.260 Rem vs 6.5-08

[LRHWAL]

I suppose I could have put this under BB&B section, but here goes...

I assumed they were the same (obviously incorrectly).

I see Redding catalogue (or catalog /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif) a 6.5-.308 and 260 Rem separately. What's the difference in dimensions?

Can you still load a .260 from sized up .243 brass (maybe with a bit of neck turning or reaming)?

Thanks.

Wim

 

[James Jones]

I'm not 100% sure but I also thought that the 260 Rem was a 308 case necked down to 6.5mm with no other changes.

I'm getting my cases ready to laod for 260 I just had built and all I did was run 308 Lapua cases through a 7-08 neck die then a 260 neck die , I may end up having to turn the necks to get them to fit with some clearance. I have also just commited to getting 100 pieces of 243 Lapua bras so I'm gonna try necking that up also.

If you neck up brass (ie. 243 to 260)generaly you will have no trouble having to turn the necks unless you have a tight neck chamber but if you neck brass down (ie. 308 to 260) it will make the necks thicker and may cause some fitting issues.

the only reason I'm using Lapua brass and going through the extra fuss necking and neck turning is because I want to get the utmost out of this rifle. I have talked to a few tactical comp shooters like Terry Cross and Shawn Carlock that shoot the 260 and they shoot regular 260 Remington cases because the positions that they shoot from are alot more limiting to accuracy than their case prep and it doesen't hurt so bad if you loose a bunch of cases during a match

 

[milanuk]

You can look up the reamer specs at places like Clymer's.

IIRC, the biggest difference is that the 6.5-08 had its origin in slow-fire, single-load competitive venues like metallic silhouette, NRA High Power, etc. As such, guns chambered in 6.5-08, from what I've seen (had one, and know a number of people who have others) tend to have longer throats to get bullets like the 142gr SMK seated out further in order to get the body/heel junction of the boat-tail past the shoulder/neck junction aka 'donut city' on the case. Yes, HP shooters do a fair bit @ 200/300 w/ mag-length loads, but in my experience the bullets used at those distances (120gr SMK, for instance) can take a poop load of jump and still shred the X-ring.

The .260 Rem was intended by Remington strictly as a magazine-length hunting round, and the bullets are seated deeper accordingly. There's no reason you *can't* cut the throat longer on a .260, or shorter on a 6.5-08, but that is the fundamental difference as far as I know.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[LRHWAL]

Thanks Monte. Yes, that's the only difference I've been able to come up with, but that makes me wonder why it's necessary to catalogue different dies?! 6.5-.308 is "custom" and .260 Rem is category "A".

Either I've lost my mind from recoil concussions, or I'm just dumb, but throating shouldn't affect dies which relate to case OAL, unless the seater differs.

Anyway... thanks for the input. Suppose I should e-mail Redding.