Hunting & Fishing Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

[KPK]

Hey guys deciding on a medium/long range hunting rifle caliber. I've currently got a 300 rum that I should probably just make the long range rig and a short action surgeon 591. I've thought about selling the 591 and going with a Surgeon long, but I like the bullet selection/sectional density of the 260rem.

I've narrowed it down (kinda) to a 260 rem shooting 140gr VLD's and 284 winchester shooting 180 vlds. I'm assuming the 284 would be the best, but there again I've got the 300rum.

What's you guys opinion on max kill distance for the 260 and 284? Talking Elk, Deer, etc...

 

[sscoyote]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

Buddy of mine killed a bull elk at 540 yds. many years ago using an XP-100 pistol in 284 Win. and the 140 Nosler BT.

 

[KClark]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

I'll give you a bit of both.

I've used the 6.5-08 (pre-260 name) on paper from 600 to 1,000 yards and it is a damn fine round, wind bucking was better than hoped for. I originally built it with the then new Sierra 155MK in mind but the 140MK worked excellent and the 142MK better still. If anything it was over kill on paper, the 243 being similar in wind drift, tof etc. so it's off duty now.

I've been hunting off and on the last ten years with a 6.5x55 and it's more or less the same balistically as a 260. It's really done well on coyotes, six or eight deer and a 450lb black bear. I haven't worked up a load I'm 100% happy with but I think a 260 would make me just as happy. It wouldn't be my first choice for elk but it is for anything smaller.

I have a 280 I've hunted with for 20 years and taken antelope, blacktail, whitetail, mulies, caribou, pigs, elk and the smaller stuff. It is the balistic equal of the 284, I think the load data is almost interchangeable. I've never felt undergunned with it and it has done everything asked of it. Because it has excellent bullet selection it is a reloaders dream.

My only concern with your choices would be putting the 284 in a short action. It was made for a short action but it will really shine if you can seat those long bullets out to 3.1 or longer and free up some powder space. It is fine for elk, bullet placement is everything.

 

[JJones75]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

My longest kill on a deer was with a 260 with a 140gr Berger at 944yds , performance was great , bullet expanded and exited leaving about a silver dollar hole. Wound chanel looked similar to a deer I shot at 200yds with a 180 partition out of a 30-06.

I would not shoot elk with it as my first choice though

 

[KPK]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

Thanks for the info guys. Would you opt for something a little bigger than the 6.5? I've got a 6.5 grendel already...

KClark, I would have to sell my 591 to go with the longer surgeon action for the 284..

 

[clodhopper]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

My 10 year old grandson put down a cow buffalo with rem M7 .260.
Speer hotcore 140 grain.
The range was close, and I stood ready with .35 Whelen.
At his shot the ole cow took off running getting a little shorter with each step. Down in less than thirty steps.
He had never fired a centerfire before.
I drilled him with .22 lr, dry fire with the 260, we also spent some time talking of bullet placement useing a plastic toy animal and a pencil to talk angles.
I made him aim for the heart and wait until the near leg was forward before fireing to avoid the shoulder.
The bullet entered the chest cavity drilling through a rib bone,
and was expanded nicely as it passed through the upper heart chamber.
Exited the rib chage between ribs and was against the far shoulder bone in one peice weighing 130 grains. It penetrated about 14 inches of meat and bone.
This was the first Buf I ever cut up, with many deer, and speed goats, a few elk and two beefs I have cut and wrapped in the past
I was supprised at how heavy duty a buffalo is built. Big tough bones, massives tendons and yellow fat like a chicken.
Bullet placement pulled this off.

 

[kyreloader]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

Here is an article about a .284 in a short action. I would choose the .284 over the .260 if elk were on the menu. Also, the .284 would have better barrel life and very good ballistics with 162g Amax bullets.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek095.html

 

[Biscuit]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

why not 264 win mag?

pretty dang versatile IMO

 

[bohem]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

Joel's got a good point on that 264 Mag but don't get too attached to the barrels you put on there. Unless you're only using it for hunting be prepared to rebarrel soon and often.

I've got a 6.5-06 shot like a house on fire until the upper teens. By 500 rounds the throat had advanced 0.040" and by 800 rounds the grooves looked like 80 year old, abused, burned, desert road pavement. It still shot, but thankfully my reamer only had 0.088" of Freebore to start so I could chase the lands for a while.

A 140 Berger starting at 3175 is an awful lot of fun to shoot though.

That 284 will deliver very similar drop/drift numbers with the 162 Amax and 168 Bergers on the 6.5x55 Swede, it will outrun the 260 by a fair bit. The 180's fly awesome and retain a LOT of energy to deliver on warm targets at distances.

I don't think you'll have any trouble killing elk+ sized game at 750yd or more. The BIG caveat is that you can place the bullets right. If you can't, then it doesn't matter what caliber you're shooting.

 

[esorensen]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

Maybe you could consider a switch barrel setup for your rig. There are a more than a few options with a long action and a magnum bolt face. A couple of gauges, and some tools, one can swap a barrel in a few minutes. You already have a great setup.

 

[lpgasguy]

Re: Opinions/Experience, Max kill distance 260, 284

I have never killed an elk so take this as an opinion,but with what you have I would build a 260 and not feel undergunned.A friends uncle hunted and guided in Africa for years killing everything up to Eland with a 264 with 140 matchkings,and yes I know they are not a game bullet but he never lost an animal.So I believe with the right bullet a 260 will kill an elk at any reasonable range.I have killed big hogs out to 400 yards with mine using 139 scenars and have never had one run more than 10 yards.