260 as a hunting round?

[7 loader]

In short you will be suprised. And a 243 is a great deer round. my wife has never had a deer go moore than 30 yds. And as long as I've been with her ( 7 yrs) she has never missed. I can't say that for my self.gun)

 

[Jamie6.5]

I dont get the popularity of this cartridge. Ya I get high BC Bullets and a accurate cartridge but looking at the velocity it looks like the only thing it would be good at is punching paper. I know people kill animals with smaller and slower cartridges but why. I guess the people that shoot 308's and short actions will be all over this cartridge.

25 years ago, hunting eastern Oregon for mulies and antelope, I decided to build the "ultimate" long range rifle for medium sized game. Looking at BCs, SDs and case capabilities, I arrived at the .30-338, shooting the 200 and 210 gr Sierras at, or close to 3k FPS, from a 26" barrel. When it was done, I proudly took it to my 200 yd range, and began doing load workup.

I found a load that would produce the mystical/magical/(mythical?) single ragged hole group at 200 yds. The problem being, that by the time I got the rifle and load to that level (my expectations) the recoil had induced a flinch that took me the rest of the summer to overcome, using my .270 w/130gr sierras. 4,000ft/lbs of ME produces a heckuva kick!
Using a muzzle break was out of the question for me, because I value my hearing, and no tech was available at the time that allowed me to protect my ears and still hear hunting sounds.

Now along come the 6.5s, with similar BCs and SDs, that can be pushed easily to the 3kFPS level, and you don't understand why?? I would say recoil vs ballistics is the answer. The .260, especially in A.I. config is capable of matching most of the 300s and .338s ballistically, with the exception of energy on impact. Since penetration is largely dependent on velocity and SD, when bullet construction is the same across caliber choices, I say shoot the H377 out of that .260 until you get the accuracy/consistency you need, and go kill something.

And at the end of the day, you can put those ice cubes in your bourbon glass instead of on your shoulder!

 

[Buano]

25 years ago, hunting eastern Oregon for mulies and antelope, I decided to build the "ultimate" long range rifle for medium sized game. Looking at BCs, SDs and case capabilities, I arrived at the .30-338, shooting the 200 and 210 gr Sierras at, or close to 3k FPS, from a 26" barrel. When it was done, I proudly took it to my 200 yd range, and began doing load workup.

I found a load that would produce the mystical/magical/(mythical?) single ragged hole group at 200 yds. The problem being, that by the time I got the rifle and load to that level (my expectations) the recoil had induced a flinch that took me the rest of the summer to overcome, using my .270 w/130gr sierras. 4,000ft/lbs of ME produces a heckuva kick!
Using a muzzle break was out of the question for me, because I value my hearing, and no tech was available at the time that allowed me to protect my ears and still hear hunting sounds.

Now along come the 6.5s, with similar BCs and SDs, that can be pushed easily to the 3kFPS level, and you don't understand why?? I would say recoil vs ballistics is the answer. The .260, especially in A.I. config is capable of matching most of the 300s and .338s ballistically, with the exception of energy on impact. Since penetration is largely dependent on velocity and SD, when bullet construction is the same across caliber choices, I say shoot the H377 out of that .260 until you get the accuracy/consistency you need, and go kill something.

And at the end of the day, you can put those ice cubes in your bourbon glass instead of on your shoulder!

Well said! Like you, I learned along the way that magnums are great for when a magnum is needed. I long ago hunted whitetails with a 7mm Rem mag but got tired of blowing deer to bits & dealing with the recoil. I now focus on carrying "enough gun" and not "as much gun as I can cary". I often amaze my shooting & hunting buddies with my shooting, but often my secret is that I'm not shooting a .378 Weatherby when a .25-06, .260 or .243 will suffice quite well! Yes, I have the big guns for when they are needed, but for me that isn't very often.

 

[300 ultra]

So not shooting this catridge. Is the recoil of a 6.5-06 that much greater? And do most people shoot 22" barrels and mountain rifles in this caliber. (260) Like mentioned before(not in this thread) my favorite hunting rifle is a 270 win in a mountain rifle which recoil seems non existant.

 

[Buano]

Yes, the 6.5-06 would have more recoil than the .260 as there is more powder capacity but neither has much recoil unless you are shooting a 5 pound rifle & you weigh 80 pounds. My daughter used a Rem model 7 (youth stock) in .260 to take deer when she was 9 & weighed about 70 pounds.

I would prefer a 24" barrel for a .260 but most commercial .260s are short-barreled.

 

[Scot E]

So my intention wasnt to start a ****ing match but yet someone explain to me why it would be needed in my safe. I have many rifles and many calibers but I dont see a practical use for such. I still pull my 270 win more than any other rifle for hunting. That being said a 6.5-06 would seem to make more sense to me in a 6.5 caliber and if I need a light rifle with little recoil my 243 win would seem sufficent. Just looking for opinions not I've killed more animals than the plague with my 260. Thanks....

I think a lot of it depends on intended use. If you are truly into the long range stuff then the 260 makes a lot of sense IMO. First, when comparing it to a 6mm caliber like the 243 you can get better long range ballistics from OEM twist rates from a 260 than a 243. The real long range bullets in 6mm need faster twists than stock guns come with. For many guys that is a big plus. Second, the 260 has manufactured ammo as an option which when compared to the 6.5-06 can be a bonus to some. Also, being able to spot your own shots becomes significantly more difficult with larger calibers and/or faster shooting cartridges. The 260 in a nice carry weight of 8 lbs or so makes this very easy. Finally, wind deflection is the real ball buster in long range shooting. I was recently comparing the 25-06 and 260 Rem for a guy just to see how they matched up ballistically. Even though the 25-06 had 400 fps on the 260 the wind drift was less at all distances. it is also less than the 243. I like that advantage over speed and better elevation drop! Plus the 260 is easier on barrels than the 243.

 

[Tulie]

Very timely post for me. I just agreed to pick up a 260 AI from a buddy of mine. Personally I think the 260 due to its high BC and SD bullets is mighty close to a standard 270 at longer ranges. I know it doesn't have the initial velocity but at the longer ranges the BC lets it nearly catch up and energy is not far behind the 270. As for the AI version I don't know what the velocity will be yet but guessing about 100 fps increase it will even be a better long range performer for deer and antelope level of big game and really great for varmints or a tactical match. Personally when it comes to elk, oryx or larger animals I'll stick to something with quite a bit more pop.

 

[hagfan72]

Hello everyone, new guy to the forum. Love this thread, and found some very insightful and well rounded discussion. I too am in the market for a .260, because I wanted a good combo of a light recoil round that had some punch, as well as be able to fit into a short action. The only concern I have for the .260 is that it soon may be nonexistant. I am just now getting into reloading, so I won't ever be without ammo, but it sure is a nice reassurance to have a caliber that you can pop into most hardware stores and pick up a box of ammo in an emergency.