Just how good is the .260
- Thread starter Blue400
- Start date
Monument veiw
Well-Known Member
What cal is your sako at the moment ?
As my Handle implies .... go .260 - it just works. Mine has a Shilen barrel, McM stock and other bits and pieces, 22" barrel using 120Gn NBT over 40 Gns of RL15, gives less than .5MOA on the range, 2895 fps. Use it mainly on Roe, Fallow & Foxes. Being one of the .308 Family of cases it is easy to reload for. Just my tuppence worth.
Wait for Mr Claret Dabbler and Milligan to chime in ..... and
Good luck with your project
Wait for Mr Claret Dabbler and Milligan to chime in ..... and
Good luck with your project
deeangeo
Well-Known Member
Everything points to .260 being really good. Should shoot your bullet weight just fine. 6.5x47Lapua was the choice a good friend made last year when deciding between the two calibres & from what I've seen, that is just a whizz cartridge to use.......just great for stalking.
Ballistically, almost nothing between them.
Ballistically, almost nothing between them.
Claret_Dabbler
Well-Known Member
Can't be bothered to extol it's virtues. They should be obvious to anyone with a brain.
Just get it built. Keep the barrel short 20" or thereabouts. Nice light muzzle can. Perfect.
A 7/08 might be just as good.
Just get it built. Keep the barrel short 20" or thereabouts. Nice light muzzle can. Perfect.
A 7/08 might be just as good.
Blue
I am on my third 260 Rem (see my Gallery). The one thing I would be careful about is OAL, especially if your Sako has a magazine. I have a Wyatts extended box fitted to my Remington to give me a fraction more OAL.
http://www.midwayuk.com/apps/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?SaleItemID=993148
I use the 129gr SP for stalking and 140 AMax and 142 SMKs for practice and range work.
Good luck. JCS
I am on my third 260 Rem (see my Gallery). The one thing I would be careful about is OAL, especially if your Sako has a magazine. I have a Wyatts extended box fitted to my Remington to give me a fraction more OAL.
http://www.midwayuk.com/apps/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?SaleItemID=993148
I use the 129gr SP for stalking and 140 AMax and 142 SMKs for practice and range work.
Good luck. JCS
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Blue400
Well-Known Member
JCS thanks for the heads up on the mag problem, the gun is a 75 finnlite, do you think i will have a problem with the 129 grain bullets and the oal with the standard mag?
And thanks to all the other members for your replies and advice.
atb blue..
Claret_Dabbler
Well-Known Member
There should be no problem at all. The Sako 75 box is more than long enough for any bullet up to 140gr unless you have the chamber cut to a stupidly long length.
I have used everything from 100gr BT's to 140's SP's in mine.
I have settled on 120gr BT's at 2900 fps and recently 125gr Partitions at a bit less. Perfect deer round for the UK, and nearly anywhere else.
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flytie
Well-Known Member
Lewis Potter, noted Riflesmith/Gunsmith and author, has stated in print that the .260 has performance approaching that of the 7mm-08, certainly the deer don't seem to notice.
Does one get much more bang for your buck with a 7mm-08?
Being a fan of the 6.5 (.264"), I fancy a .260 with 120gr BT's.
Simon
Does one get much more bang for your buck with a 7mm-08?
Being a fan of the 6.5 (.264"), I fancy a .260 with 120gr BT's.
Simon
Blue
If you PM me your name and address, I can send you some resized cases 260 Rem cases. Then, if you can lay your hands on the bullets that you want to use, you can make yourself up some dummy rounds.
Regards JCS
If you PM me your name and address, I can send you some resized cases 260 Rem cases. Then, if you can lay your hands on the bullets that you want to use, you can make yourself up some dummy rounds.
Regards JCS
Blue400
Well-Known Member
Hi, Thanks for the offer JCS, I can neck up some 243 to 260 and try them in the mag, I have some 6.5x55 dies I can use to nip the bullet.
What oal approx will they be for 120 noslers?
ATB Blue.
Blue
Not sure about OAL for the 120 gr Noslers. All I can quote is the following lengths for the two loads I have in the gun cupboard this evening:
129gr SP - 2.756 inches
142gr SMK -2.855 inches
The OAL you get will depend on how your riflesmith throats your chamber. I have also just measured my .243 (Sako 75) magazine. Internally it measures 2.950 inches.
Good luck. JCS
Not sure about OAL for the 120 gr Noslers. All I can quote is the following lengths for the two loads I have in the gun cupboard this evening:
129gr SP - 2.756 inches
142gr SMK -2.855 inches
The OAL you get will depend on how your riflesmith throats your chamber. I have also just measured my .243 (Sako 75) magazine. Internally it measures 2.950 inches.
Good luck. JCS
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.260 is a good calibre I'd say, I've knocked a few deer over with it now. I did have some initial hassle getting it going and drew on the knowledge of this forum a lot. JCScampbellsmith above was really helpful and sent me some brass as I was having grief with neck tensions.
No issue with Sako mag lengths even with the 140gr; I run out of chamber before I run out of mag length.
The 140gr have a relatively stumpy ogive so engage sooner than the lighter, longer bullets.
Drawbacks are the price of brass, availability of bullets in 6.5mm and the relative absence of comprehensive load data - viht/lapua is quite conservative I found and the one book-one caliber is disproportionately bias to the American powders.
No issue with Sako mag lengths even with the 140gr; I run out of chamber before I run out of mag length.
The 140gr have a relatively stumpy ogive so engage sooner than the lighter, longer bullets.
Drawbacks are the price of brass, availability of bullets in 6.5mm and the relative absence of comprehensive load data - viht/lapua is quite conservative I found and the one book-one caliber is disproportionately bias to the American powders.
I have built 3 rifles for myself over the last 8 years, 2 of them Border cut rifled barrels one of which did not like 129 grn bullets the other loved anything you fed it. The current "death ray" has an 18 inch Archer barrel fitted and it deals with any and all it is fed with 100 grn. Hornady soft points giving a ragged hole which you can just get a 260 case through (5 rounds). I have re-barreled several other rifles of varying makes with Archer barrels with very good results from all of them. The 260 from my experience is one of the least fussy rounds to load for, I use Vit. 140 for 95, 100 and 107 grn. rounds and 160 for the heavier bullets, work from the Vit. manual and you will get good results. Some of my friends have moved up from 100grn. bullets because of larger exit holes on through chest shots on roe but I dont find them to be messy and I would rather have an exit which gives a good bleed in case you have to follow up, had a couple who remarked on well shot beasts running 20 to 30 yds. yes and you get the same with a 308 using 150,s. So how good is it, with 100grn. bullets, better than the .243 by miles and with 140,s a tiny bit under the .308 in effect but still a very seriously good round. Hope this helps you in some way towards a decision, when I built my first one it was a voyage of discovery but not a difficult one I have had 6.5 calibre rifles all my life on a variety of different cases my personal favourite the 6.5x55 and my idea was to use the 260 with 6.5x55 loads only in a short magazine/action rifle and it works. Good Luck
Brora 260
Brora 260
Blue400
Well-Known Member
Thanks Brora, I to have a 6.5x55 but i needed a lighter rifle due to shoulder pain. The 260 being a short action hence lighter fitted the bill, and i think the 6.5 round takes some beating,
atb Blue.
patjack
Well-Known Member
Seems no mention of the 6.5 creedmoor, I have just had one built and it is very good, see my post, did my research and yes there is not much in the 6.5 x 47- 260 rem- 6.5 creedmoor case capacity for the creedmoor is only a grain or so behind the 260 as the creedmoor seats bullets not so deep, winning lots of comps in the usa, great barrel life 4000 rounds plus superb accuracy, brass cheap from usa and lots of reloads from hornady brass, and lots of 6.5 bullet choice as with all of them, just my thoughts.
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