Rifle rebuild - 260 Rem

[sharktown]

Hello all, I am a newbie here and have been following the forum for some time and have not jumped in yet, I have a question for you long range shooters.
I have a beat up Rem 700 in 308 Win (barrel and stock not in great shape but the action is) which is still serviceable and want to rebuild to a better performing rifle. I like the idea of a 260 Rem and have 308 brass that I can resize.
Replace barrel to 260 Rem, new stock, scope, trigger, square the action, slick up the bolt a bit and have the stock glass bedded. I need to be modest with the outlay of cash for good parts but would it be worth the cost of the project for the new cartridge?
Also do you have any recommendations of component parts and loads? Any help and suggestions is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Sharktown

 

[gr8whyt]

What type of rifle do you see when it's done? A light weight pack-around-in-the-mountains-all-day rifle or a 1000 yd bench gun? I know these are extremes and you probably want something in between. There was another thread recently that dealt with the .260 Rem as a hunting round. I think most agreed that it is very capable for most game at respectable ranges. Good luck with the project.

-- gr8whyt

 

[sharktown]

gr8whyt

Thanks for your reply.
I don't hunt much anymore so it would mainly be a target rig. But you're right in that it would be in between, say 300 to 600 yds. I would like to try 1000 yds at some time and I know the rifle would be able to handle it but my ability is not there at this point.

Sharktown

 

[gr8whyt]

Well then, if you don't plan on packing it (or you have something else you could hunt with if you ever do any hunting) or plan on selling it as a hunting rifle, here's what I'd do.

First off, find a heavy barrel from one of the premium barrel makers. (The longer and heavier, the better. You'll only be carrying it from your car or truck to the shooting bench or to a varmint setup. And they all cost the same.) Get the action blueprinted and the barrel chambered and crowned. At this point your into it about $1,000. Next get a new stock. Some folks prefer the H-S Precision. I kind of like the Bell & Carlson Medalist stocks myself. The stock will cost another $300-$500. You may get it bedded by the smith included for the price of the barrel and action work (maybe another $100-$200 or do the work yourself. Make sure you think about the scope and rings and bases.

Lots of decisions to make. Hope this helps and good luck with the project.

-- gr8whyt

 

[backwoods83]

I'm a huge 26 cal fan but I will say that the 260 comes up quite short with that family of cases I'd stick with the 308 or switch to a 243 or slightly longer 6mm, just a thought.