The 260 came from no ballistic revelation. It was an easily produced and certified (SAAMI) cartridge at a time when Remington needed "the next new thing". The 6.5x308 has been around for years and with the 6.5 bore craze in full swing, it was a no brainer for Remington. This is much the tactic they used some years back with the 17 Fireball. Wow. That is a 17 MachIV with a different name. The MachIV was an already established
factory rifle cartridge built originally by the O'Brien Rifle Co so it was a cheap way to jump on the band wagon. In both cased, very little to no R&D work was needed and they were able to go almost directly into production. The 260 is a fine round but it is nothing that hasn't been around for many decades as a wild cat: and not a very popular one, either. So when compared to the 6.5x55, it is only the
relatively new kid on the block. The new kid is the 6.5 Hornady Creedmore, and before that, the 6.5x47 Lapua. Heck, the 6.5 Remington Magnum is newer than the 260 (6.5-08).
As to the Remington 700's, I am like BH. I have let my opinions be known. I think I have three of them: a .222, a 257 Roberts, and a 308 Police Sniper. The Deuce gets shot at prairiedogs and targets, the 308 at targets, and the Roberts.... at targets! I won't take a stock-factory Remington in the field for big game and especially dangerous game. The extractors are fragile spring steel clips and the bolt handles brazed into place. I have repaired many of these items in the past. I still have the jigs I built for replacing/staking the extractors into place and positioning the bolt handle to be heli-arc welded back into place. The breaks were
that common.
If a person has a SAKO extractor fitted and the bolt handle removed and properly welded to the body, then I would say
as a hunting rifle.~Muir
Check that: I sold the .222 last year...