I am not trying anything , but pay twice as much just to punch paper ? Not me !!!!!!
What you want to shoot at it is up to you, and what cartridge you choose is your own business. There are plenty of good reasons to shoot .308, but the fact is it is an inferior long-range cartridge compared to .260.
To clarify, .260 is not twice as expensive, even if you take into account barrel life.
To reload match-grade ammunition, the costs of .260 and .308 are almost identical. If we look at Lapua components, .260 brass more expensive, but .308 bullets are more expensive (using prices from power valley as of today). The difference in brass price, when averaged over 10 loadings for each case, is equalized by the cheaper 6.5mm bullets ($308/k vs $324/k). The .260 will typically use about 3-5 grains less powder (in my case it's 3.8gr or about 9% cheaper for powder on .260).
So if the ammo is about the same, around $0.53/round using those components, then if the .260 uses up a $500 barrel in 4000 rounds ($0.125/round) but the .308 uses up a $500 barrel in 8000 rounds ($0.0625/round), the .260 ends up about 10% more expensive per round when you take into account both cost to produce the reloads and the barrel life.
have yet to see a .260 target shooter use theirs for hunting season and stabilize a 160 grainer. My vote for is for the 6.5x55. More powder choices, Laupua brass (not that I have ever checked for .260) and a wider variety of bullet weights. Now If I didnt get cheap and buy a POS barre
I know .260 shooters who have used them on deer, varmints, and prairie dogs. But to your point, how many do you know that have tried? The 160gr 6.5mm bullets are not really required for most things you can shoot with a .260 or .308. These bullets tend to not be very pointed (hunting bullets and not match bullets), so fitting them into the case should work fine and all the bullet cares about for stabilization is twist. Match .260 rifles are 1:8 and 1:8.5 twist, so the 160gr hunting bullets should stabilize fine.
BTW, there is Lapua brass for .260.