260 vs. 7mm-08

[17Fireball]

Can someone tell me which of these two guns they would pick and why? Also, how many rounds through each pipe before accuracy falls off.

 

[MudRunner2005]

7mm-08 would be my choice. But mind you, my opinion will be biased, since i do not, and have not owned a .260 Rem.

Why would I pick the 7mm-08?

1) I have one, and have had one since I was 12 (15 years), and it has been an excellent caliber, and has never let me down. I have taken many whitetails with it, even out to 400 yards. Excellent caliber for taking any game in north America inside of 500 yards.

2) 7mm (.284 caliber) has an excellent and diverse bullet selection with weights ranging from lightweights to very heavy bullets with very high BC's capable of fairly long range.

3) 7mm-08 brass is very easily attainable, and can be made from .308 Win brass simply by putting .308 brass in your 7mm-08 FL sizing die.

4) I prefer the slightly larger bullet diameter as compared to the smaller bullet diameter.

 

[deertroy1]

7mm-08 would be my choice. But mind you, my opinion will be biased, since i do not, and have not owned a .260 Rem.

Why would I pick the 7mm-08?

1) I have one, and have had one since I was 12 (15 years), and it has been an excellent caliber, and has never let me down. I have taken many whitetails with it, even out to 400 yards. Excellent caliber for taking any game in north America inside of 500 yards.

2) 7mm (.284 caliber) has an excellent and diverse bullet selection with weights ranging from lightweights to very heavy bullets with very high BC's capable of fairly long range.

3) 7mm-08 brass is very easily attainable, and can be made from .308 Win brass simply by putting .308 brass in your 7mm-08 FL sizing die.

4) I prefer the slightly larger bullet diameter as compared to the smaller bullet diameter.

Same reason's as above except I've had several since a 1984, a few years after it's commercialization, nearly 29 years. Great round. Again, I'm bias as having never owned a 260. The 6.5's seem to be all the rage lately and I'm sure a case could be made for either round. Your probably going to end up splitting hairs and I don't think you'd make a bad choice with either.

 

[Beluebow]

I'd say flip a coin.I never owned a 7-08 but do have a 260.One has a slightly better trajectory (260) and one has less drift (7-08). The 6.5 class of bullets have very high bc's for their weight range IMO. Berger .284 168gr VLD has a listed bc of .617.The Berger 6.5 140gr VLD has a listed bc of .612.Both can be made from .308 brass so its a wash there.Clear as mud?

 

[ntg]

Mudrunner summed it up well.

I also got one due to the heavier bullets and me hunting big deer on up.

Also, if on a rare occasion I need to get factory ammo, it's a lot easier to find (at least around here).

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mudrunner summed it up well.

I also got one due to the heavier bullets and me hunting big deer on up.

Also, if on a rare occasion I need to get factory ammo, it's a lot easier to find (at least around here).

I forgot to mention that...That's a very good point. It's alot easier to find 7mm-08 ammo around here, too.

 

[benchracer]

These two rounds are ballistically very similar, are generally suited for the same class of game, and will perform similarly while punching paper. The 7-08 is at its best with a bit heavier bullets, recoils just a bit more, and has slightly higher bc's.

Both are excellent target rounds, excellent deer/antelope rounds, and have sufficient versatility to work well with lighter varmint class bullets. Both can also be pressed into service for use on heavier game than deer if bullets and shot angles are chosen carefully at a reasonable distance.

Though I don't consider either round to be a legit elk class cartridge, if I were to ever consider using them on elk, I would be inclined to go with the 7-08 and its heavier bullets.

I am a big 6.5 fan, but I have to admit that similar sized 7's tend to have a slight edge in performance. In general, between the .260 and the 7-08, you can't really make a bad choice. Get either one in the rifle you like and start shootin'!

 

[Greyfox]

I'd say flip a coin.I never owned a 7-08 but do have a 260.One has a slightly better trajectory (260) and one has less drift (7-08). The 6.5 class of bullets have very high bc's for their weight range IMO. Berger .284 168gr VLD has a listed bc of .617.The Berger 6.5 140gr VLD has a listed bc of .612.Both can be made from .308 brass so its a wash there.Clear as mud?

+1. I own and shoot both. The 7mm08 would probably get a small edge in barrel life, and terminal performance on game, but I don't believe it's meaningful enough to be a deciding factor. I'm partial to the 260 because it's very accurate in my rifle, good bullet selection, the availability of Lapua brass, and find the 140 gr bullets to be a nice balance of velocity and ballistic performance in this case size. IMHO.

 

[porkchop401]

I'm a. 260 man but for larger game the edge would go to the 7mm but in something with a 3 in front would be superior still.

 

[17Fireball]

Does anyone have a solid number of barrel life (under normal shooting) for the 7-08 and .260?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Man, I wish there were set numbers for stuff like that, but there just ain't. 1 guy might get 2,000 rounds, and another might get 5,000 rounds...You just never know. It's kinda like giving someone load data....It might work in their rifle, but the likelihood of it being a perfect match is slim-to-none...

 

[roninflag]

Does anyone have a solid number of barrel life (under normal shooting) for the 7-08 and .260?

the difference is too small. depends on the loads , how fast they are shot and the individual barel .

 

[Joe King]

I don't have any experience with a 260. I picked up a 7mm-08 for my daughter about 3 yrs ago. I like the cartridge, it been a very pleasant surprise for me. less recoil than my 270, yet with 140gr AB's it just a bit faster and flatter than my 270 with 150's. I really doubt you'd be disappointed with the cal.