HELP ME DECIDE LMT 260 or 6.5 barrel

[Hunter24]

I've been debating for a while and can't decide. I've read countless articles and threads on comparisons of the 6.5 calibers. I'll be shooting out to 1000 or better. I don't have reloading components for either yet so I'll be starting fresh.

I should have clarified. I already have a mws 308. I'm just buying a new barrel.

 

[HD1911]

i dont think u can really go wrong with either one. i personally would lean towards the Creed as the factory match ammo is supposed to be very good, and pre sandy hook pricing was around $24 per box of 20. hard to beat. Southwest Ammo and Black Hills offers .260, while Copper Creek offers both .260 and the Creed. if yer gonna reload, then .260 would prolly be the one to pick based off of more brass options alone, not that theres anything wrong with 6.5 Hornady brass. im alot of help, i know!

they're almost identical, ballistically

 

[tnrednk74]

I assume you are comparing the 260 vs the 6.5CM. They are both excellent choices. I'm afraid the only difference in these calibers is the person behind the trigger. There is no wrong choice between these two! I personally shoot a 260 rem. in three of my rifles. I would be happy with a 6.5 CM if I wasn't so vested in a 260. Lapua 260 brass is excellent!

 

[Hunter24]

I assume you are comparing the 260 vs the 6.5CM. They are both excellent choices. I'm afraid the only difference in these calibers is the person behind the trigger. There is no wrong choice between these two! I personally shoot a 260 rem. in three of my rifles. I would be happy with a 6.5 CM if I wasn't so vested in a 260. Lapua 260 brass is excellent!

Thanks for the replies. I read that the 6.5CM has a slightly better case design for gas guns. But 260 rem is marginally faster. It's a toss up I suppose.

 

[Cobracutter]

If you reload then .260 , if you don't than 6.5C.

Most factory 6.5C ammo will overgas a semi. Keep that in mind. .243 is also a good round that you can get cheap plinking and hunting ammo to practice with.

 

[svxwilson]

If you reload then .260 , if you don't than 6.5C.

Most factory 6.5C ammo will overgas a semi. Keep that in mind. .243 is also a good round that you can get cheap plinking and hunting ammo to practice with.

+1 on the .260 vs 6.5cm reasoning. 260 is for hand-loaders, adjustable gas block will fix over gas issues.

 

[VKC]

6.5 Creedmoor gets my vote in semiauto. 260 rem slightly larger powder capacity doesn't matter in a gas gun. 6.5 Creedmoor feeds better.

 

[long range newbie]

6.5 cm is a great cartridge (I do not own one) but my stores have tons of brass and factory ammo so It seems like a great cartridge but for my 260 they seem not to get ANY brass for it at all. they get tons of 338 lapua, 50bmg,243, 308,7-08 but not 260.... but if you need 260 brass you can always neck down or up brass from 7-08,308,and 243. I do own a 260 and love it

 

[Unknown]

There is FAR more brass availability with the 260, where there is Hornady with the 6.5 CM, and Lapua with the 6.5x47. Braaa for the 260 can come from:
Lapua
resized 308 (a nearly endless list)
resized 243 Win
Remington
resized 7mm-08
resized military 7.62x51 (especially NM cases)

There are likely others I have missed too, but you get the idea. There is an excellent article comparing the three cartridges, but the summary is that:
1. All three are ballistically the same
2. Choice of which one to get should be based on which one you can most easily, and cheaply get components, and dies for.

 

[elfster1234]

I could be wrong but Isnt the 260 more restricted in terms of OAL length / mag length in comparison to 6.5 or 6creed in semi autos??

 

[LRRPF52]

I could be wrong but Isnt the 260 more restricted in terms of OAL length / mag length in comparison to 6.5 or 6creed in semi autos??

Nope. I shoot most of the VLD-type projectiles and 140gr class target pills in a .260 Rem gasser, with plenty of bullet shank left over in front of the neck. Someone also mentioned 6.5 CM feeding better, even though I've seen several people here report some feeding issues with CM, while the .260 Rem has the same case dimensions as the .308, with just a narrower neck, so feeding is ideal with the .260 Rem for any semi-auto built around the 7.62x51/.308 Win.

.260 Rem brass sources:

Lapua
7mm-08 Winchester (sizes almost like fired cases, just lube well)
Nosler
Norma
Remington

I got into .260 Remington with the presumption that I would load every single case that would be fired from my rifle. There are quite a few factory offerings, but I have specific needs that revolve around a target gun that must shoot .4 - .75 MOA consistently, which this rifle does since it has a Bartlein barrel, and it shoots that way at distance. I really like the 130gr VLD the most so far for speed and accuracy at distance, but the 139gr Scenar and 142gr SMK have been exceptionally accurate for me on top of H4831 and RL17. I use H4350 behind the 130gr VLD.

If I didn't reload, I would still consider the .260 Remington over the 6.5 CM because Midway lists 22 different factory loads for the .260 Remington

 

[kvwpwr]

When I was deciding caliber for my maten build I was left with the same choice. I chose 6.5 creedmoor. Ballistically they are almost identical out of a gasser. The creedmoor was designed from the beginning to function from magazines in a gas gun. The case is shorter so bullets don't get stuffed deep into the case. Hornady match ammo is very accurate if you don't reload. It won't be long before more creedmoor brass choices are available. The cartridge is getting quite popular. Nosler brass is coming soon and I imagine more companies will too. Creedmoor brass can be made from other calibers also. So for me I chose creedmoor in a gas gun.

That said, when it comes to bolt gun i'm going .260

 

[redhooker]

+1 on the .260 vs 6.5cm reasoning. 260 is for hand-loaders, adjustable gas block will fix over gas issues.

According to LMT they have an angled gas port and aftermarket gas blocks will not fit. I have not attempted to try myself yet but just an FYI.

 

[huang]

I've been debating for a while and can't decide. I've read countless articles and threads on comparisons of the 6.5 calibers. I'll be shooting out to 1000 or better. I don't have reloading components for either yet so I'll be starting fresh.

I should have clarified. I already have a mws 308. I'm just buying a new barrel.

I am facing the same choice. I want to go 260, but I am concerned with the twist rate of the LMT barrels for the longer projectiles.

 

[Engine 22]

I have already decided that I'll pick up a 6.5 Creedmore barrel when I get bored with the .308. The sole reason is the availability of great factory ammo. I'll have to research the over-gassing mentioned above, but for now I plan to go with the Creedmore.

 

[65guys_steve]

I'll vote for 6.5CM.

 

[sgtnick]

I vote for the 6.5 just have to wait for when lmt starts sending out the barrels again anyone know when that will be ??

 

[bluto77]

While I'm waiting on my LMT LM8 with .308 20" CL barrel to arrive, I've been trying to figure out which other barrel to get. .260 or 6.5.....but it seems like the bigger question is how/where do you get either one?

 

[ss355]

Performance wise, the two are close enough that it's a toss up. I believe that the one you pick boils down to whether you'll shoot factory ammo or not. If you plan to shoot more factory ammo than reload, go Creedmoor. Hornady's 120 and 140 grn Amax loads run about $1.30 a round at MidwayUSA, for example. Similar target offerings in 260 at Midway run anywhere from $1.95 to $2.70 a round. Sure, you can probably find cheaper if you hunt, but I'm using Midway as an apples to apples comparison.

 

[elfster1234]

just play close attention to LMT twist rate before you buy anything... just to make sure you're cool with the twist rate to bullet you want to use

While I'm waiting on my LMT LM8 with .308 20" CL barrel to arrive, I've been trying to figure out which other barrel to get. .260 or 6.5.....but it seems like the bigger question is how/where do you get either one?