Caliber questions

[hammer111]

Ok please be patient with me, this may seem weird to long range guru's.

It's time for a new gun, I'm interested in several different calibers. I want at least a 500 yard shooter , but I have a bad shoulder so I can't handle mega kick.

So here's what I'm considering , the nosler 26 (what cartridge is that made from ) a 260, 264 win mag , 257 weatherby mag .

I roll my own rounds , so I don't worry about availability of ammo. What I need to know is which is most powerful in order starting with I guess the 26 nosler on down.

Which is flatter shooting and maybe which has most variety of different bullets grains. If you can add any more valuable info please enlighten me. Thanks so much , and Merry Christmas.

 

[toddc]

26 Nosler
264 WM
257 WM
260.

500 yds isn't long range and you definitely don't need anything more than a 260 for that especially if recoil is an issue.
I would stay with the 6.5 stuff for the bullet selection, a Weatherby lover will probably disagree but there just isn't a lot of great 25 stuff out there YET. Of course if you only want to play to 500 anyway it probably doesn't really matter.

 

[375fan]

Are you wanting something to just shoot paper, steel plates, or to hunt with? If just target shooting, maybe something in the 6mm family such as 6x47. A 22-250 with a 8 twist barrel will fire 69 and 75gr bullets fairly flat with hardly any recoil.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Ok please be patient with me, this may seem weird to long range guru's.

It's time for a new gun, I'm interested in several different calibers. I want at least a 500 yard shooter , but I have a bad shoulder so I can't handle mega kick.

So here's what I'm considering , the nosler 26 (what cartridge is that made from ) a 260, 264 win mag , 257 weatherby mag .

I roll my own rounds , so I don't worry about availability of ammo. What I need to know is which is most powerful in order starting with I guess the 26 nosler on down.

Which is flatter shooting and maybe which has most variety of different bullets grains. If you can add any more valuable info please enlighten me. Thanks so much , and Merry Christmas.

The .26 Nosler is based on a shortened, necked-down version of the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag. The parent case for the RUM cartridges are the .404 Jefferey.

You do not want the .26 Nosler if you have a bad shoulder.

You might want to look into something like the new Remington 700 5R Gen2 in .260 Rem. The Remington product number is: 85195

https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-5-r-series-gen-2

Lapua also makes brass for the .260 Rem. which is another big plus.

 

[toddc]

The .26 Nosler is based on a shortened, necked-down version of the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag. The parent case for the RUM cartridges are the .404 Jefferey.

You do not want the .26 Nosler if you have a bad shoulder.

You might want to look into something like the new Remington 700 5R Gen2 in .260 Rem. The Remington product number is: 85195

https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-5-r-series-gen-2

Lapua also makes brass for the .260 Rem. which is another big plus.

Probably don't want any of those EXCEPT the 260 if you have a bad shoulder. And the 260 will do anything out to 500.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Probably don't want any of those EXCEPT the 260 if you have a bad shoulder. And the 260 will do anything out to 500.

The .260 Rem should take antelope and whitetail deer sized game out to around 750-850 (possibly even 1K) with a VLD or Hybrid 140, like the new Berger 6.5mm 140 Elite Hunter.

 

[hammer111]

Thanks guys. I forgot to say my local range only goes out to 500 yards. I'm thinking of doing target shooting maybe plates and some paper down the road. Also would try some hunting, but I have hunting rifles.

Wouldn't a bull barrel and a wood stock absorb a lot of recoil ? I like the looks of that Remington, but than that opens up a whole pile of other questions.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Thanks guys. I forgot to say my local range only goes out to 500 yards. I'm thinking of doing target shooting maybe plates and some paper down the road. Also would try some hunting, but I have hunting rifles.

Wouldn't a bull barrel and a wood stock absorb a lot of recoil ? I like the looks of that Remington, but than that opens up a whole pile of other questions.

A bull barrel, yes, but a wooden stock, not so much, unless it is a really heavy benchrest-style stock.

Those Remington 5R rifles are some of them most accurate factory rifles available today. I have 2 of them (.308 Win. and .300 WinMag), and am thinking about ordering one of those .260's that I linked you to, for myself as a Christmas present. I have had the .308 since 2010, and the .300WM since 2014. The .308 Win shoots sub-1/4" groups at 100, if I do my part. It literally shoots 1 ragged hole groups. I have not had much time to do any shooting or loading since 2015 (family and work stuff), so I have not had the chance to shoot the .300 WinMag yet.

This is a forum, and forums are for asking questions...Ask away...

 

[hammer111]

Hmmmm I was leaning towards a nosler, or weatherby but now you really muddied the water with the Remington.

I usually do a lot of research before I buy, this gun is going to be a lot of work.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Hmmmm I was leaning towards a nosler, or weatherby but now you really muddied the water with the Remington.

I usually do a lot of research before I buy, this gun is going to be a lot of work.

If you have a bad shoulder, the Nosler is going to be very painful for you. It kicks between a magnum and an ultra magnum...Because it's nothing more than an ultra-mag case that has been shortened to magnum length.

Don't listen to everything you read on the internet... 1 out of every 10,000 people ever gets on forums to brag about how good their Remington 700 shoots...Most people just love to get online to b1tch about the ones that don't. I've only had 1 Remington not shoot, and it was a used rifle that had too skinny of a factory barrel on it, and once rebarreled it gave me no more problems. I've also had a Browning A-Bolt II that started giving me trouble, and a Weatherby Accumark ($2,000+ rifle) that had a bad barrel on it from the factory. My experiences dictate that any factory rifle can have issues, regardless of brand or pricetag.

Most Remington 700's need 3 simple things...Trigger swap, bedding the action, floating the barrel. That's it. The 5R's need 1 thing...Trigger swap. I also suggest torquing the action screws to 65 inch-pounds (aluminum-bedded synthetic stock) or 45 inch-pounds (wood stock) as well.

If you want a real-world opinion on the 5R .260 Rem I linked you to, talk to WildRose... He started a thread about his. He can answer just about any question you might have about it.

Here is his thread... http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/remington-long-range-5r-have-i-lost-my-mind-175519/

 

[hammer111]

Is there a 260 ai would that have to be custom gun or does any gun manufacturer make one. That would give me more powder and increase range with minimal recoil.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Is there a 260 ai would that have to be custom gun or does any gun manufacturer make one. That would give me more powder and increase range with minimal recoil.

There is a .260 AI. Which is my favorite version of the .260...However, that would be an aftermarket job. I am a big AI fan...Currently have 3. You could always buy the 5R .260 Rem, and have the chamber punched-out to .260 AI...Which is what I am planning on doing once I order mine... You won't gain much in range, but you can gain a bit more velocity from the additional powder by going with the AI, plus, the case design of the AI has several advantages as well...Such as handling pressures better, less stress on the bolt lugs during ignition, less brass growth, etc...

 

[toddc]

Is there a 260 ai would that have to be custom gun or does any gun manufacturer make one. That would give me more powder and increase range with minimal recoil.

It is a better case design......BUT.......it will legitimately give you about 18 ft more range than the AI. Ackleyizing a cartridge was a cool deal back in the day because most of the stuff available had a ton of taper and a shallow shoulder. The 260 will not improve like a 280 will.
Also, the real advantage of the 6.5 stuff isn't the launch velocity, it's the BC of the bullet. An AI would be cool, it's easy on brass, but its not going to be a whole nother level of performance by any means.
A deer or target at 746 yds won't know whether the 140 VLD that just smashed it was launched at Creed or 260 or 26 Nosler speeds.
Run the #s, the BC is what does the work in a 6.5 based rig, not the launch horsepower.

 

[hammer111]

Can I buy a factory 260 and machine the barrel to an ai or do I need to rebarrel it. Would factory action still work.