I am looking into getting another rifle and am interested in the 260. I do not know anyone with a 260 so any input will be appreciated. I have read that it is a versatile round comparable to the 300 in performance with less kick. Is this true?

Define performance your comparing a very large bullet to a much smaller. To have the same energy that little guy would have to be hauling arse. KE=mass x (velocity^2)

Trajectory depends on bullet BC.

Chances are you don't need 300type energy and most likely be much more accurate with a 260. So? What matter more important a ton of KE or being able to bullet the bullet in the right place.

I got bit by the 6.5mm bug and got a couple 260s last year. I took three deer with nosler ballistic tips and recovered all three. I will be using the accubonds in hand loads this year for a little better penetration. Very little recoil even in smaller rifles like the model seven. I believe I will be toting the model seven for quite some time.

Newer bullets with higher BC's have come out in .30 cal since that generalization. I push the .208gr Amax at 3050fps in mine. A .260 can't hang with that long range. Back when the standard .300WM match load was a 190gr SMK at 2950fps, they were very comparable. However, the recoil of the .300WM is very significant over the .260. The .260 is in between .243 and .308 and you can expect the recoil to be between there as well.

That being said, I shoot a lot of .260 and it is one of my standard competition rounds.

Bobo
I am looking for something that I can use for whitetail, axis, mule deer, and hopefully elk in the near future. Unfotuneately I cannot afford a rifle for each animal so I am looking for something with some flexibility. How do you think the 260 would fare on elk at 300 yds?

the 260 is a versatile round and will work for all the above. Elk at 300 should be no problem but are you willing to pass on a bull at 500? put a good bullet where it belongs in the vitals with the first shot and let the real work begin after the photo session.

When asking smaller calibers to do more bullet selection becomes more critical than with the larger calibers. Bullets like Nosler partition and accubond, Barnes tied triple shock up the odds when using smaller calibers for larger game.

There are a few people that use the 260 for everything from whitetail to bear but they Excel in putting the bullet where it goes even at very long range. It is a great round no matter how you look at it ballisticly it is a short action version of the 6.5x55 Swedish which has been effectively killing critters the size of moose for a very long time. The 6.5mm bore diameter offers an exceptional balance of high ballistic coefficient and sectional density, two things that are very important imo for a hunting bullet.

A 140 gr at 300 yards delivers 1744 ft/lbs, at 500 yards it delivers 1375 ft/lbs.

If I were to take my 260 Elk hunting, I'd probably load a super stout bullet for it like a Partition. I've killed deer and hogs with a 140 gr A-max, and have always had plenty of gun. But, I built a 7 Rem Mag for an elk rifle because I could. If I couldn't I would use the 260, and I would know its' limitations.

X2

I nor anyone else can tell you what your limitations are on range with any caliber. It depends on what your comfortable with. I'd use my 257wby for elk all day long, would I push it to 500yards probably not, then again I wouldn't push my 300win to 500 either.

There are also some really good calibers in between the 260 and 300mag.

Like the 6.5-284, 6.5 win mag, 270wsm,

I've killed hundreds of deer with my 270 and less than a dozen with my 260, but from what I can tell so far, the 260 (with the Nosler 120 gr BT) is just as effective. As for shooting game at distance, I'll shoot (or shoot at) a coyote or hog at any distance I see them, but generally keep my deer shots inside about 300.

My 260 is a Ruger Compact and is very light. Even with it being a light rifle, the recoil is well below my heavy 270.

I'm assuming that you reload. If not, buy some other caliber, like maybe a 7-08.

140g Berger VLD Hunters and Berger 140g Hybrids are very slick high BC bullets that will hammer on game. I've only shot a few small hard shelled targets with them, but my good friend has killed over 15 deer with them, and they just explode when they get inside a deer.

Or a 6.5 Creedmore. It's almost identical to the 260.

It seems you like the .260 and the .300. Everyone on here has their favorites but those are both fine choices.(In fact, they are often the choices of many rifle enthusiasts.)

Your decision is simple: If you are fine with the recoil of the .300 it will give you a little more utility for bigger animals. If you really like a little smaller round the .260 is a wonderful Texas cartridge and will work fine for the occasional elk hunt with well-constructed bullets.

Unless you are a gun crank who shoots a lot whether you reload or not is a non-issue. There are plenty of excellent factory round choices in both calibers.

How about something in the middle? Like a 280 rem or 7mag etc.

I made my choice because of being able to use shorter barrels and not suffer to bad on fps. Also low recoil

How is a 7 Rem Mag in the middle? It is also a belted magnum.

Now the 280 would be my first choice for a .30-06 action. Sits right between a 7-08 and a 7 Rem Mag.

Going to be a bear be a grizzly 280AI since nosler makes otc ammo for it

I concur. I think dee has a 280 A.I. and can't say enough good about it.

Course, the Kodiak grizzly (for 7mm) is the 180 gr out of a 7 Rem Mag

Not yet but I will before too long.

Has anyone shot the 260 imp? with the 30 degree shoulder?

Robby

Told my smith we may do that on the next barrel. Since I have quite a bit of .260 Rem brass, it wouldn't be a problem to fire form. He told me they can have feeding issues. Havn't talked to anyone that has really worked the heck out of one to know for sure.

30* that would be an RCBS improved right?

338 lupa 300 vld

Thanks for all of the info. I do tend to like the smaller and lighter recoil calibers and I am a reloading accuracy nut. The 260 sounds like it will do everything I want it to. Thanks again. I just love THF for all of the sound experience and information a person can get on practically any subject.