260 Remington Rifle Choices

[ZGunner]

I'm a little hesitant to post this due to all the 6.5 related threads already running, but I've been stewing on this for a few days. I've had a Ruger M77 compact in .260 Rem for a few months now and have just recently found some time to test it out. I'm really finding I like the rifle and the round. Of course with a 16.5" barrel the accuracy potential of the caliber will never be reached, so I'm looking for another rifle chamber in .260. I'd like to keep the cost down if possible, but right now I'm just interested in options.

I've narrowed it down to a few paths but I'm always open to suggests and experience. Rifle use will be paper punching and steel upto 500 yards (longest range in my area).

1) Buy a Factory Remington 700 SPS in .260. I've found Price to be ~$560. The 700 is a solid platform that I've had good experience with and if the 24" Sporter barrel is enough there are plenty of companies that make match grade barrels.

2) I work part-time at a big box sporting goods store and can get a new 700 ADL for $320. Get a .308 or .243 host and rebarrel with the above mentioned match grade 260 barrel right out the gate. (This would also work with a used 700)

3) Tikka CTR. Found one on Buds for $875. The most expensive option for bare rifle but I do love a Tikka. I have a Tactical and can only imagine how it would be with a smaller bore and 10 round mag.

4) Savage. I haven't done too much research on current offering from Savage but I've owned a few and like the accuracy. Stock would most likely have to be replaced, also not a fan of the bolt wiggle I had in my Model 10.

Let me know if I should be looking anywhere else. Sorry for the long post. Looking forward to any responses.

 

[Water-Man]

I'm a big fan of Tikka.

Six years ago I bought two of them. Both T3 Hunter models in 6.5x55SE. One of them still unfired.

I couldn't be any more pleased with my choices.

 

[MrBorland]

I have the Tikka CTR in .260 Remington and have nothing but good to say for it as a tactical/target rifle (other than the expensive mags). It's got a good factory trigger, and with very little load development, it's shooting consistent 0.5 - 0.6" at 100 yards. Below's a particularly good 3-shot group shot at 200 yards.

How far do you plan to shoot? I've shot it out to 500 yards to good effect, but if I were going to regularly shoot much beyond this, I'd opt for something with a longer barrel for the extra velocity (out of my CTR's 20" barrel, my loads are chronoing at 2550fps).


.260 Remington Tikka CTR:



3-shot group @ 200 yards:



100 yards keyring fobs (courtesy of my CTR ):

 

[taliv]

whatever you do, pay attention to the twist rate. factory 260rem usually have kind of a slow varminty twist to them and for the high BC long range stuff you'll want around an 8 twist

 

[ZGunner]

How far do you plan to shoot?

500 is as far as my local range goes. Most shooting won't go past the 200-300 yard berms.

That's some good shooting and a good looking rifle!

whatever you do, pay attention to the twist rate. factory 260rem usually have kind of a slow varminty twist to them and for the high BC long range stuff you'll want around an 8 twist

I noticed that. The Tikka and SPS both have a 1:8. I would hate not to be able to take advantage of some of those .550+ BC Lapua Scenars. I'm not sure the twist in my Ruger but with a short barrel it's not very fond of the 140s. 120 Barnes and 123gr A-Max over some Benchmark it seems to love.

 

[Water-Man]

My Tikka shoots the Lapua Scenar 139gr. & 155gr. with good accuracy but likes the 139gr. better.

 

[crazysccrmd]

A 16.5" barrel will have no effect whatsoever on accuracy. It won't give you the velocity of a 24" barrel but at 2-300yds and the occasional 500yd shot you really won't see much difference. If you just want a new rifle then by all means, go for it, but what you have now is perfectly capable of meeting your goals.

 

[Clint M]

I would go with the Remington sps, and when the time comes screw on a barrel of your choice. 22"-26" makes for a good length for hunting, and wrings most of the velocity from the 260 rem. I have had no problems with 1-9" twist, however I don't shoot 1k with the heavy VLD type bullets, but 1-9" will not hold you back. Do try the 95gr v-max, it's a accurate bullet and really gets the speed out of the 260 making mush out of coyote.

 

[ZGunner]

A 16.5" barrel will have no effect whatsoever on accuracy. It won't give you the velocity of a 24" barrel but at 2-300yds and the occasional 500yd shot you really won't see much difference. If you just want a new rifle then by all means, go for it, but what you have now is perfectly capable of meeting your goals.

You're right. I should have said it's the pencil thin barrel profile that limits it as a target rifle. The first 2-3 shots are great. Then they open up as the barrel heats up. Plus I'm a collector, I like getting new things and "playing" with them.

 

[eastbank]

with this rem xp-100R in .260 with a harris bipod, 2x8 leupold scope and 129gr bullets with the shooting gods smiling and no wind i have shot one inch three shot groups at 200yds. eastbank.

 

[cocojo]

Being a lefty my choices are extremely limited but I found and own a Tikka T3 hunter in 260 Remington and it's an awesome gun. The trigger and accuracy is unreal. Great bolt action rifle and the bolt is so smooth. A superb rifle

 

[ironworkerwill]

Right handed rifles are the new left handed rifles!

Well before the confusion sets in I'd like to say... Being a righty, I'd rather have eastbanks pistol in a left hand action... Just saying.

 

[cocojo]

Ironworkerwill, I can see that on a handgun but not on a rifle. I have used right handed bolt rifles. It's like punching myself in the face working that bolt and forget coming across over the top. The handgun it a whole lot better.

 

[pdd614]

I'm just hoping tikka comes out with a lefty ctr.

 

[Txhillbilly]

I'm just hoping tikka comes out with a lefty ctr.

Even if they did Beretta USA wouldn't import it. They will only import the T3 Lite models in LH. I tried to get them to get me a LH Tikka T3 Varmint in 25/06 several years ago,at first they said Tikka didn't make it,then when I emailed them Tikka's catalog showing it they said they wouldn't import one for me.

No more Beretta products for me!

 

[ironworkerwill]

Cocojo, for a while at the bench I have been thinking lefty! Now a good light weight hunter should be right all the way. For a right hand dominant shooter of course.

 

[Storm]

Steyr Pro Hunter.

 

[horsemen61]

Tikka is a good gun

 

[Clint M]

I like the Tikka T3 lite I had one in 223 rem nice accurate rifle, but the action was based on 30-06 action length. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but I prefer the action size for cartridge instead of one size fits all. That is just a preference on my part, I'm not bashing any manufacture.

 

[stiab]

Mackey's in Jamesville NC had a .260 Model 77 last time I was there. Nice looking rifle, and they had ammo.

 

[coloradokevin]

I have the older Tikka Scout CTR model (circa 2009?). Mine is chambered in .308 Win and it is a phenomenal gun. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, ever. My only gripe is that extraction could be a bit more positive. It always extracts, but the ejected casing can sometimes fail to clear the action if you aren't moving the bolt with authority. This is a really minor issue, I just prefer the extraction on my Accuracy International (which cost at least 5x as much).

But, in terms of accuracy my Tikka can hold its own against any match grade rifle I've shot. It's a darn good gun!

Incidentally, my Accuracy International is chambered in .260 Rem. That cartridge is a dream to shoot in the wind compared to the .308 Win!

The picture is a 5-shot group shot at 100 yards from a bipod using my Tikka, a 175 grain SMK, 44.4 grains of Varget, and Winchester primers. I've shot a number of groups just like this one with this gun. I've also got a coin collection just like one of the other posters showed with his Tikka above:

 

[coloradokevin]

I noticed that. The Tikka and SPS both have a 1:8. I would hate not to be able to take advantage of some of those .550+ BC Lapua Scenars. I'm not sure the twist in my Ruger but with a short barrel it's not very fond of the 140s. 120 Barnes and 123gr A-Max over some Benchmark it seems to love.

My Accuracy International has a 1:8 twist rate in the .260 Rem. My two best loads have been with the 139 grain Lapua Scenar and the 140 grain Berger Hybrid Target. The 1:8 twist seems about right for these bullets, and I've shot both of those bullets as far as 1,250 yards (which is as far as I can possibly get to where I'm currently shooting — need to make a couple hour drive to get further out).

 

[eastbank]

i own four 260 rem,s the rem xp-100R, browning low wall, rem 7600 and a early rem model 7. i think the 260 rem is a fine hunting and target caliber. eastbank.

 

[hseII]

Hopefully, my 700LH 260 will be finished next month: I'm ready to try those 140 Hybrids.

Find a used 700, have it trued and blued, and do it 1 time.

If this goes the way it's looking, I wish I'd of done this years,( and many rifles), ago.

 

[Tophernj]

I am currently in the same boat.

I am talking to a local rifle builder about a rifle in either 260Rem, 6.5C, or possibly 243. I'm looking for a relatively flat shooing bullet that will help me beat a buddy of mine at 300 with the possibility of further if I can find the time to drive out to PA at some point. If I do a 6.5mm I am then between the Tikka Tac and having a rifle built. This thread has been helpful as I am just betwixt and between all of them.

C