Remington 260...The new Sniper rifle?

[Zak Smith]

Conversely, what can the 260 kill that the 308 can't?

That which you can hit with a .260 but not the .308

The difference between the 2 will often come down to the person behind the trigger and the amount of practice they put in.

Absolutely, but given shooters of similar skill levels, the one with the better cartridge will have an edge.

The last 3 years at the Steel Safari, high .308 has been 7th, 7th, and 5th place. These are exceptional shooters, but still the .308 provides a handicap that could not be overcome when shooting against similarly talented shooters with 6.5's and 7's.

"Easier" is a matter of opinion.

Not really. It's readily apparent from the windage charts off the computer and from actual real match results over the last 6-8 years.

 

[Boss Hoss]

I agree that the 260 is a good choice when considering a 308 but it has come along too late for me. I have so many 6.5x284 rifles, chambered tubes, blanks etc. compounded by the fact that I talked myself into needing a 6.5 WSM. If I were starting over and did not compete and have the equipment that I do then the 260 would be right near the top of the list for a short to medium range (100-500) yard hunting rifle.

Hell --- may have just talked myself into building one….. Would be a nice present for the man who is looking like he may become my son-in law!

 

[Zak Smith]

There are a lot of good 6.5mm cartridges, and most of them are rather close together in performance, too close probably to justify changing from one to another until you run out of barrels. And if you're shooting a long action (or x57 length action), there's no reason to go with the .260 (or 6.5CM or 6.5x47). Might we well go with 6.5-284, 6.5x55, or 6.5-06.

 

[rscott5028]

Hell --- may have just talked myself into building one….. Would be a nice present for the man who is looking like he may become my son-in law!

Lucky him!!

Heck, I'd even be happy with one of those antiquated 308's as a gift. ;-)

-- richard

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Please do not confuse shooting 1000 yard targets with big game hunting. The 260 would be fun to punch paper at 1000 yards although there are much better choices. As far as hunting goes it does not have the power to be considered a long range hunting cartridge. Keep it close range on deer size and smaller. Can it kill something further, yes, but it is not a good idea considering wounding loss. The fact there are numerous good cartridges that are much better for long range hunting purposes make this cartridge a moot point in discussions.

 

[Stgraves260]

Thank you Camshaft. I was only posting what was told to me from Berger about the 210grn bullet. I have never field tested a 308 with a 210 grain bullet. To me it would be like loading a 243 with a 210grn bullet. It just dont make sense to me. I was lucky enough to shoot an AR10 chambered in 308 with hand loads, but I dont know what the bullet weight was. The gun belonged to a friend of a friend. I dont know anyone personaly who has a 308. But I did run into someone at Cabela's in Ft Worth who was buying some bullets to get ready to shoot at Tac Pro in west Texas. He told me everyone was shooting the 175grn Hornady A Max at 1000yrds. He just had a custom rifle built. I just told him to try the 168grn Berger bullet. I told him that I think he would get better results from it. He called me the other day to thank me and that he was going to use the Bergers 168grn. He said he got much smaller groops. I cant say anything good or bad about the 308. He has been keeping in touch with me and letting me know how thing are going. He says the 6.5's ate him up at the class. There was a few guys there shooting the 260 with 130grn to 140grn bullets. A few were shooting the 123grn Lapua's. He said 25 people were in the class and 11 or 12 of them were shooting the rem 260. But I wasnt there. Im taking a strangers word for it. So I dont know. And just so you know you didnt step on my toes. I like this web site because of the feedback. Good or bad. Next weekend Ill be doing alot of shooting with my AR15 223. Im just shooting the 75grn Black Hills ammo. My AR really likes them. Im going to see how far I can take it. So far its a 4 or 5" ballon at 300yrds. I want to double that. Im making a drop chart for it with that ammo. Thanks for all the replys everyone.

 

[Buffalobob]

Here is a 6X6 bull killed at 700 yards with a 260 Rem.


http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/defensive-edge-success-story-34795/index3.html

Like most calibers. so much depends on the ability of the person on the trigger.

 

[jlamb]

I just built a 6.5-06 M40. At 600 & 800 the difference between the 6.5-06 and 308 is very noticable. Using the 6.5-06 I don't have to dial as far as the 308 and the power on the steel is night and day. The 6.5 bullets have a higher BC to they carry more power.

I haven't switched from .308 to 6.5mm completely, (I will keep two 308 in the collection; LR-308 and Rem 700P) but I can guarantee my next build will be some 6.5 (.264) weapon; 260 Rem if it's a short action and 6.5-06 if its a long action.

 

[Stgraves260]

Hey jlamb. Thanks for the feed back. I dont have a 308 so ive never been able to test the differance for myself between the 2. Meaning 308 and the 260. I love my 260 rem. Im going to Tac Pro this Friday if I can get of work. Im going to see if they cant change out my barrel for me. I think im going with a 27" SS med heavy fluted with a 1-8 twist. I might go heavy but not for sure yet. Anything is better than factory. Im just going to be shooting the 123 to 130 grain bullets.

 

[cfvickers]

First let me say I LOVE 6.5mm EVERYTHING!!! However, it is not for military use. I am sure it has been said, I didn't read all umteen pages. Long Barrel life+Predictability+reliability+availability of ammo=miltary ready rifle. the .260 has never reached the level of popularity of even the 6.5x55 worldwide. And even the 6.5x55 would be a poor choice (I get tears of sorrow proclaiming that) due to barrel life alone. I doubt the .308 is going anywhere. it is a proven sniping rifle out to 1k and all ballistics data is out there disseminated already to the troops. Ammo is less expensive to make and for government purchase because the big manufacturers are already tooled for it and cranking out millions of rounds every day. It is established and proven very effective, they have no reason to change. For police squads and the such, maybe. Not the military.

 

[Camshaft]

Thank you Camshaft. I was only posting what was told to me from Berger about the 210grn bullet. I have never field tested a 308 with a 210 grain bullet. To me it would be like loading a 243 with a 210grn bullet. It just dont make sense to me. I was lucky enough to shoot an AR10 chambered in 308 with hand loads, but I dont know what the bullet weight was. The gun belonged to a friend of a friend. I dont know anyone personaly who has a 308. But I did run into someone at Cabela's in Ft Worth who was buying some bullets to get ready to shoot at Tac Pro in west Texas. He told me everyone was shooting the 175grn Hornady A Max at 1000yrds. He just had a custom rifle built. I just told him to try the 168grn Berger bullet. I told him that I think he would get better results from it. He called me the other day to thank me and that he was going to use the Bergers 168grn. He said he got much smaller groops. I cant say anything good or bad about the 308. He has been keeping in touch with me and letting me know how thing are going. He says the 6.5's ate him up at the class. There was a few guys there shooting the 260 with 130grn to 140grn bullets. A few were shooting the 123grn Lapua's. He said 25 people were in the class and 11 or 12 of them were shooting the rem 260. But I wasnt there. Im taking a strangers word for it. So I dont know. And just so you know you didnt step on my toes. I like this web site because of the feedback. Good or bad. Next weekend Ill be doing alot of shooting with my AR15 223. Im just shooting the 75grn Black Hills ammo. My AR really likes them. Im going to see how far I can take it. So far its a 4 or 5" ballon at 300yrds. I want to double that. Im making a drop chart for it with that ammo. Thanks for all the replys everyone.

No problem, I hope i didn't come across rude. Im suprised at the smaller groups with the 168gr berger at 1k, im assuming he must either be using a long barrel or shooting at somewhat high altitude. From what i have seen from a 20.5" barreled Rem700 VTR at sea level with RL17, i couldnt get the speeds i wanted out of it to keep the rotational velocity up on the lighter berger as opposed to the 178grAmax. Causing the accuracy to faulter severely. But the Amax with its higher weight and b.c. worked out quite well for me.

 

[jlamb]

Hey jlamb. Thanks for the feed back. I dont have a 308 so ive never been able to test the differance for myself between the 2. Meaning 308 and the 260. I love my 260 rem. Im going to Tac Pro this Friday if I can get of work. Im going to see if they cant change out my barrel for me. I think im going with a 27" SS med heavy fluted with a 1-8 twist. I might go heavy but not for sure yet. Anything is better than factory. Im just going to be shooting the 123 to 130 grain bullets.

If it's any consolation, I am going to build a 260 Rem in the next year. I'm going to shoot the 123 grain bullets through it. I need a 308 in the arsonal but after about 400 yards, the .264 bullets really start to shine. I'll post some groups soon of my 6.5-06.

 

[jflester]

My 2 cents worth, and it aint much compared to the knowledge of the long rangers in this thread, but I love my 308 and it will be with me for a long long long time. Ease of reloading/components etc. and recoil make the 308 a pleasure to shoot all day long.
Mass, speed, and a slew of other variables all affect the out come of penatration, mushrooming etc. The 260 vs a 308, 243 vs 25.06, pick your debate/discussion. Like discussing which is the best deer rifle, .270 or 30.06?? Or is it the 243 or 25.06 Another can of worms.

The 308 will be around for a long time and will remain a top contender in the military as a work horse and in civilain hands too. To Each their own. Mine is the 308.

 

[The Guide]

What about the 6.5 Matrix bullets in 160 grain VLD? Those bring the BC up to .685 and can be a real asset with both their higher BC and weight.

Jay