Range Report 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

[DAFAR]

Hey Guys I started shooting a remington 260 about six months ago. I am very happy with the ballistics but I am not so happy with the quality of remington brass and the availability of brass as a whole. Since I am currently considering swapping my platforms I have the oppurtunity to switch calibers as well. Since the differances between 260 and 6.5 creedmore seem so small I was wondering if the creedmore brass from Hornady has better availability and quality than the remington 260 brass.What are your guys thoughts about shifting to a 6.5 creedmore from a 260?

 

[snipedogg]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

If your main concern is factory availability, 6.5 Creedmoor is the way to go. The factory Match ammo is even really good. The .260 is such a great round as well but nobody makes brass or factory match ammo. You will get a mixed response about this. Most guys with .260 re-size Lapua brass which I am prepparing some .308 Lapua brass for my Creedmoor as well. I doubt it will make a difference over the Hornady but I have a ton of it on hand so I might as well. Go with the Creedmoor, I think that's what you wanted to hear anyways.

 

[cav1993]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

availability of factory brass or ammo has been a fairly large issue for creedmoor recently. when available brass is certainly of good quality

 

[TEAMSENDIT]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

just get some 243 lapua brass and neck up it will solve your brass problem. the creedmoor brass is good also just hard to find sometimes. but on the bright side the factory match hornady ammo is relatively cheap so you could always just buy it if you were in a pinch.

 

[bottom_gun]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

I am in the process of building a 6.5, and had the same question. Is there a distinct advantage to either the 6.5 CM or the 260? Everything I'm reading says there isn't much ballistic difference, but which is the better way to go for a reloader?

 

[snipedogg]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

Even for a reloader, which I am, There is no distinct advantage to either of the 2 and even the 6.5x47L. It's really comes down to personal preference. My smith tested my gun with the Hornady match and it was near 1/2 MOA with only 10 rounds down the tube. This shows that the Factory ammo is pretty damn good. Thus being an advantage of the CM. But for reloading, It really isn't enough difference to give a clear winner of the 3. check out this link

http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-shootout-260-6.5x47-6.5-creedmoor/

 

[ranger1183]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

Pick your poison!

MidwayUSA rifle brass

For what it's worth, I use 243 brass, 260 brass, 7mm-08 brass and 308 brass all necked appropriately. Easy to do and I don't have to trim to length. That would be my main concern with switching to 6.5 Creedmoor. Either way, you won't go wrong.

 

[Deisel]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

I shoot .260 and started with Remington brass. I know a lot of people here have had success with it, but not me. I experienced loose primer pockets, blown and smoked primers with once fired brass. I moved to Nolser brass and am very happy with it. I am running the same powder and velocity with no primer pocket problems. It does cost more, but you have to do zero work out of the box, except set your neck tension if desired. I am up to 4 reloads on the same brass with no problems so far. I am using H4350 with 139gr Scenar bullets running 2850 fps. I have also seen comments where people neck down Winchester 7mm-08 for .260. Personally I would stay .260 if you already have the dies. I totally agree that .260 and 6.5 Creedmoor are basically equal in performance.

 

[DAFAR]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

Thanks for the input guys,YOu know this is all good info, and it is alot to take on board. I have reloaded for years but I have never messed with neck tension and resizing brass up or down so please pardon my ignorance. how do you neck up brass,

 

[snipedogg]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

You can neck brass up or down. You just need to know what brass you have to use for your caliber. Take your full length sizing die and and it will form the brass to your caliber. It's not that this is a hard thing to do, but you can split the neck if your not careful. It's really just another step in the reloading process that some guys don't want to make and others don't mind. Once you've formed it once, you will only need to neck size from that point.

 

[Deisel]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

DAFAR, look at Terry Cross's comments on page one of this thread http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...128#Post1235128 he explains how resizies the Win 7mm-08 brass for .260.

 

[ranger1183]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

buy these two pieces, use lube and away you go.

Sinclair Expander Mandrel - oversized, 6.5 mm
http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/sid=65127/sku/Sinclair_Expander_Mandrel___oversized__6_5_mm

Std 7/8-14 Expander Die
http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/sid=74483/pid=38807/sku/Std_7_8_14_Expander_Die

- or -

use a 6.5mm boat tail bullet, a reduced load (because your neck tension will be so high), seat the bullet into the 243 brass, fire and you're good. This works well with most .243 brass but watch out for split necks while seating and after firing.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

I shoot and handload .260. I replace my brass once a year, getting upwards of 8 reloading. The Rem .260 brass has been totally sufficient, but does have a slight tendency toward faster primer pocket enlargement.

My main tactic for dealing with this is to use Winchester brass, either .243 or 7-08. It's a very simple matter to run the Win brass through the .260 F/L resizing die, and Voila, it's as .260 as one gets. I suppose I could do the same with Lapua .243, but I F/L resize and match prep all my brass before use anyway, so there is no functional difference in my technique regardless of which brass I start out with. I see buying Lapua as non-cost-effective and time consuming in such a circumstance, especially since I'd need to order it, and the other stuff is in the store, on the shelf.

Not sure how Hornady brass prices compare with Winchester.

Greg

 

[DAFAR]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

thanks guys I guess it is not as hard as it looks. I think I am going to keep my 260 bolt gun and just run with it.

 

[Seuss]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

group buy for 260 ammo is open, $1.20 a round, have taken a few whitetails w my 260 + 139gr Scenar, DRT.

 

[cav1993]

Re: 260 & 6.5 creedmoor cost and availability question

creedmoor sports has creed 6.5 ammo in stock now!