Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

[EXSOCAL]

All of my experience thus far has been with .308 Win, 300 Win mag, and .223

308 Win seems like it is the easiest caliber in the world to load for - somewhere between 42-45 grains of Varget in the case of your choice plugged up with a 168 or 175 SMK with a .02" jump has worked in every rifle I have ever shot and loaded for.

I've recently read some stuff about .260 Rem stating that it was a bit more finicky to load for. Looking to possibly jump into this caliber so I would like some opinions. I'm interested in the 130-140 bullet class - 130 Berger VLD, 140 Berger VLD, 142 SMK, 140 Amax, and 139 Scenar. Plenty of load data out there, just looking for overall opinions on the cartridge, experiences in developing a load for it, etc.

 

[dpetro64]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

It took me about a day to develop a 2800fps, 1/2 MOA load utilizing 140 grain AMAX bullets. Had some slight pressure signs at first, but I wouldn't say that the cartridge was finicky in my experience. Copied the load from this forum and tweaked it as necessary. I didn't play around with seating depths too much as I loaded them to magazine length (around 2.885"). In my humble opinion, shooting the .260REM is like cheating when compared to the .308. I now understand why so many competitive shooters are using the 6.5 caliber.

 

[EXSOCAL]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dpetro64</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It took me about a day to develop a 2800fps, 1/2 MOA load utilizing 140 grain AMAX bullets. Had some slight pressure signs at first, but I wouldn't say that the cartridge was finicky in my experience. Copied the load from this forum and tweaked it as necessary. I didn't play around with seating depths too much as I loaded them to magazine length (around 2.885"). In my humble opinion, shooting the .260REM is like cheating when compared to the .308. I now understand why so many competitive shooters are using the 6.5 caliber. </div></div>

Thanks for the response, the .260 sounds like a great cartridge. Some of the guys over on accurateshooter were saying they they were having a hard time getting a consistent load - .25 MOA one day, 1 MOA the next. Not sure why that would be.

 

[dpetro64]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

.25 to 1 MOA is a pretty significant shift. Wish I could help you out with that problem. Only about 500 rounds down the pipe so far, but I haven't noticed any drastic variations in group size yet. I usually shoot a quick group at the end of a range session to check my zero and determine if any maintenance is needed. When the groups start opening up a little, I do a thorough cleaning.

 

[Unknown]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

My 260 Remington is easier to load for than any of the 308's I have loaded for. It seems less picky about seating depth, and more accepting of small variances in powder charge.

With my 308's, varying the seating depth + or - .003 inch makes a large difference. I recently tried that with my 260, and it didn't make any difference.

One of the biggest improvements in accuracy for me over the past 10 years was when I started separating rounds by bullet runout after making up the ammo.
.0015 and less runout is first run match ammo, for really long range

.0025 and less runout is great ammo, no noticeable difference inside 400 yards

.0035 pretty decent ammo, but shows less accuracy at 100 yards than the .0015. The difference is about an eighth to quarter inch greater spread at 100 yards.

.0045 practice ammo only. This spreads a quarter to half inch more at 100 yards.

.005 and above: Used only to get on paper, chrono the ammo, or practice at closer range...very noticeable decrease in accuracy.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SOCAL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">308 Win seems like it is the easiest caliber in the world to load for </div></div>

In all of my 308's I find this to be the case as well.


At this point the 260 is still new to me but I would not say it is pickier. H4350 and H4831sc have some nice wide nodes that shoot well. Depending on brass used with 139-142g bullets H4350 shoots well 42-44 grains and H4831sc while depending on your chamber specs with regard to case volume... it works well around 47g, again with the 139-142 class bullets.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

139-142gr bullets:

37.0-38.0gr Varget (lower velocity but accurate)
42.0-43.0gr RL-17
42.5-43.5gr H4350
46.0-47.0gr H4831SC

Add to 1 grain for 130gr bullets, add 2 grains for 120/123s. Lapua brass uses a bit less powder, RP brass a bit more...and most folks use H4350 (including myself).

That said, damn if 39.3gr Varget doesn't shoot half-MOA or better with a 120gr Nosler BT or 123gr A-Max in both of my 260s regardless of barrel length (22 or 26), twist (8 or 9) or brass (Lapua, Nosler or RP).

 

[leadbullet]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

I basically found 5 good loads out of six while testing different bullet weight and powder charges, 2 of those are superb, one for 1000yds and up and the other for under.
it was so easy even a caveman can do it.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

No more, no less. I've worked with 139 Scenar and V-V N550, 142SMK and R/S Big Game and Hunter, and 142SMK, 95V-Max, 140Amax and H4350.

My final load was 43.8gr H-4350 with 140 AMax, Win Brass, CCI BR-2. 2850fps w/L-W 28" 1:8" barrel.

 

[EXSOCAL]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

Anyone have any issues with day to day consistency with their re loads, sensitivity to neck tension, etc?

Here is the thread on accurate shooter where folks were talking about issues:

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3794897.0

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

Cant say that I have. The load has either worked or not.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

Yes, but I wrote it off as range conditions, and not ammo.

Expected my 1000yd zero to change by as much as 2-3MOA, shooting 2 weeks between sessions. Accuracy was pretty consistent.

 

[Unknown]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

Neck tension matters. If you have different tension in cases used in the same lot of ammo, pressures (velocity) become erratic. If all the cases in the lot have the same tension, pressures will be the same.

The problem I have run into is if I have some cases fired 2x, and some cases fired 4x between annealing, I get different neck tension. If all the 4x cases are shot together, I get more consistent pressures/velocity.

Often, you can feel some bullets slide more easily into the case neck, and some have more resistance going into the case neck. That inconsistency causes problems.

 

[ToxGunn]

Re: Is .260 Rem easy to load for??

Yes.

After a short series to check pressures, I've taken fresh from a new bag unsized/untrimmed Rem brass (after culling the couple with over-diameter bases and necks with geartooth imprints(?)?, 47gr of 4831sc, and cci benchrest primers pushing 139gr Scenars seated to mag length, and shot scores at a norcal match that were limited by my windreading ability, not the ammo. I was shooting a Spartan, which didn't hurt, but given just how much time I'd been spending previously doing case prep for the .308 I was loading for my GAP, I was amazed that such "sloppy reloading" didn't show up on paper at range.

Start low, work up. Odds are you'll find 4350 or 4831sc do well, and that the 139 Scenars work nicely.