.260 with 20" barrel
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I shoot a 6.5 Lapua with a 26" barrel, which is really 2" too long, but it shoots so well I put up with it. The Lapua case capacity is 10% less than a 260.
You can run a 308 pretty comfortably at 20", you want to be at 22" with a 7mm08 and to use the case capacity I think you really need to be running a 260 at 24", even 26" as it is overbore. Even the Creedmoor which is 5% less capacity than a 260 recommends 24". 20" will work, but you are unlikely to burn all the powder and make the most of the chambering.
If you want to run a short barrel at 18" or 20" you really need a bigger bore than 6.5mm, 308 Win is ideal. I ran a 16" 308 Win for a while. A bit too feisty without a mod on it. With a mod it burnt through the mods quite quickly.
You can run a 308 pretty comfortably at 20", you want to be at 22" with a 7mm08 and to use the case capacity I think you really need to be running a 260 at 24", even 26" as it is overbore. Even the Creedmoor which is 5% less capacity than a 260 recommends 24". 20" will work, but you are unlikely to burn all the powder and make the most of the chambering.
If you want to run a short barrel at 18" or 20" you really need a bigger bore than 6.5mm, 308 Win is ideal. I ran a 16" 308 Win for a while. A bit too feisty without a mod on it. With a mod it burnt through the mods quite quickly.
Uncle Norm
Well-Known Member
I have a Sako 75 in .260 Rem, with a 20 inch barrel. I shoot 120 grain Sierra Prohunter bullets at 2,700 fps mv. Its a powerful round and will deal with any species in the UK out to 200 yds+.
I took a Red spiker with it this morning. I have used it on everything from Muntjac to Red and very satisfied with it. Very accurate, low felt recoil too.
with the range of powders we have at our disposal now a 20" barrel is not an issue in any deer legal cartridge
5 mins jigging around with quickload and you can see a powder switch produce negligible MV differences in field conditions
5 mins jigging around with quickload and you can see a powder switch produce negligible MV differences in field conditions
Nigel, when I get home I'll post the data for a 20" Creedmoor pushing a 139gr Lapua Scenar at 2850fps or thereabouts.
There are several of them around here now, some changes to powder, maximising COAL, normal experiments. My shooting buddy gave his the chop to 20" once the concept had been proven.
There are several of them around here now, some changes to powder, maximising COAL, normal experiments. My shooting buddy gave his the chop to 20" once the concept had been proven.
Depends what "best" means
am a recent convert to short barrels
makes the rifles sooo much nicer to use
losing a couple of hundred fps is an easy trade off
But you will achieve the same ME with a chambering that isn't overbore, so why go for the larger chambering to start with and suffer the additional recoil and muzzle flash?
Righto, well I was chatting about this at the range with my mate this morning and he doesn't want me posting a QL screenshot as this might encourage the unwary to jump straight into the ring of fire... which is a very sensible opinion and I should have thought about that myself. Self-applied slap on wrist.
So for now, I'll just detail the powder (RL-16), the bullet (136gr Lapua Scenar, not 139gr as mentioned earlier), the COAL (2.965"), the brass (Peterson) the primer (CCI BR4), the jump to the lands is 0.015". Barrel length is 20".
Now there's something else I forgot to mention, which is the test rifle had an additional 100 thou COAL cut into the lands to allow the cartridge to maximise the available length in the magazine.
The average velocity with the final recipe was 2,910fps. With a standard chamber, reliable and safe velocities of 2,850fps have been achieved with 130gr TMKs and the Scenars in three rifles - two Howa Varmints (cut to 20") and a Tikka T3x CTR (factory 20").
My 24" barreled Creedmoor managers 2,800fps with 143gr ELD-X and a full case of H4350 (or AR2209 as we know it here). I am right on the limited of initial pressure signs. RL-16 is a new powder and it has certainly turned a few heads. The current experimentation at the range this morning was with RL-26 and that, my friends, looks like it will be a real head turner.
So I guess what I'd conclude is that yes, a 24" barrel was the "standard" for the Creedmoor at first, but now that a wider base of experimentation has been completed with new products, assumptions are challenged, and improved upon. I just went with H4350 because that was the "standard". Once my current batch of hand loaded ammunition is exhausted, I will anneal and test the Alliant options with the objective of losing 4" for the reasons that Ed mentions above.
The ballistics of these 20" Creedmoors exceed .308 past about 425m +/- 50m, depending on which bullet weight and BC is used.
We are already seeing 22" and 20" Creedmoors on the shelves here. Just in the last 3-4 months or so.
And an afterthought... as we are actually talking .260 Rem, the logic is pretty much interchangeable between the two cartridges, seating depth being the main constraint on the .260 potentially, be it mag constrained or throat constrained, or both.
So for now, I'll just detail the powder (RL-16), the bullet (136gr Lapua Scenar, not 139gr as mentioned earlier), the COAL (2.965"), the brass (Peterson) the primer (CCI BR4), the jump to the lands is 0.015". Barrel length is 20".
Now there's something else I forgot to mention, which is the test rifle had an additional 100 thou COAL cut into the lands to allow the cartridge to maximise the available length in the magazine.
The average velocity with the final recipe was 2,910fps. With a standard chamber, reliable and safe velocities of 2,850fps have been achieved with 130gr TMKs and the Scenars in three rifles - two Howa Varmints (cut to 20") and a Tikka T3x CTR (factory 20").
My 24" barreled Creedmoor managers 2,800fps with 143gr ELD-X and a full case of H4350 (or AR2209 as we know it here). I am right on the limited of initial pressure signs. RL-16 is a new powder and it has certainly turned a few heads. The current experimentation at the range this morning was with RL-26 and that, my friends, looks like it will be a real head turner.
So I guess what I'd conclude is that yes, a 24" barrel was the "standard" for the Creedmoor at first, but now that a wider base of experimentation has been completed with new products, assumptions are challenged, and improved upon. I just went with H4350 because that was the "standard". Once my current batch of hand loaded ammunition is exhausted, I will anneal and test the Alliant options with the objective of losing 4" for the reasons that Ed mentions above.
The ballistics of these 20" Creedmoors exceed .308 past about 425m +/- 50m, depending on which bullet weight and BC is used.
We are already seeing 22" and 20" Creedmoors on the shelves here. Just in the last 3-4 months or so.
And an afterthought... as we are actually talking .260 Rem, the logic is pretty much interchangeable between the two cartridges, seating depth being the main constraint on the .260 potentially, be it mag constrained or throat constrained, or both.
Last edited:
Reiver Boy
Well-Known Member
I use a 6.5 x47 Lap, 20" Barrel, RS60, Nos 120BT = aprox 2900fps, just on 100% powder burn.
It would be interesting to run some of those 136's at 2850fps through your 24" barrel over a chronograph. There are too many variables to pull any conclusions at the moment, different powder, different weight bullet and different bullet length. My guess is that your 24" barrel would be launching them over 2900 fps.
My little 6.5 Lapua using R15, so just a single base powder, launches a 129 grain ABLR at 2910 fps through a 26" barrel. No pressure signs, although I know it's a little toppy. I have been running that load for about 5 years, hundreds of shots in all sorts of temperatures and the lands still look fine when viewed through a bore scope.
Based on this I have not worked out why the Creedmoor, with it's extra 6% or 8% case capacity hasn't been loaded a bit hotter than it is. Your mates 20" barrel and 136 grain Scenar at 2910 fps sounds like it's getting up there very nicely. But running the same in a 24" barrel is likely to get pretty close to 3000 fps.
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