.260 Remington Barrel Length?

KPK

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What's your thoughts on this? I've read a lot about it and everyone has a different opinion that 26" is better than 24" etc. I'm sure it will give you a little more velocity, but are you losing much at 24"?

The rifle will be used for long range target, maybe tactical match someday, etc. I'd really like the handiness of the 24", but don't want to leave myself to short.

Plan is probabl 139 Scenars or 140 Bergers.
 
I would say depends a bit on the distance you need it for. I have a brux 4 groove cut at 23"

H4831 gives excellent accuracy but was a little slow. I have now went to H4350 and am running 140 a-maxes at 2855. This load showed ejector button marks on the case heads with one grain more powder at 2900 fps so I dropped it a grain.

The accuracy is good for anything I will shoot at to as far as I would shoot a 260 (1/2 moa) the slower load with h4831sc, was just over 1/4 moa at 600.
 
What's your thoughts on this? I've read a lot about it and everyone has a different opinion that 26" is better than 24" etc. I'm sure it will give you a little more velocity, but are you losing much at 24"?

The rifle will be used for long range target, maybe tactical match someday, etc. I'd really like the handiness of the 24", but don't want to leave myself to short.

Plan is probably 139 Scenars or 140 Bergers.



For targets, I would chose 26" to ring out every bit of velocity.

For hunting I would cut 23 or 24" for handing. you will loose a little velocity but not enough
at hunting distances.

J E CUSTOM
 
Thanks for the info guys. It's been awhile and just remembered this thread.

I went ahead and got a Rock 27" 6.5 barrel for the 260. It'll be finished at 26" is possible. Maybe a little shorter.

What loads should I try? It'll be on a Surgeon 591, A5, etc.
 
Sounds like you got to a good place!

For others who are still wanting to get a good feel for changes in barrel length, there are two things that can help. First, a tool that can give one a feel for how much muzzle velocity changes with barrel length for a given load. Here is one:

Velocity Estimator « Shooters Notes

Second, one needs to get a feel for what that change means in terms of bullet drop and drift. Remember, drop is a lot more consistent than drift, so look at the drift figures to see how much you will be affected by the unpredictable wind components in your calculations. (Most trajectory calculators use 10 mph crosswind component as the default. You may be good for a 2 mph uncertainty in steady wind and a little more for gusts. Either reset the 10 mph for your uncertainty value or use the 10 mph as your guideline.)

There are a lot of good trajectory calculators available, but my favorite is:

JBM - Calculations - Trajectory

You will be surprised at how little a 50 ft/sec difference changes things at typical .260 Remington velocities! It may still be important to you, so doing your own assessment is the way to go.

Cheers!
 
If you have yet to chember it consider 260AI.. I'm wringing out 3100 FPS from the 140 berger. Check what that gives you in terminal ballistics at 1000 yds, and I think you will like what you see.
That said we are getting 2900 - 2950 standing on thre basic 260 Rem
 
I run a .260 bolt gun in matches and my barrel length is only 24". You will get more velocity out of a 26", but I've hit targets out to 1350yds with my 24".

Its a personal preference. I made mine 24 because i run a can sometimes and the extra couple inches makes it even more top heavy.

I also use the 139 scenars pretty religiously. Let us know what you decide. i
 
My 260 is 28" plus a muzzle brake. I went that long because the primary purpose of the rifle is to 'sit here' and 'shoot there'. So I wanted every bit of velocity I could get. As a result, my hunting load runs ~3000 and my target/varmint load runs ~2850. You can find all the specs here:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f53/my-260-mcr-59628/

If your intended use is as a 'carry' rifle, I would recommend a shorter barrel. Personally, I don't think there's much difference between 24 or 26.
 
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