.260 A.I. 28" or 30" barrel???

[codyadams]

I have a Krieger 1 in 8, 30" finished, medium palma contour 4 groove barrel on its way for my new .260 A.I. long range hunting rifle. It's going on a factory Remington action and will be used in the Wyoming plains and mountains where I hunt deer, elk and antelope, as well as for flinging large amounts of lead way out at steel.

Rifle weight is not an issue, this is a purpose built long range hunting rifle, I'm pretty stout, and have packed 13 lb rifles way back in before.

So my question is this. What benefits, if any, would I get in the .260 A.I. (using 139-143 gr. pills) by having a 30" barrel instead of 28"? Powders I plan on trying first are H4831sc and H4350 as that is what I have on hand. I also have a Wyatts mag so I have a little more room for seating than a standard rem sa.

Thanks for any advice, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[stomp442]

I haven't had a problem getting all the velocity I need from a 26" barrel. 2950 with 140 VLD's will kill just about anything you want. I personally don't like anything longer than 26" on a hunting rifle just because they are a little easier to handle.

 

[FEENIX]

It boils down to personal preference. I have a 30" on my .270 AI (~12 lbs), and like you I don't have problem packing it up and down MT wilderness.

The good thing about starting with 30" is that you can always have it cut shorter if you changed your mind but not the other way around.

Good luck!

 

[codyadams]

Alright, thanks for the info. Muchly appreciated. Do you think I would loose any performance with a 30 inch tube, being too much barrel? I guess I should have specified, I know It's on the upper end of the cartridges performance capabilities, but I'm hoping for ~3,000+ with the 140's, I have seen other people get more than that, but I also want to avoid problems like loose primer pockets or other case life issues. If I could get 3050 fps with a 140, and good case life, I would be one happy dude. Just trying to squeeze all I can out of this cartridge. Not cuz I need it...I killed plenty of stuff with my .308 and a 168 @ 2675, but something about exceptional cartridge efficiency just gets me all chubbed up...ha ha hopefully that's not TMI...lol

 

[learning]

I've had good luck with 5r barrels as far as velocity and very good accuracy. I've not tried the 4 groove. If you want a fast 260 ai it might be worth calling Shawn Carlock and asking if you paid for a reamer if he could do a +p.

 

[stomp442]

I have found that the cartridge is capable of higher velocities around 3000 fps but I have never been satisfied with the accuracy at that speed. 2950 really seems to be the sweet spot for this cartridge in my experience. You may get lucky, best of luck to you.

 

[barefooter56]

Alright, thanks for the info. Muchly appreciated. Do you think I would loose any performance with a 30 inch tube, being too much barrel? I guess I should have specified, I know It's on the upper end of the cartridges performance capabilities, but I'm hoping for ~3,000+ with the 140's, I have seen other people get more than that, but I also want to avoid problems like loose primer pockets or other case life issues. If I could get 3050 fps with a 140, and good case life, I would be one happy dude. Just trying to squeeze all I can out of this cartridge. Not cuz I need it...I killed plenty of stuff with my .308 and a 168 @ 2675, but something about exceptional cartridge efficiency just gets me all chubbed up...ha ha hopefully that's not TMI...lol

codyadams,
This is a little off topic. But keep in mind that with longer barrels follow through after the shot becomes more critical due to bullet dwell time in the bore. You may want to see just how much you gain over a 26-28 inch barrel in velocity with a 30 inch barrel and see if its worth it. Velocity is nice but accuracy is everything ! Industry minimums we use for proper bullet performance on game is 1800 feet per second and 1100 foot pounds of force. Just an FYI.