260Rem vs. __6.5________

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oldmanFCSA

New member
Late to the game after wearing out 3 barrels shooting 50BMG and 2 barrels with 50BMG based Wildcats, I have decided to try a 260Rem based on one of my Rem700 Long Actions I have in hunting rifles.

Based on seating depth concerns in the 260REM, am I correct to start with my Long Action Remingtons?
Will I encounter feed issues from internal magazine or should I consider a modified 25-06/270Win/280Rem/30-06 magazine with spacer at rear to hold cartridge at consistent position within the mag?

I read barrel life to be around 2200 rounds fired vs the 1400 rounds fired in high pressure 50BMG rounds with coarse slow-burn powders like V.V. 20N29.
Setting the barrel back once gains about 50% more life in 6.5 barrels, as also experienced with my 50BMG rifles. (I have Lathe & Mill capabilities in my shop, and do my own 50BMG related builds.)

So the QUESTION: 260Rem or 6.5Needmore ?
 
T

T. O'Heir

New member
There's no comparing .50 BMG with anything. Critter all by itself.
Barrel life is a relative thing. 'Shot out' is a different thing to a BR guy than it is to a hunter or NRA High Power guy.
Kind of suspect finding 6.5 Creed brass would be easier than .260 Rem these days. The Creed is newish and popular. The .260 is slowly being forgotten. Based entirely on Midway's site, they list 8 brands of 6.5 brass. 6 of the .260 and Remington only makes it when they feel like it. Limited Production according to Midway. Other makers are making it though.
The .260 is a short action cartridge(.308 based) too. Any 25-06/270Win/280Rem/30-06 mag or action is too long. Any mag spacer goes in the front not the back though. Think feed ramp extension.
 
J

jmr40

New member
If you're building a custom rifle from scratch you can do anything with 260 that the 6.5 CM does if you hand load. But everything is just a lot easier with the 6.5 CM. The 260 was the inspiration for 6.5 CM and with bullets 130 gr and lighter the 260 is a little faster.

But when the long range shooters tried the high BC 140-150 gr bullets they found they wouldn't work without modifying the 260 rifles and seating the bullets too long to fit a 260 magazine. The 6.5 was created to duplicate that performance, but with off the shelf rifles and ammo.

Hunters quickly discovered that the 140 gr hunting bullets took the 6.5 CM into a different league compared to the 120-130 gr bullets designed for 260.

It shouldn't be hard to make either work in a long action rifle, but I can't answer as to details. If someone already has a 260 and they like it I can understand the reluctance to change. But if buying/building a new rifle there is simply no reason to choose 260 over 6.5 CM. Brass as well as factory ammo is already far more available for the 6.5 than 260.
 
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eastbank

New member
but being a reloader I have a unlimited amount of cheap easy to find brass, I have on hand several thousand match once fired .308 cases given to me. and I use it in a .243-7mm08 as well in a heavy barreled rem .308. my favorit .260 is a rem 700 sps with a 1-8 twist and 24" barrel, that I put in a syn rem DM factory stock on. try N-560 with the 140 gr A-MAX(BC .550- COL 2.785) bullet in your .260, you can push that bullet a over 2700 fps safely
 
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D

dahermit

New member
Any mag spacer goes in the front not the back though. Think feed ramp extension.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember a Model 70 Winchester I had in .308 Win. that had a spacer in the back of the magazine.
 
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gw44

New member
I have a pre-64 Winchester 257rob with a spacer in it, 6.5x284 Norma is the way I went and I glad I did after hearing about the feeding problems with the creedmoor !!!
 
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std7mag

New member
JMR40 is right. With a caveat.
The mag in question is the mag that fits the AR10 platform. Hence if you have a detachable mag that is standard 308 length, heavy match bullets get pushed into the powder space to stay within the 2.80" of the magazine.
If your a benchrest shooter, or F-Class Open shooter, your not using a magazine anyways.

I'm taking it T.O. doesn't reload...
Parent case for the 6.5CM is the 30TC.
260 based on 308 family. Lots of options for cheap brass.

OP,
No, you don't need a long action to shoot either the 6.5 CM, or the 260 Rem.
 
O

oldmanFCSA

New member
std7mag,

I was thinking of using some of my 10 round Rem 7400 magazines to enable seating long projectiles out of powder chamber. I would put a spacer in back of magazine to enable repeatable consistent placements in magazine. I need to modify a few and test for F-F-F.

I have AR-10 magazines but being 308 loaded length it does not allow for forward seating of projectiles.
 
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hounddawg

New member
Either can be accurate depending on the shooter. I have had three .260 barrels now and all have shot five shot groups in the .3's and .4's on Savage actions. I see guys at the range do the same with 6.5 CMs

Look at the case specs and you get a bit more case volume with the .260, in theory the case design makes the CM more efficient. If you want a bit more case volume than a standard .260, you can go with the AI version

For a bolt rifle it is a tossup but in a AR10 though I would go with the 6.5 CM
 
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FrankenMauser

New member
I have a pre-64 Winchester 257rob with a spacer in it, 6.5x284 Norma is the way I went and I glad I did after hearing about the feeding problems with the creedmoor !!!
Click to expand...
I made the same decision (but for various other reasons).
It's still in work, but my 6.5-284 Norma will be built on a standard length action. I don't want to be limited by the magazine length of a short action. I'd rather use a spacer in the standard (.30-06 length) magazine, than constantly beat my head against the wall because I want more COAL but can't get it.

Speaking of which... I need to call and order the barrel today. It's the last piece of the puzzle. (Action, dies, brass, bullets, and loaded ammo are already sitting here, just waiting...)
 
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