.260, 6.5-284, 7mm-08, 7mm

[Pstores]

I have a .260, 7mm-08 in shorter 22 1/2" barrels. And a 7mm in a 24". I like them all of the, favor the .260. I was looking at building anther rifle. Some just because and some I like shooting steel out to 600. And will soon transition to 1000. So, I was thinking of a 6.5-284. Also to double as a hunting rifle. But, I don't get any shots over 400. And most where I hunt are 355 yards to be almost exact. I love the light recoil of the .260 and 7-08. And that's why I tend to stay away from my 7mm. I have had the heavy .30 mags and can shoot them very well. But, as I am getting older I realize that a light kicking smaller rifle is just as good for what I hunt. Wisconsin whitetails and antelope. Occasional Mullie. My big question is. Real world reloading 130 and 140's is there an decent difference between the .260 and 6.5-284? Can you gain a couple hundred honestly and accurately? Thanks for any input you may have. I don't post much here but I read a lot. So much disparity in what I read and what real world could be.

 

[winmagman]

I shoot both the 260 and 6.5-284 and as a generalization I'd say 150-200 fps is a realistic difference between the two.

My 260 has a 23" barrel and shoots the 130s at 2750ish. I can wring more velocity out of it but not with the same accuracy.

My 6.5-284 has a 26" barrel and shoots the 140s at 2970ish. Again I can get more velocity at the expense of accuracy and brass life.

Not exactly and apples to apples comparison, but a general idea of the difference in the two.

Hope that helps you out a bit.

Chris

 

[Pstores]

Yes that is helpful. Some people are posting velocities just shy of the 6.5-284. I really didn't think it was possible with good accuracy. 150-200 would make it worth doing. I was thinking about going with a 26" barrel with a brake. Most likely Kreiger. Anyway some say go long action? Thoughts?

 

[Pstores]

One more thing Cooper or Custom? Thoughts on that also. Cooper seems 500 to a 1000 less.

 

[MudRunner2005]

One thing I've seen mentioned quite a lot about the 6.5-284 is that they tend to be barrel burners, and aren't the best option for doing a lot of shooting and range work.

As strictly a hunting rifle, I think it would last a very long time.

I like the looks of the 6.5-284, but have not personally owned one. Shot one before, and it was nice. I like the .260 Ack Imp. I have been reading up on that one for years and would really like to build one someday.

I think it you were going for a 50/50 target and hunting rifle where barrel life is sort of a concern, a 26" sendero-contour barreled .260 AI running Berger 140 Hybrids, built on a long action Rem 700, would be a force to be reconned with.

But that is just my opinion.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

Yes that is helpful. Some people are posting velocities just shy of the 6.5-284. I really didn't think it was possible with good accuracy. 150-200 would make it worth doing. I was thinking about going with a 26" barrel with a brake. Most likely Kreiger. Anyway some say go long action? Thoughts?

One more thing Cooper or Custom? Thoughts on that also. Cooper seems 500 to a 1000 less.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the 6.5x284, I think it's a great choice. There should be no issues getting a solid 200fps out of it over the 260. You can run a 260 with Lapua brass very hard, 140's @ 2900+ etc but your brass will suffer, your bore will suffer & you are over pressure.

I've handled & shot a couple Coopers, they are hammers & they look great. If you find one you like, buy it.


t

 

[budlight]

You left out the caliber in the middle. .277 I have the 270 win and the 270AI I can't justify the 270 WSM, but I honestly believe that it is a superior round. Short case and the @ same capacity of the 270 AI. The ability to shoot 100 to 175 grain bullets. A 26 inch barrel can launch 140's up to 3200.

I have a 29 inch barrel on my AI it is a nice shooter with 150 spbts. A friend shoots the 165's out of his Allen Magnum 270

 

[Greyfox]

I have a .260, 7mm-08 in shorter 22 1/2" barrels. And a 7mm in a 24". I like them all of the, favor the .260. I was looking at building anther rifle. Some just because and some I like shooting steel out to 600. And will soon transition to 1000. So, I was thinking of a 6.5-284. Also to double as a hunting rifle. But, I don't get any shots over 400. And most where I hunt are 355 yards to be almost exact. I love the light recoil of the .260 and 7-08. And that's why I tend to stay away from my 7mm. I have had the heavy .30 mags and can shoot them very well. But, as I am getting older I realize that a light kicking smaller rifle is just as good for what I hunt. Wisconsin whitetails and antelope. Occasional Mullie. My big question is. Real world reloading 130 and 140's is there an decent difference between the .260 and 6.5-284? Can you gain a couple hundred honestly and accurately? Thanks for any input you may have. I don't post much here but I read a lot. So much disparity in what I read and what real world could be.

I own and shoot both the 260 and 6.5x284. Out to 500-600 yards I don't think the 200 FPS advantage would make that much of a difference. I really like my 260 for competitive target shooting out to 600 yards with 142 SMK's driven at 2775 FPS. Some claim they can approach the velocities of the 6.5x284 with the 260 but I haven't been able to do it with any degree of accuracy along with major stressing of the brass. With medium sized game out to 1000 yards the ballistics, accuracy and killing power of the 6.5x284 is noticabley superior to the 260, particularly when using the 140 VLD's. With a couple of dozen long range kills under my belt with this round, my experience is that the performance on game shot with this round leaves the definite impression that the animal was shot with a larger magnum. I have also found that the barrel life is not much different, and in some cases better than the magnums(270,7mm,300). I have become a big fan of this round.

 

[Pstores]

I had a couple .270 wsm's very nice round. But for plinking steel at 600 and 1000 years the .264 and the .284 calibers have it beat. I am a huge fan of the .270wsm. After shoot quite a few whitetails with my .260 rem. I have become a bigger fan of that. 120 federal fusion seems to be the DRT round. So, those of you that shoot a 6.5-284 how many shoot long action and how many short action? Do you need long action to get the best out of the 140 vs case capacity? Or does accuracy suffer to much pushing it that far.

 

[B23]

Another option in 6.5 that also has Lapua brass is the 6.5x55. It's got a bit more case capacity than the 260 and if you Ackley improve the 6.5x55 it increases the capacity about 10% which is a pretty healthy gain.

I've thought about doing a 6.5x55 Ack. Imp. for my daughter and in 24in barrels with a 140 it should run really close to the 6.5x284 and that is running equal pressures but with less powder. As the barrel length increases the advantage definitely goes to the bigger case of the 6.5-284 though.

 

[Greyfox]

I had a couple .270 wsm's very nice round. But for plinking steel at 600 and 1000 years the .264 and the .284 calibers have it beat. I am a huge fan of the .270wsm. After shoot quite a few whitetails with my .260 rem. I have become a bigger fan of that. 120 federal fusion seems to be the DRT round. So, those of you that shoot a 6.5-284 how many shoot long action and how many short action? Do you need long action to get the best out of the 140 vs case capacity? Or does accuracy suffer to much pushing it that far.

A long action is the best choice for the 6.5x284. The 140 VLD's can be seated to take advantage of the full capacity of the case and get optimum velocity and accuracy.

 

[Pstores]

Thanks..... Now I'll have to take a long drive to the Cooper Dealer and see what they have. I already know what I want if I build one. And what it may cost. So have to see what Cooper Dealer has to say. If within $500 I'll have one built. If not maybe I'll try a Cooper.

 

[WildRose]

Thanks..... Now I'll have to take a long drive to the Cooper Dealer and see what they have. I already know what I want if I build one. And what it may cost. So have to see what Cooper Dealer has to say. If within $500 I'll have one built. If not maybe I'll try a Cooper.

I love the .260Rem, it's just a fantastic round for a high volume shooter because it's low on recoil and easy on barrels.

If you aren't going to shoot high volume though barrel life is not a big issue.

I have a .260 AR for long range predator/deer etc and just for plinking which gets a lot of miles on it.

I also shoot a .264wm for flatter shooting and harder hitting on game.

You can do an awful lot with the .264 so I wouldn't write it off either.

You can also simply go with a 26" or longer barrel on the .260 and pick up about a 100fps or more.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I get 2735fps out of a 25.5inch barrel 6.5 Creedmoor, and 2875fps out of 26inches with my 6.5/284 with the same berger 140s. Not exactly what you were asking about, but close. Both guns will push faster, but groups open up. The big case showed me 3050 during load development, but I figured why burn it up?