| Posted: Thu Dec 25th, 2008 09:11 PM |
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Archangele
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Hi,
I have been using a Savage Model 10 Tactical in .260 Remington for shooting at the 600 yard targets at our range and worked up a load that seems to perform quite well.
I use 44 gr of IMR 4831 in Remington brass with a Sierra 140 gr HPBT match bullet and a CCI 250 primer to light it all off. The exact distance to the target is 637 yards and this combination has netted me groups as small as 1.5". Usually I get between 4 and 6" groups. This load did not show signs of over pressure. I was using 44.4 gr of 4831 and it did show signs of over pressure on hot days. So, this 44 gr load is what I would consider pretty much a maximum with the Sierra 140 gr HPBT Match bullet.
This load works in my rifle fine. I would suggest starting with a slightly lighter charge initially and working up to this in your rifle since every rifle is different. Just watch for signs of over pressure. I say this because Speer lists a similar load as safe while other reloading manuals show this as too much 4831 powder. My Sierra manual does not list IMR's 4831 as one of the recommended powders for this cartridge. All I know is that it works great for me. Now the little .260 out shoots all my other rifles including my .308.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26th, 2008 02:54 PM |
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6.5.shooter
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Hi Arch, Thanks for sharing load imfo for the 260 Rem!! I was wondering have you tried the Sierra match 142gr or the Hornady 140gr A-max with IMR-4831?? If you have what was the end results? Shooter
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27th, 2008 12:36 AM |
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Archangele
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6.5.shooter wrote: Hi Arch, Thanks for sharing load imfo for the 260 Rem!! I was wondering have you tried the Sierra match 142gr or the Hornady 140gr A-max with IMR-4831?? If you have what was the end results? Shooter
HI,
I have used the 142 gr Sierra, but found the 140 gr to work as good if not better.
I have used 120 gr Sierra HPBT as well as Nosler 120 gr Ballistic tip bullets but, none showed the same accuracy at ranges over 300 yards the 140 grain bullets did. Lighter bullets work excellent out to 300 yards, but that extra weight seems to help at the 600 yard range. For whatever reason, my old Savage seems to like the 140 grain Sierra HPBT Match bullet. It also seems to work best with a large rifle magnum primer. I attribute that to my use of the relatively slow IMR 4831 powder. The .260 and the 6.5x55 are my favorite cartridges.
I have tried some Barnes bullets but accuracy suffered. Now, I stick with the Sierra 140 Match bullet. Oh, I did try Berger 140 gr bullets. They shoot well too. The only thing is that the point of impact differs from the Sierra. Groups are of similar size. The only thing I don't like about the Berger bullets is how far out I have to seat the bullet to get good accuracy. I also noticed pressure issues with my 44.2gr load of 4831 with the 140 gr Bergers. It was an accurate load. When I reduced the powder charge to a level where there were no signs of over pressure, acuracy suffered. So, I stick with the Sierra 140 gr. One bullet I do want to try is that 107 grain Sierra. I know others who have used it with the 6.5X55 and they had real good luck, even out past 500 yards. If nothing else, the 107 will probably cruise out of my barrel at around 3000+ fps, which will make for a reasonably flat trajectory as compared to the 140 gr.
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| Posted: Tue Dec 30th, 2008 02:59 PM |
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6.5.shooter
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HI, Arch
I have had great luck with the 107gr sierra match bullets in my custom target Swede out to 300 yards.When i shoot out farther with this bullet it starts to''drift''.I have used alot of different powders over the years in all my Swedes and 260 Rems.I been useing RL-15 and RL-22 to work best in my guns.My target Swede will not shoot the 142gr Sierra match bullet with 1-9 twist.I think you need a 1-8 and faster twist to shoot 142 bullet.But really likes the 140gr Sierra match bullets!My factory Swedes and my Ar-260 shoot the 142's match bullets with great results.All my 260's have a 1-7.5 twist to shoot the heavy bullets!!Theres a picture of my AR-260 in the varmint post area!!
When reloading for the old Swedes you got to watch the pressures real close because these action will not handle high pressure loads.I have found over the years shooting these guns shooting between 2600fps-2800fps is all you need for great target results with 29.5'' to 30'' barrels Shooter
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| Posted: Tue Dec 30th, 2008 10:19 PM |
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Archangele
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Hi 6.5,
I figured that the 107 gr might poop out at around 300 - 400 yards. I have always loaded the old Mausers a bit on the light side. I am pushing a 140 gr out at close to 2800 fps. That's about as hard as I want to push things. The Swede has a stronger action then people give it credit for. I see the weak link as being the brass cases. They are a lot lighter and thinner then my .260 or Arisaka cases. I may well try those Reloader powders. I do start real light and work up till I either reach a point just below maximum recommended loading or until I get a real accurate load. In general I like the lightest load that is accurate. No need to stress a 100 year old gun.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11th, 2009 05:18 PM |
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Offfhand
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Arch, my observations with the 140 and 142 grain Sierra Match Kings in .260 Rem. are pretty much the same as yours; accuracy of the two being equal. I own and use four competition type rifles in .260 (two for Silhouette, one for NMC and another for 1000 yd) plus a hunting rifle. All do well with the two Sierra MKs so my observations are not based on the preferences of a single rifle. With each of these rifles the 140 0r 142 MKs have proved marginally more accurate and consistent than the 6.5 Lapua Scenar (138.6 grs) and moreso than with the Hornady 140 A-Max. For many years, and I'm going back over a quarter century, the Norwegian made Rouphus(Sp?) bullet was the accuracy Gold Standard of 6.5mm bullets and widely used by International shooters. I still have a supply of these which I use as a "baseline" when testing 6.5 rifles and loads. The Sierras are better.
Something you might want to try, if not already, is using Lapua .243 Win. brass for your .260 loads. It's a simple matter of enlarging the neck ID using a neck expander and you're good to go. (I use a K&M expander, but other makes work as well.) The Lapua necks tend to have a thickness variation of about .0007" (usually ranging .014" to .0147") which I clean up by turning the necks to a uniform .014" or less, depending on chamber neck clearance of particular rifle. The different lots of Remingron .260 brass I've checked have thinner necks and sightly greater thickness variation: running about .0127" to .0136". Also the Lapua cases weigh about 10 grains more, with less weight variation than Remington. In sum, the better quality and uniformity of the Lapua brass yields improved accuracy and somewhat better case life as well, which well justifies the price difference. But having said that, it must also be considered that it takes a highly accurate rifle to begin with in order to realize these differences.
Shoot well and be well.
Offfhand
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11th, 2009 10:30 PM |
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Archangele
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Hi Offhand,
I have tried the Nosler 140 Gr and it too is accurate. You are right in that the Lapua brass is really good. I use it for my 6.5X55 and .308 rifles. Nosler brass is pretty good as well. Have your tried Berger bullets? I found those to work pretty good.
The rifle I use is a Savage Model 10 Tactical. For an off the rack gun, I have yet to best it's accuracy. The only guns I find more accurate are custom built ones using high end after market barrels. I feel that Savage offers the best value in rifles. Some of the guys who shoot in competition around here use the Savage competition actions with high quality barrels. The one guy shoots 1.5" groups at 600 yards with a .308 from one of the guns he built.
I'm going to try your suggestion with the Lapua .243 brass. Both the .243 and 7mm-08 can be easily neck sized to .260. The .260 just never has caught on like the other cartridges that spawned from the .308. But, I feel it is the most accurate for ranges from 100 yards to 1000 yards. I'm sure there are many who would disagree with that statement but in my experience, the .260 is the best. I've had good luck with slow powders like IMR 4831 and magnum primers.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 9th, 2009 03:22 PM |
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Bayou
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I'm new to this site & hope I'm not hijacking post or asking repeat info.
I have a Rem. Mod. 7, chambered in 260 REM. (20" barrel) I have shot Rem factory ammo w/ 120 gr & 140 gr bullets & pretty happy w/ both. I want to handload some hunting rounds for my .260 REM. I will be using it most time for Whitetail deer & hogs from 40 yds. - 400 yds.
Any good trusted data/info on hunting loads for 260 REM would be helpful as I would like to learn all I can on different loads & stuff before expermenting w/ expensive brass ,powder,& bullets.
Thx , Daryl
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| Posted: Wed Sep 9th, 2009 06:17 PM |
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swampshooter
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bayou, The Sierra 120 gr. spitzer and H-4350sc with a standard LR primer would be an excellant place to start.
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sniper55
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Bayou wrote: I'm new to this site & hope I'm not hijacking post or asking repeat info.
I have a Rem. Mod. 7, chambered in 260 REM. (20" barrel) I have shot Rem factory ammo w/ 120 gr & 140 gr bullets & pretty happy w/ both. I want to handload some hunting rounds for my .260 REM. I will be using it most time for Whitetail deer & hogs from 40 yds. - 400 yds.
Any good trusted data/info on hunting loads for 260 REM would be helpful as I would like to learn all I can on different loads & stuff before expermenting w/ expensive brass ,powder,& bullets.
Thx , Daryl
Bayou, out of my Custom 260 for 120 gr. Nosler BT I load 35.5 grs. of H4895, Rem brass, CCI BR-2 Primers, this shoots in the .4s and.5s for me @100. OAL is 2.775 Last edited on Wed Sep 9th, 2009 09:32 PM by sniper55
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Rapier
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I am a 6.5 kinda guy and have been since about 63. I have a few 260s and a few 6.5x55s and a couple 6.5x06 guns. I was also on a military rifle team and a sniper.
Hogdon formulated a specific powder for the 22-250 and similar capacity cases. That powder is H-414. I discovered this while designing a cartridge and calling Hodgdon for a little heart to heart.
I have tried all of the powders listed here with similar results. However, H-414 will deliver the best velocity and best accuracy combination in the 260 for bullets up to and including the 120. When you get to the top of the load density for H-414 using the 120 Sierra MK you will see the groups close to about .10 to .15 inches. The velocity should be at or slightly exceed 3,200 fps which will maintain super sonic status past 1,000. That is a real combination. Try it you will like it.....
By the by, most of the Sierra MK bullets are or have been proven to be a very deadly hunting bullet in actual field use. Sierra does not reccomend their use, but they in fact have volumes of testimonials about their use. But, if you are looking for a good hunting bullet, all round, take a look at the Hornady Interloc 140 SP flat base. It is accurate and has a history of being deadly on deer and such critters. It is my 6.5x55 and 6.5x06 bullet of choice. if I take the 260 for deer, I just take the 120s as I have loaded.
Best,
Ed
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| Posted: Thu Sep 10th, 2009 01:29 AM |
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OK Hunter
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Ed,
Thanks for the good information on the H414 powder. It's one of my favorites and I will give it a go.
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yankeebillie
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I have had great sucess on whitetails using 120 sierra pro hunters with 44 grains of hodgen 4350 standard primer in my 260 I have to say being a 30 cal kind of guy i have fallen in love with the 260
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OldStuffer
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Bayou wrote: I'm new to this site & hope I'm not hijacking post or asking repeat info.
I have a Rem. Mod. 7, chambered in 260 REM. (20" barrel) I have shot Rem factory ammo w/ 120 gr & 140 gr bullets & pretty happy w/ both. I want to handload some hunting rounds for my .260 REM. I will be using it most time for Whitetail deer & hogs from 40 yds. - 400 yds.
Any good trusted data/info on hunting loads for 260 REM would be helpful as I would like to learn all I can on different loads & stuff before expermenting w/ expensive brass ,powder,& bullets.
Thx , Daryl
That 140 grain target load at the top, but with a soft pointed bullet, would be a great place to start as well.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19th, 2009 02:22 PM |
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SteveBrX
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In my 260AI which uses very similair load combos as a regular 260 with just a little more powder, i've played with quite a few combonatins, all were with rem 91/2 primers and to sum up
good =140/142 gr class bullets, Ramshot Hunter, IMR 4350
Better=140/142gr class bullets, RE19, H4831SC
Best=140/142gr class bullets, xmr3100
now this scale has worked on three seperate 260's you mileage may vary and my rating scale has to do with loads ability to agg, velocity vs max pressure vs how hard it is on the case, and of course accuracy.
Working with 120/123class I started playing with RE17 this year and I don't think i'll need to pursue any other combos, that stuff is amazing (so far)
1/4" 3rd groups, below max load getting 3250 out of the AI with Nos BT's so far the RE17 is all good.
Hope this helps.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24th, 2010 02:01 AM |
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bluesky
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Of your 3 6.5mm's you own which is your favorite? if you could only own one what would you get and at what twist rate and barrel length. I am looking to build or buy a 6.5mm rifle in one of these calibers for long range (300-1000 yard) shooting and hunting deer using 140-150 grain bullets. Also, what is you opinion on the improved cartridges.
Thanks - scott
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18th, 2010 04:45 AM |
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Swift Shooter
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another 260 Rem. load to try:
H-4350 46 grs.
CCI 250 primer
123gr. Lapua Scenar
Avg. mv 3,025 fps w/ 26" 1:9 twist shilen barrel
&
H-380 46 grs.
CCI 250 primer
95 gr. V-MAX
AVG. mv 3,275 fps w/ 26" barrel
These are both very accurate loads in my rifle.
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