.260-Long Barrel or Short?

[huckjare]

So from everything that you guys have said it looks like I need at least a 24'' barrel. I want to be able to shoot the VLDs for sure and with a really short barrel it sounds like that is not a possibility. What bullets shoot well out of a shorter barrel?

[LouBoyd]

Originally Posted by huckjare

So from everything that you guys have said it looks like I need at least a 24'' barrel. I want to be able to shoot the VLDs for sure and with a really short barrel it sounds like that is not a possibility. What bullets shoot well out of a shorter barrel?

Besides having a length barrels also have a twist rate and a chamber. They also have to work with some magazine length. SAAMI says the cartidge OAL is 2.80" but that's not good for shooting heavy low drag bullets. In picking a barrel for a custom rifle you need to decide what bullet you want to shoot and what environment you'll be shooting in, then pick an appropriate barrel length, twist rate, and chamber including the throat depth.

Most factory 260s are sold with a standard short action 2.85" magazine. Available bullet weights in 264 caliber range from 75 to 160 grains. You won't find one barrel which is optimum for all of them. Twist rate and throat depth determine that more than barrel length. Barrel length determines what portion of the propellant energy goes to pushing the bullet faster and what portion becomes muzzle blast. Muzzle blast can be useful with a brake and longer barrels have to be heavier, especially if they're to be be stiff. Excessive muzzle pressure can hurt accuracy.

I built my most recent 260 Rem rifle using a Rem 700 long action receiver specifically so I can shoot the heavy VLD bullets. The action was from a 30-06. My handloaded cartridges are well over SAAMI OAL and they won't fit the magazine or the throat of my factory 260 Rem. That rifle has a 24" x 8" twist barrel. It won't be used for bullets under 139 grains.

[huckjare]

So out of your 24" barrel what kinds of velocities are you getting with a 140 grain bullet? Something like the bergers?

[Pons]

I know you are looking at a .260,

I have been looking at the .260 Rem, 6.5x47 Lapua, and the 6.5 Creedmoor.

(I am leaning toward the Creedmoor right now)

anyways, you were asking about velocities out of short barrels.

Here is a review where the gun is 20 inch barrel, 6.5 Creedmoor,

He is getting 2776 fps with 120 amax, and 2624 with 140 grain amax.

Savage Model 11 6.5mm Creedmoor Lightweight Hunter Bolt-Action Rifle.

-Pons

[Mikecr]

W/regard to LONG RANGE HUNTING;
Although the linked Savage is a nice gun(practical), you should also recognize that it would fall woefully short of respectable long range performance.
It also represents very odd choices from someone babbling so much about 26-vs-30cal BC and muzzle blast....

[Pons]

Originally Posted by Mikecr

W/regard to LONG RANGE HUNTING;
Although the linked Savage is a nice gun(practical), you should also recognize that it would fall woefully short of respectable long range performance.
It also represents very odd choices from someone babbling so much about 26-vs-30cal BC and muzzle blast....

Only put the link for the fps data.

[J E Custom]

Originally Posted by huckjare

I have a CZ 550 tactical in .308. I am planning on rebarreling it in a .260. I have heard that with the .308 and the .260 barrel length (from 20'' to 26'') doesn't make a difference because all the powder is burned before it reaches 20'' mark. My question is, Is this true? If I can get away with a 20'' barrel and save the weight from a 26'' I would love it, but I don't know if this would hold up. There are a lot of 20'' .308s out there, but do they lose velocity. I am more interested in what a .260 would do. If anyone has experience with this please let me know. Thanks.

Any rifle with a 26" barrel will gain velocity over one with a 20" barrel ! It's just a matter of
how much. With any cartrige there is an optimum barrel length where the percentage of
velocity increase drops off, and the gain may not be worth the other issues.

If you plan to carry the rifle to a shooting position and shoot long distances only, then I would
recommend a 28"+. But if it is to be used as a Carry rifle and used in an enclosure (Blind) I would
recomend 22 to 24" max. the loss in velocity will be minimal.

The 308 based cartriges perform well with 20 to 22 " barrels but 24" will do a little more and still not be cumbersome.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM