N C" 1/2 inch target repair dots!!! As far as the 125 grain Remington facory loads....the same rifle shoots them into about 4"!!! Wonder why they discontinued them? I've got some left if you want them....pay the shipping and they're yours!!! I think there is a partial box of the factory 120's(they shoot pretty darn good!!!) and the same deal applies!!! If you want to test them you can have them!!! For me, I'll trust the 100's from this rifle!!! ANd that's on VA deer!! Not S.C. swamp deer!!! GHD PS: I just went and checked and there are 14 each of the Remington factory loads if you want them!!! GHD Groundhog Devastation(GHD) | |||
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I read an article in the last couple of days about the 260. I don't have the mag at my house so I can't remember which one it was, but Bryce Towsley said that the 140's were constructed too heavily for deer in the 260 velocity range. His daughter has had tremedous success with the 120gr polimer tipped bullets. Look around to see if you can find the article. Your success may vary depending on barrel length, velocity, bullet construction etc. Aaron | |||
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If you are reloading other cartridge, the 260 is worth dropping one of the other cartridges you hand load for and start loading the 260. Unfortunately the factorys are ignoring the 260 already. It has been out 8 yrs now but it is not the hottest selling factory round so they are slowly phasing it out. Too bad because as with the 7/08, they represent two of the most versatile American made cartridges for anything smaller than Elk. ( Skip the criticisms guys, as I own most of those other cartridges also and use then also regularly). But a 260 with a 100 grain Ballistic Tip or Partition, or even an uncelebrated 100 grain Hornady SP, with a handload of 43.5 grains of IMR 4064 will give you a tight shooting group with an MV of 3350fps out of a 22 inch barrel. It is one flat shooting round! Yet recoil is still so mild, that with a 4 x scope you can see the deer drop in the scope never loosing sight picture! The 120 and the 125 partition are great choices also. I'd take the 125 for game like Elk etc. But I choose the 100 grainers every time for deer or antelope hunting. Many of we 260 shooters are green with envy if you have a High Wall in 260! I'd darn sure love to have one, and have never seen one! Cheers and good shooting seafire | |||
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If you don't like the BTs for big game (I don't), there are 120grSP from Speer. Sierra, Rem., the 129gr Hrdy. & 125grNP. You can get 2900fps+ in a 22" bbl. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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The 120 would be fine for average size whitetails. That being said, try some of each, and take whatever shoots best in your rifle. | ||
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The .260 is a great cartridge for up to deer size game and maybe bigger game with the 160g bullets. My experience is limited-3 deer kills with Ruger M77 using Hornady 129s over ReLoder 19. All were one shot kills-one ran a little with heart hit, one a bamflop, and the other ran in a little 40 yard circle. They don't fall as quickly as they do to my .35s as the bigger bullets have more smackdown, but the .260 is a super round with very little recoil and excellent penetration due to high sd of the 6.5mm bullets. It seems to me it is a much better varminter/deer round than the 6mms. With bullets from 85g to 160g it can handle most everything from groundhogs to moose imho. Plateau Hunter | |||
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i've kinda happy with 120 gr barnes x | |||
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Try 129 gr Hornady Spire Points. Remember, forgivness is easier to get than permission. | |||
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If and when you get around to handloading try the 129 grain Hornady Interlock, they are accurate in my rifle and are effective. In the 6.5's the 129 grain bullet is a good all rounder for deer. However I go to heavier 160 grain bullets when stalking Samba . | |||
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We have never shot anything but the Rem. Core Lokt 140 stuff. Browning A Bolt Stainless Stalker. Groups great but deer have big hole in off side and everyone has run 30 to 40 yards. When you get to them there is no blood left in body...all on ground. Maybe we need to swap to the small grain bullet. No doubt it kills whitetail deer! Very pleasant to shoot and we also have custom Sako in 243 and two 7/07's that we use. All of them are deer slayers in west Texas. You can borrow money but you can not borrow time. Go hunting with your family. | |||
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Mine likes 120 Barnes X and the 125 Partition but I do load. If not using a premium bullet I'd go with the 140 unless 200 yards plus shots were the norm where you hunt,then I'd use the poly tip 120. | |||
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Gun nut, I can't tell you about the factory stuff, but I can tell you my Low Wall absolutely hated 140gr Speers. 129gr Hornadies were quite the opposite. 47.8gr H4831 behind the 129gr Hornady averages 2862fps and .670" for the last five 3-shot groups. I've only killed one deer and one coyote with the .260 and the 129gr Hornady, but both were DRT with exit wounds about the size of a silver dollar. Start handloading for that .260! John Lord, please grant me the strength to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference. | |||
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Hondo64d, I'm using 48 grains of Australian AR2213SC, (which is sold in the US as H4831SC), this with the 129 grain Hornady is a great combination in the 260. Recoil is light, it's accurate and effective on deer. | |||
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FWI I have had great luck with 120 gr. NBT over RL-19. I use this combo in both the 260 and 6.5x55. I won't be changing anytime soon. Lou **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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Well, my Remington M-7 seems to love the factory Remington .260 loads with the 120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. The only deer I've taken with the M-7 just collapsed at a 100 yard shot. For my money the .260 Remington is a super deer cartridge, like the 7mm-08 with less recoil, and striking with much more authority than the .243 LLS  | |||
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I used the Hornady 129 grain Interlock and think it is one fantastic bullet. It will down a deer with authority and doesn't do a lot of meat damage. I shot one at just a tad over 200 yards and it went down and didn't move a muscle. Now I know bullet placement is everything, but the .260 is one of those neat cartridges that get the job done with ease and it's neat to be able to see the bullet impact, because recoil is practically nil. Bob | |||
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Here's the magazine article... http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3623/is_200404/ai_n9407833 | |||
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A friend shot 14 deer last year with his 260 using the 120 gr Nosler BT and Remington CL's. All were good results except for a complaint of meat damage. So he switched to the 125 Partition and lost the next two deer. He says that they were good hits and easy shots. He has won a national title in shooting competiton not that every shot everyone fires is perfect. He is so bothered by this that he is now using a 350 RM. This man as plenty of money and more guns than anyone that I know of. He is also store front gun dealer. Join the NRA | |||
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I shot two last year with my Mountian Rifle LSS. I loaded 125 partitions over 44.5 gr of H4350 loaded to the end of the magazine (2.805). Excellent load watched on drop in the scope at abour 200 yards. | |||
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I have loaded the .260 for some times now tried every thing from 3031 to 4350. Varget shot real good and H380. but i have loaded RL-15 for the last 2 yrs. it gives me the best accurace with the higest volcity. I load 42.0 grains with 120 gr. sierra with WLR primer. | |||
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I've shot a bunch of deer with the 260 and think that if I had to settle on a single bullet, it would be the 129 grain Hornady Spire Point. I've kill deer with a variety of bullets from the 95 grain VMax to the 140 grain Remington factory load. I think that the 129 grain offers the best balance of velocity/accuracy/penetration potential in a medium case capacity 6.5mm. I have also has excellent results with the 120 grain BT, but think that it is inferior in the area of penetration, should you need to take a "Texas heart shot" of a trophy deer. For the shots that you can pick, any of the bullets seem to work fine. Jeff | |||
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Savage99... why do you suppose that your friend lost those two deer two the 125gr. Nos Part.?? To me that just doesn't compute at all esp. after taking 14 with 120gr bullets....shed some more light if you would please on your thoughts about why he lost those two deer ....I have a .260 Rem in a model 7 and was plannig on using 125gr. Part. this fall because I have read they they worked very well ....that's why I ask...thanks for your reply ...mic | |||
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When I see him again I will bring it up another way and see what story I get the second time. I posted somewhere that he said that he had help trailing them but almost no blood was found. One deer was located the second day and the other was never found. Anybody can fluff a shot at game but he shoots dozens of deer every year. I sold him a large carton of 200 gr .35 cal. Coreloks for his 350 RM. Lets hope the deer fall to that bullet. Join the NRA | |||
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Very interesting! I have not been able to come up with a good load withthe 125 grain Nosler Partition in either my Remington M-7 or a Steyr SBS, and Both rifles shoot the 120 grain ballistic tips into a quarter at 100 yards. Anyone have any good ideas? I may try those little 100 grain Noslers yet. Oh, for the person complaining about 140 grain slugs being too tough for .260 Remington velocities. Errrr, have you bothered to look at the 6.5x55 and 6.5x54 with those same bullets? You'll find that the Swedish Mauser and the ancient Mannlicher have been performing very well for a century with 140 grain spitzers. LLS
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For accuracy problems with a 125 grain Nosler Partition, try some load data with IMR 4064, RL 15 or W 748, H 380, H 414.... YOU won't get that 3000 fps load, but accuracy will increase and 2800 to 2900 fps is available with those powders... cheers seafire  | |||
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My choice too, except I hunt with a 6.5X55. I use my 260 for target work, and for that Lapua Scenars in 123 and 139 grains excel! | |||
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"Partitions" are for one day a year shooters who shoot most of their stuff at 100 yards or less with extravegant rifles which cost more than their accurracy dictates and the ammo costs more also, so it should be "the best there is"!!! " Load up some Nosler 100 grain BT,s Sierra 100 grainers, Hornady 100 grainers and go shoot the damn deer!!!.....maybe at extended ranges!!! Premium bullets and the small calibers don't compute with me!!! I won't "shoot a bull in the ass with a BB-gun" and expect him to fall!!! But I'll put an undersized bullet in the right place and expect "no tracking" to retrieve the game!!! I beleive in "shoot it and walk to it"!!! Or better yet, "drive to it!!!" BS on this tracking stuff!!! GHD Groundhog Devastation(GHD) | |||
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GHD.... what is your favorite powder with 100 gr bullets? ..thanks mic | |||
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VARGET!!!! VARGET!!! VARGET!!! 41.0(light load for kids or women) up to 43.0 grains(Sarah(Miss GHD) has now progressed up to this one!!! Gives 3204fps from her 24" barrel and absolutely astounding accurracy from a factory rifle!!(under .400!! 5 shots!!!) I tested the same load in another 700 SS DM that I got for a client last year and it does the same thing!!! Hope this helps!! GHD PS: If you have some H414, try 48.0 grains with the Sierra 100 grainers....should give you about 3330fps and good accurracy also!! Groundhog Devastation(GHD) | |||
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THANKS....I have Varget and I was going to try H414 first as I found it to be excellent in my 22-250's and .243...I also have Hornady,Nosler, and some old Barnes X on hand all in 100gr. plus some Hornady 95 gr V-max....thanks again!..  ..mic | |||
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Low Wall, have you tried teh 100g X bullet in your 260? How was the accuracy? Did you try H-414? What do you think of it? Anyone, what do think about a 20 yd shot in teh shoulder with either the 120g BT or 120g ProHunter? Is it going through the vitals? I loaded teh 120g Prohunter last year but never got a shot while carrying it. | |||
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HogWild...No I did'nt do anymore re-loading or range work as health problems got the best of me... Sleep Apnea was the problem...finally being treated and started work in the middle of August ..12hr shift with 3hrs of driving everyday....I most likely won't reload till logging season is over next spring...I'm a old fart so have to save my energy for work and getting ready for winter esp. when on nite shift as I'm now....I'll surely post results when I get some as I really like the .260...In June I did load up some Remington bulk 120gr. with a surplus powder called 47sl (no longer available I'm being told) and my first (and only group)5 shot group was .940" with a Rem Model 7 in a custom stock with the barrel bedded..I was pleased to say the least!...it was a slow load I'm sure but did'nt have a Chrony then... I can't answer your question about 20yd shoulder shots but if they are that close shoot them in the neck!!!!or lungs should be easy enough to do and a lung shot at that range should turn them inside out..Just my opinion as I have not shot a deer with a .260...cheers...mic | |||
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I believe the following qoute from "vines" may be useful in deciding on a load = Posted 17 July 2005 02:39 brytstar, try some RL-15 it IS the powder in my rifle. ruger M-77 S.S. 22 in. I load 42 grs. with 120 gr. sierra.shooting 2940 over a croney. this powder is also the choice in my 7MM-08 44grs with a 140. WLR primers. I don"t like powders that are real slow burning. in 22in. barrels on short action rounds. I like to stay in the 90 to 95% density range. stay in the medium burn rate powders 4064 H-380 RL-15 4320 ect.. In politics as in theology! "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, But the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2 | |||
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I shoot several 260s, and I think it is harder to find a load it WON'T shoot well or a powder that it doesn't work well with... than it is to find one that does.... Everything seems to work more than well for a deer load for a 260... My preferences have been for IMR 4064 as the most accurate....But RL 15 works in about anything I have ever put it in....Sierra listed W 748 at the top of their lists for 120 grain Match bullets... I tried it and it shot one hole groups out of my VLS Remington... So I just use it for 120 grain bullets period... Althought powders in the 4350 range are more popular for 6.5 bores... I find that mid range powders take up less room in the case... which is really important when you start loading 140 grain bullets in a tight Remington Chamber... I had my Remington's throat reamed out and I did not have to worry about it on my 2 Ruger 77s...... I don't find it a very finicky cartridge at all... It is pretty  Homer proof.... Cheers seafire | |||
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Frankly, I'm surprised to hear of accuracy problems with the 125-grain Nosler Partition. I shoot it out of an unmodified Remington Model Seven Youth over 43 grains of IMR 4350 with MOA results. So far it's dropped everthing I've shot, mostly in their tracks and no run over about 30 yards. Perhaps it's because I use a high heart shot rather than a behind-the-shoulder double lung shot? --- Eric Ching "The pen is mightier than the sword...except in a swordfight." | |||
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Unfortunetly ,John, this is where you and I have taken different paths. The 7-08 and .260 bring nothing to the table that we did not already have in the 7x57 6.5x57 and 6.5x55. No arguements about short actions are acceptable. I want it because I like it is acceptable.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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This is such a good thread on loads for the 260 Rem, I thought I would throw my load into the mix. I am using IMR4831 at 45.7 gr (listed max in Hornady manual), Fed 210M Match primer, 129 gr Hornady Spire Point (SP) and groups are tight. I have not chronographed this load yet, but set at 3 inches high at 100 yards, it hits about 6-7 inches low at 315 yards, holding right on the target, with no elevation adjustments. I think this 260 Rem is very accurate, and pleasant to shoot. Mine is a Steyr Pro Hunter with a 23 inch barrel. As a reloader, I am very pleased in what I see with the 260 Rem. Fun cartridge to load for. Socialism works great until you run out of the other person's money...... | |||
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Did I mention, SeaFire, you were right! This pupppy is awesome! Socialism works great until you run out of the other person's money...... | |||
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Aggie: Glad to hear that you have found a new friend in the 260 and welcome to the club that has learned that! cheers seafire  | |||
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