Hey, I am on the look out for a new deer rifle, and pretty much had my mind set on either a .308 or a 6.5 CM. Yesterday I came across a Remington 700 in .260. It has a 22 inch heavy barrel, and also has the magpul tactical stock. I have never really thought about a .260, and after some research find out it is pretty much the original 6.5 round that the grendal and creedmore spun off of sorta?

My hunting will max out on whitetails, with shots no longer than 400 yards, if that. So, are there any pros or cons to this caliber, or brand of rifle? Thanks in advance.

PS, what would be a good scope to put on top of it, spending a max of around $300 or so?

6.5CM or .308 will have more readily available hunting ammo for oh **** moments

I had one built just like this with a high grade walnut stuck. It is very accurate and low recoil. Great gun for Texas hunting. Mine shoots 125 grain noslers very well.

CharlieBrown17 said:

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6.5CM or .308 will have more readily available hunting ammo for oh **** moments

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I have thought about that, but if I get it, I am hoping that if there is another big run on ammo, there will be some .260 available since it is not a mainstream caliber.

valverde03 said:

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I had one built just like this with a high grade walnut stuck. It is very accurate and low recoil. Great gun for Texas hunting. Mine shoots 125 grain noslers very well.

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Do you hand load or buy OTC? if OTC, what brand do you use? Thank you.

Handloads primarily, but the federal fusion ammo shoots really well too.

clarythedrill said:

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CharlieBrown17 said:

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6.5CM or .308 will have more readily available hunting ammo for oh **** moments

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I have thought about that, but if I get it, I am hoping that if there is another big run on ammo, there will be some .260 available since it is not a mainstream caliber.

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That's a good thought. But to play devils advocate- as manufacturers get stressed and supply chains get stretched, they likely produce and stock what is most popular first.

Now, if you use it as an excuse to get into hand loading... problem solved!

The .260 Rem is a great cartridge, that can push high BC bullets reasonable quick (It has a slight edge on the CM in terms of velocity/case capacity). I was considering that for my 6.5 build before I ended up going with the 6.5x47 Lapua.

I think just about any moderately sized caliber will be more than enough for whitetail out to 400y provided you do your part.

clarythedrill said:

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CharlieBrown17 said:

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6.5CM or .308 will have more readily available hunting ammo for oh **** moments

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I have thought about that, but if I get it, I am hoping that if there is another big run on ammo, there will be some .260 available since it is not a mainstream caliber.

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I meant more that random small hardware store in BFE that carries ammo is more likely to have the other two if you forget ammo somehow.

The 260 is why a lot of us old farts can't figure out the fascination with the 6.5 CM.

Great caliber. Just as is the 6.5...I don't want to start that discussion.

i know what you mean Newoldarmy

the rem260 is a very effective round. however a lot stores do not carry a wide selection of ammo for this cartridge. my wife, since the late 90s, shot a model 7 that i had rebarreled. lots of deer taken with it. now my oldest granddaughter shoots it successfully. the 260 for some reason never took off like the newer 6.5s.

This is getting quite picky by most people's standards, but the twist rate Remington used for the .260 wasn't 1:8 (don't remember off the top of my head) and I don't know if they've switched to that more standard rate. There are some other details that might bother people who handload like .260 not letting you seat a bullet where you'd like and it still fit in a normal length short action magazine, but those aren't going to affect most shooters.

Remington 700 260 is my go to rifle.

NRH ag 10 said:

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This is getting quite picky by most people's standards, but the twist rate Remington used for the .260 wasn't 1:8 (don't remember off the top of my head) and I don't know if they've switched to that more standard rate. There are some other details that might bother people who handload like .260 not letting you seat a bullet where you'd like and it still fit in a normal length short action magazine, but those aren't going to affect most shooters.

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I am not into handloading, so that will not affect my decision, but thanks for the information. Is the twist rate of 1:8 the most optimal, or just different than others?

I am pretty sure now that I will get this rifle. I kind of like being non-mainstream if I can. I will just need to find a good performing ammo and stock up on it for hunting, and use whatever for plinking.

The faster twist will let you more easily stabilize the longer high BC bullets. If you are just planning on using it for hunting and factory ammo I doubt you will have an issue regardless of the twist.

You can actually have too much spin especially if you are shooting at higher velocities.

I've got a .260 built on a Rem 700 action. It's a 24" 1:8 twist. I mainly shoot handloaded 140 A-Max. I've also got some good loads with 142 SMKs and 127 LRX. For factory, I like the Federal Premium 142 Sierra Match King (the Chocolate Ice-Cream load) and the Swift High Grade 130 Sciroccos.

Normally for someone who isn't getting a custom chamber and not going to handload I'd recommend going with the 6.5CM. But if you've already found I rifle you like in .260, it's about perfect for deer. Inside 400 there will be no reason to sweat twist rates and high BCs. Just enjoy an accurate, soft shooting rifle.