Sako in 260 rem

[d500lnn]

I want to start out by saying im a novice reloaded. Everything I've done as been SAAMI specs or very close to it. I have a Sako Finnlight in 260. In order to get the bullet even close to the lands I would have to seat my bullet out to a 2.90" coal and I'm not sure how that would affect pressures and where to start the load.

Any advice on pro or cons is greatly appreciated.

Also, any powders that have worked nice for you and starting loads?

Pictures are my son's first Branch antlered buck shot with said rifle....

 

[ShtrRdy]

I have a .260 Rem, ( but not a Sako ), and I use H4350 powder with a 140 gr bullet.

You'll want to experiment with seating depth on the bullet you want to use.

 

[pttp]

Load them as long as the mqgazine allows for reliable cycling.

 

[Caveman0101]

Don't assume if you get closer to the lands that it will shoot tighter groups. My Rem VTR 260 shoots 142 ABLRs better at 2.800 than closer to lands. Some bullets like more jump. But do try it, my gun is limited by the length of the magazine so I could only go .05 off lands. As far as loads here are a few:
IMR 4451 42.0 grains 129gr ABLR
RL23 45.4gr 129gr ABLR
H4831sc 47.7gr 142gr ABLR
loads are with WLR primers and Lapua brass

 

[pttp]

It is the upper limit of oal, not the actual distance to the lands. This "may" end up being .020" setback (approximately), which would be the starting point. I have experienced this with several different magazines/rifles....of course after I spent the time putzing around determining what the oal is for that new to me firearm.

 

[manitou]

I know the CAOL in all my reloading manuals is SAAMI, not the max you can go. Each firarm is different, depending on how long the throat is cut.
2.800 is the MINIMUM that a SAAMI chmber can be cut on a rifle, so the guidance is to ensure one doesn't go past a minimally cut throat... at least this is how I interpret it.

 

[entoptics]

As long as there's plenty of bullet still in the neck (3/4 of the neck perhaps?), then you can go as long as you want without worrying about pressure, short of jamming the bullet into the lands.

In general, pressure will decrease as you move the bullet out further and further, due to increasing the effective case capacity as the bullet takes up less and less space. The affect is generally fairly small, but with a chronograph, you can usually measure it. In extreme cases, you may even want to up your powder charge a smidge to compensate.

 

[ronstone09]

I want to start out by saying im a novice reloaded. Everything I've done as been SAAMI specs or very close to it. I have a Sako Finnlight in 260. In order to get the bullet even close to the lands I would have to seat my bullet out to a 2.90" coal and I'm not sure how that would affect pressures and where to start the load.

Any advice on pro or cons is greatly appreciated.

Also, any powders that have worked nice for you and starting loads?

Pictures are my son's first Branch antlered buck shot with said rifle....

I shoot a sako mdl 22 in .260 and jam the 140 bergers into the lands and have no pressure problem and I'm using H4350 powder and cci bench rest primers

 

[manitou]

But... keep in mind that pressure can (and probably will) INCREASE when you get close to or into the lands. Bullets with jump before entering the lands have momentum before hitting the resistance of the lands. Bullets close to or into the lands do not have that advantage. Additionally, with hunting rounds a bullet into the lands can get pulled out of the case when unloading for transport... throwing a wrench into your hunt. I wouldn't recommend a handloading novice jamming into the lands until they have a full understanding of pressure affects, temperature affects etc. A small spike in pressure at 40 degrees can become a dangerous spike at 90 degrees... or from lot to lot variances in powder. For hunting, I find most bullets prefer 20-30 thousandths off the lands. Solid copper bullets (think ttsx and the like) and a few other exceptions like longer jumps... say 50-70 thousandths.

 

[longtubeman]

Hi, I usuly start with max for what will fit in mag. This is to get all the room in the case, so I can run more power,= more speed=closer to lans. I have savage tac bull 26", 308. Set at 2.800, 175 ttsx barnes, 52 gr of ww760, 210m primers. Shoots .125 groups, at 2900fps. And yes you can get that much power in a 308 case.

 

[shooter7]

H4350 has given me the most consistent higher velocities. Reloader 16 gave me some really consistent velocity but was fairly slow. 130 and 140 class bullets all seemed to shoot well.

 

[d500lnn]

I shoot a sako mdl 22 in .260 and jam the 140 bergers into the lands and have no pressure problem and I'm using H4350 powder and cci bench rest primers

What powder charge produces your best accuracy and OAL of cartridge?

 

[d500lnn]

But... keep in mind that pressure can (and probably will) INCREASE when you get close to or into the lands. Bullets with jump before entering the lands have momentum before hitting the resistance of the lands. Bullets close to or into the lands do not have that advantage. Additionally, with hunting rounds a bullet into the lands can get pulled out of the case when unloading for transport... throwing a wrench into your hunt. I wouldn't recommend a handloading novice jamming into the lands until they have a full understanding of pressure affects, temperature affects etc. A small spike in pressure at 40 degrees can become a dangerous spike at 90 degrees... or from lot to lot variances in powder. For hunting, I find most bullets prefer 20-30 thousandths off the lands. Solid copper bullets (think ttsx and the like) and a few other exceptions like longer jumps... say 50-70 thousandths.

This is great info. I'm not in the lands at all. There will be a slight jump in my first go. I wish the previous owner would have designated OAL as he said load out as far as you can...not sure if that means as much as the mag confines it or what. I don't have a go/no go to measure exact distance off the lands I am, but the dummy I chambered had zero binding and closed bolt with zero resistance. Again, thanks everyone for your input.

 

[scottishkat]

I ave a Sako 85S in 260 Rem and it is capable of extreme accuracy. I shot 3 140 VLD's into a hole that measures .296 across COAL 2.94. A host of powders have shot under MOA but my favorites have been H4831SC, W760/H414, IMR 7828SSC, H4350 and N560 pretty much in that order. Of late my favorite bullets have been 120TSX and 120NBT Rem 9.5's have produced the smallest groups. I generally just seat enough bullet so the top of the boattail is at the shoulder/neck junction I don't think I have ever been in contact with the Lans.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all