Topic: .260 REM

[J Mack]

Do any of you guys shoot the .260 REM?
I'm in the process of gathering parts for a switch barrel project based on the .308 parent case, the .206 REM looks like a good choice for a second barrel but I don't know anybody that has experience with it.



 Link to some info: http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-shootout-260-6.5x47-6.5-creedmoor/
Second link: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2010/08/sherri-gallagher-uses-260-rem-to-win-national-hp-championship/

[ida83704]

Don't shoot one, but what's not to luv.

Based on a case (.308) that has been around for 50+ years and will be around for at least 50 more.

Lots of 6.5mm bullets available
AMAX
SMK
Scenar
Accubond
Berger

Shoots heavier and higher BC bullets than the 6mm version
Not as much recoil as the 7.62 version

the 7mm-08 is a nifty little number also

[fj40mojo]

You can't go wrong with the 6.5/.264 caliber. Great sectional density, high BC, negligible recoil. I think you're on the right track.

[J Mack]

Thanks guys!!
I'm looking at doing a .260 AI or .260 REM.
Quality brass looks like the issue for the REM and if I have to do a bunch of brass prep I might as well do the AI.

.260 AI Link: http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek046.html

[Nomad]

 The 260AI would be my choice, seems like all the AI are damn fine shooters.......

[No-One]

Brass for the .260 rem can be as High or low quality as you want since it can be formed by either necking down a .308 or necking up the .243 . A lot of guys neck up the Lapua .243 brass and are very happy with the results .

[fj40mojo]

Brass for the .260 rem can be as High or low quality as you want since it can be formed by either necking down a .308 or necking up the .243 . A lot of guys neck up the Lapua .243 brass and are very happy with the results .

I think I'd go the other way if you are serious about the AI. Neck down .308, seat bullets out to the lands for fire forming loads, this ensures that the base of the case is held firmly against the bolt face and material is pulled from the neck when the new shoulder forms. If you don't the case will stretch in the body just ahead of the web and the result will be premature case failure. Necking down will give you a little extra brass for this process where the .243 might leave you with short thin necks. Or, just buy R-P .260 brass.

[J Mack]

This is why I’m still on the fence and asking if anyone has any experience with the round.
1)   I read the Remington brass is hit and miss.
2)   I read you can neck up but it has its own issues, but plenty of guys are doing this and seems to be the easiest and quickest. 
3)   I read you can neck down and this also has issues but might yield better brass in the end.


I like the idea of the .260 but I lazy and I don’t know if I want to work that hard making good brass.

[fj40mojo]

What I gathered from the link you posted, that guy seemed pretty satisfied with the R-P brass. My dad has a Kimber in .260 and mom's got a Rem Mod 7 in .260. Both are pleased as punch with them and they are using R-P brass. I'd go with R-P if I was doing a straight .260 or Lapua .308 for forming .260 AI, like ya said you'll end up with a better piece of brass in the end. Only time will tell if the .260 Rem really takes off, historically though for some reason that is beyond my comprehension the .264 bore has never really flourished in the US. The .308 bore will probably always rule here in the USA.

[J Mack]

OK I'm moving forward with this project and .243 brass has been my biggest pain in the ass.
Things I've learned along the way.
1) You need to neck turn .243 brass if you plan to make usable .260 brass from it.
2) Neck turning sucks ass.
3) Lapua will have factory .260 brass soon.
4) Neck turning sucks ass!
5) Quality neck turning accessories are hard to come by locally (Thanks Steve N) but I had to make my own set up.
6) Neck turning sucks ass?
7) Lapua will have factory .260 brass soon.

[agunforeachhand]

So J Mack I take it neck turning sucks ass and should just be skipped???

[fj40mojo]

So JMack,
Here is my theory or alternative to neck turning. The object of the operation is 1) to produce necks that are concentric as possible and 2) to make the finished diameter of the sum of bullet diameter plus neck thickness equal to something just under the diameter of the neck portion of your chamber allowing room for the neck to expand at the shot releasing the bullet while maintaining perfect neck tension blah blah blah. So, why couldn't you remove the expander button from your sizing die so that the necks are sized down and all imperfection are then on the inside diameter. Then, select the appropriate chucking reamer that would cut the material from the inside of the case neck and leave the necks concentric and at the finished thickness you want. This would let you use your mill or drill press to turn the tool thereby removing a giant portion of the "suck" form the job. How long till that Lapua .260 is available?

[RGinIdaho]

Luckypunk was shooting a .260rem.

It is popular with the LRT crowd.

[J Mack]

So, why couldn't you remove the expander button from your sizing die so that the necks are sized down and all imperfection are then on the inside diameter. Then, select the appropriate chucking reamer that would cut the material from the inside of the case neck and leave the necks concentric and at the finished thickness you want.

I thought about this exact idea but I was thinking that when the inside reamer was used you would need to hold the case in a sizing die of sorts to apply pressure to the outside of the case to prevent deflection of the tool pressure on the thin brass neck.

So I barrowed a Forester case trimmer with a neck turning attachment from Steve N hoping that I could just make my 200 Lapua .243 cases usable, but the cutter Forester uses would not allow me to get deep enough into the area of the neck that need trimming to remove thickness or (doughnut) without cutting into the shoulder. The cutter is a round carbide tip soldered to a set screw and the radius was too large for this application.   

The process I used to determine if I trimmed enough of the doughnut out was to check if a bullet would fit in the case after it was fired and of course measure, I ended up spending a day making my own tool that I could spin in the lathe and it showed me quite a bit about Lupua’s neck thickness consistency or lack of. On the bright side now I have usable brass and we can test neck turned Lapua brass against factory Nosler .260 and factory Rem .260 to see if it makes any difference. 

Cutter pic:
[attachment=1]

Left is just sized up, center is neck turned to .0130, right fired case after neck turning:
[attachment=2]

[fj40mojo]

I think as long as you were using a good sharp reamer the deflection would be negligable. Brass cuts really easy. A simple jig could be built though that could both keep the cartridge perpenidcular to the spindle and provide the tool pressure resistance and hold the cartridge as well. Nice tool you put together, should be interesting to see if the neck turned cases are significantly more accurate than the factory .260 brass. Are you spinning the tool or holding it in the tail stock and spinning the cartridge?

[J Mack]

Are you spinning the tool or holding it in the tail stock and spinning the cartridge?

I'm spinning the tool in my lathe for now but I will spin it with the same motor that I use for trimming my brass if I need to use it again.

Just shot 1/4 MOA with some barrel break in shots so I think the brass will work for now.

[Nomad]

 Jmack have only heard good about the 260 and the 6.5X284 have thought about it
myself for a general shooter......
 to quote "turning brass sucks" some things change sub min sounds good....... 

[J Mack]

Ok I’ve built five .260’s now, four are shooting and the fifth is in the process of barrel break-in. I have one more to finish as soon as Badger makes more M-2008 receivers.
A few more things I learnt along the way.
1) If you plan on using the heavier bullets you will want a .100 free bore to get all you can form the .308 parent case. FYI: I used a PTG Roscoe .260 match reamer and I couldn’t be happier.
2)  Nosler brass is the best out of the box .260 brass but it’s very hard to find and expensive when you do, Remington .260 brass looks like its too soft for hotrod .260 and shits its primer pocket after two firings.
3) They say Hodgdon H4350 powder is the go to powder for the .260 and they are right. To date I have loaded break-in rounds at 40GR and some accuracy load testing from 41 to 43.5 and everything has shot well under MOA and most under ½ MOA. With powder this forgiving load development will be a snap.
4) Playing the ballistic calculator I discovered a few interesting things. The Lapua 139GR 6.5 bullet traveling at 2850 FPS has 817(ft-lbs) of energy at 1000 (yd) and 7.6 Mills or 23.2 MOA of drop. For comparison a 175GR .308 SMK bullet traveling at 2660 FPS has 661(ft-lbs) of energy at 1000 (yd) and 10.1 Mills or 34.6 MOA of drop.  Both of the above loads are middle of the road loads shot from my rifles and show some of the advantages of to .260 for a long range target or hunting cartridge over a .308.

We’ve had a few hurdles along the way but overall we’re all very happy with our .260’s and I think it’s a great little cartridge for general shooting around these parts.       

[fj40mojo]

Ok I’ve built five .260’s now, four are shooting and the fifth is in the process of barrel break-in. I have one more to finish as soon as Badger makes more M-2008 receivers.
A few more things I learnt along the way.
1) If you plan on using the heavier bullets you will want a .100 free bore to get all you can form the .308 parent case. FYI: I used a PTG Roscoe .260 match reamer and I couldn’t be happier.
2)  Nosler brass is the best out of the box .260 brass but it’s very hard to find and expensive when you do, Remington .260 brass looks like its too soft for hotrod .260 and shits its primer pocket after two firings.
3) They say Hodgdon H4350 powder is the go to powder for the .260 and they are right. To date I have loaded break-in rounds at 40GR and some accuracy load testing from 41 to 43.5 and everything has shot well under MOA and most under ½ MOA. With powder this forgiving load development will be a snap.
4) Playing the ballistic calculator I discovered a few interesting things. The Lapua 139GR 6.5 bullet traveling at 2850 FPS has 817(ft-lbs) of energy at 1000 (yd) and 7.6 Mills or 23.2 MOA of drop. For comparison a 175GR .308 SMK bullet traveling at 2660 FPS has 661(ft-lbs) of energy at 1000 (yd) and 10.1 Mills or 34.6 MOA of drop.  Both of the above loads are middle of the road loads shot from my rifles and show some of the advantages of to .260 for a long range target or hunting cartridge over a .308.

We’ve had a few hurdles along the way but overall we’re all very happy with our .260’s and I think it’s a great little cartridge for general shooting around these parts.       

Ha, those Swedes were on to something weren't they! Lapua should be available any time now. I'm gonna have to get me some H4350 to try now in the 6.5x55. Now you got me thinking about rebarrelling my Model 7 to .260.

[J Mack]

Now you got me thinking about rebarrelling my Model 7 to .260.

I'm not going to brag about group sizes on a forum, but you are welcome to come out and shoot mine. You wont be disappointed.

[fj40mojo]

I'm not going to brag about group sizes on a forum, but you are welcome to come out and shoot mine. You wont be disappointed.

I'm gonna have to do that-soon! I need to do some shooting, for peace of mind if nothing else. BTW Kevin Thomas of Lapua says the first conex of .260 should hit US shores in March. Watcha doin tomorrow morning?

[ID Tactical]

This is going to be my next rifle caliber.  J Mack, you selling any of the five?

IDT

[J Mack]

This is going to be my next rifle caliber.  J Mack, you selling any of the five?

IDT

I think the .260 is a good choice you shouldn't be disappointed.
Sorry none are for sale, I only get to keep two and the others are for buddy's.

[ida83704]

4) Playing the ballistic calculator I discovered a few interesting things. The Lapua 139GR 6.5 bullet traveling at 2850 FPS has 817(ft-lbs) of energy at 1000 (yd) and 7.6 Mills or 23.2 MOA of drop.

Snikes!
That is supersonic to 1650-1700 yards

Should be able to hear a 139 grainer smacking steel at that distance.
Takes 3 seconds to get there and 5 seconds for the smack to return.

Now just need to train your buddies to not speak for 8-9 seconds after the shot.

[ID Tactical]

J Mack,

What's the best barrel length for the 260 Remington, 26" or longer?

Thanks...