New Rifle in 260 Remington

[SwaneeSR]

I have been looking for a new rifle in 260 Remington. It seems the best of the 6.5mm choices.

I am a handloader. I am looking for a walnut stock, detachable box magazine, and perhaps stainless barrel.

I am willing to make comprimises, but it seems that many factory options are in short supply. You pay less for 7mm-08 or 270 or 270WSM.

It seems like .270 or .257 options are easier to find. Even the 6.5x55 SE seems elusive or overpriced. Why have rifle makers avoided .264/6.5mm?

Swanee

 

[The Big D]

A walnut stock plus detachable box magazine seems like a tall order to fill.

 

[Rodman579]

what about a Tikka T3 Hunter or Forest

 

[SwaneeSR]

I have been looking hard at the Tikka Hunter. Of the many options on the Tikka site, not many seem available.

I do not know anything about the Tikka offerings. Perhaps the detachable box magazine not a realistic wish.

The Browning Xbolt is offered in .25-06 and 6.5 Creedmore and the 270's.

The .264/6.5's would seem to be perfect for a handloading deer hunter in the MN and WI woods.

Also - there doesn't seem to be many used Remington 700's in 260 for sale.

 

[zerobarrier]

Tikka T3 sporter. I don't think its a walnut stock but its close enough

 

[MrBorland]

I have been looking for a new rifle in 260 Remington...

...I am looking for a walnut stock, detachable box magazine, and perhaps stainless barrel.

Sako 85 Hunter Stainless:

http://www.sako.fi/rifles/sako-85/85-hunter-stainless

 

[melbr00ks]

I wish the .260 rem. would hurry up and take off already. That or a .25-08 of some sort. Just not enough guns or ammo available for .260. Seems like a big gap for short actions between .243 and 7-08 nowadays.

Edit: None wssm or some such, lol

 

[greenlion]

Seems like the 6.5 Creedmoor is gaining more ground than the 260 Rem lately. Remington has done a very poor job marketing the 260 for too long.

 

[SwaneeSR]

I wish the .260 rem. would hurry up and take off already. That or a .25-08 of some sort. Just not enough guns or ammo available for .260. Seems like a big gap for short actions between .243 and 7-08 nowadays.

Edit: None wssm or some such, lol

+1
I couldn't agree more.

It seems like the .260 is not going to catch on. It is not a MAGNUM of any kind.

 

[Pilot]

My next bolt gun will be in .260 Remington. I also wish more manufacturers chambered for it, especially CZ.

 

[The Big D]

Seems like the 6.5 Creedmoor is gaining more ground than the 260 Rem lately. Remington has done a very poor job marketing the 260 for too long.

Yup - the 6.5 Creedmoor is on the verge of replacing it. If one or two more manufacturers made hunting ammo for the 6.5C, the fight would be over.

 

[SwaneeSR]

So I have been reading about the 6.5 Creedmore.

I am sure many of you on this site must have seen dozens of these 6.5mm posts. Sorry about that.

 

[mshootnit]

You mentioned 270 WSM. But if I brag on the Kimber Classic again...well even I am getting tired of hearing it.

 

[mshootnit]

When you get down to it, 260 hasnt caught on because old ways have many entrenched into 270, and 243.
That isnt to say it isnt a great round. It is.
Rifle choices are limited. I did see a Tikka with a box mag, a savage, and a remington CDL.

 

[redbullitt]

260 all the way here. Just took another deer with mine last week. Couldn't be happier!

I rebarreled a savage model 10 that was a 308 to get what I was after.

 

[Water-Man]

The Tikka has what you want.

 

[The Big D]

So I have been reading about the 6.5 Creedmore.

I am sure many of you on this site must have seen dozens of these 6.5mm posts. Sorry about that.

It's pretty much the same darn thing as the .260. Same bolt face, same OAL, same caliber. Slightly less powder capacity, but slightly more efficient with what it does have. For all practical purposes they're interchangeable for the reloader - not in terms of load recipes, but in terms of capability.

The problem is the factory ammo supply. Federal, Winchester and Remington haven't really gotten on board with hunting ammo yet. The Hornady Interbond load is really all you need, but if for some reason you don't like it there aren't many other options.

 

[eastbank]

i have three rem .260,s and if you are a reloader your in like flinn, several years ago i bought 1000 .308 match cases once fired for a song. i also use them in my 7mm08 and 308. here,s another rifle and caliber(rem 722 in 257 roberts) that has faded into rifle history, tho i shoot a 120gr bullet at close to 2900fps and is deadly on deer size animals to 300 yds with out any problems. eastbank.

 

[coloradokevin]

I think Tikka just released their newest version of the Scout CTR rifle in .260 Remington. I have the previous version of this rifle in .308 Win, and it is a superbly accurate rifle (on par with my far more expensive Accuracy International).

The .260 Rem is a great cartridge, and despite already having my AI chambered in that caliber, I've thought about picking up another Tikka for hunting. If you get one I doubt you'll be disappointed.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Tikka and Sako do seem to make some decent rifles in the 6.5mm calibers. I waded into these calibers when I started looking at for a deer rifle that would be better sized for MN and WI white tail hunting. My son and I decided that it is time to retire one of the .30-06's, the Remington 742.

The .243/6mm seemed a little light, the .270 and .270wsm seem like great choices, but a little more than needed on thin skinned deer. Someone suggested I look at 6.5x55 Swede and I began looking at all the 6.5's

I am heading to my LGS this week to see what they have for brass in 6.5. I am fortunate in having a great reloading supply store 10 minutes from the house.

All I was trying to do was purchase something that is a little flatter shooting and started looking at .270, .270wsm, and 7mm-08.

I am surprised that the 260 Remington didn't take it's place as a standard cartridge along with the other .308 variants.

The Tikkas are more in my price range. The $1900 rifles without a scope are a budget breaker.

 

[SwaneeSR]

I would like to avoid purchasing a rifle that it chambered in a caliber that fades into history. As noted, the 260 Remington has the advantage of a fairly straight forward procedure for forming cases from .308 or 7mm-08 or .243. That fact and the advantages of the high BC and SD of 6.5 bullets should have made it a winner.

Maybe if Remington does deserve some criticism for bungling the release of the 260, opening the door for the 6.5 Creedmoor. I have no idea. It doesn't seem that the 6.5 options are all that different from a performance standpoint. That is the general opinion of this thread.

I think it is most likely the entrenchment of the .270, .308, and .30-06 and the release of the magnums were bigger factors.

 

[wild willy]

You need to do a search for Whittaker Guns and give them a call they have Tikka .260s in several different variations and decent prices. Model that a regular gun shop doesn't carry

 

[T.R.]

Why not just find a 270 with the features you want and then hand load to whatever velocities are desired? My wife hunts with a custom Browning in 6.5mm Swede. But if I were to do it over again, I'd just buy her a 270.

TR

 

[Water-Man]

^^Why?^^

 

[The Big D]

Why not just find a 270 with the features you want and then hand load to whatever velocities are desired? My wife hunts with a custom Browning in 6.5mm Swede. But if I were to do it over again, I'd just buy her a 270.

TR

If you want high-BC bullets (hunting or match), .270 is a horrible place to look for them. For example, the 140gr 6.5mm Partition has a G1 BC of about .49. The 140gr .270 partition is .43. That's a pretty big difference. This same scenario plays out with most bullet types.

.270s also tend to be under-twisted. Most modern 6.5s are 1:8 twist which will stabilize a wide range of bullets. In contrast most .270 barrels are 1:10 twist which is not likely to do well with heavy bullets. So even if someone were to make the bullets, you'd have a hard time shooting them.