Shotgun News, 1 OCT 2007

Imagine you're in the middle of a practical rifle match, hiking to the last of the five shooting positions in the evolution. You have to locate, range, and engage another six targets in three minutes and you've been carrying your .300 Winchester Magnum all day. The recoil isn't that bad, but you find yourself having to concentrate on getting good trigger presses after the day's exertions. Judging wind is the crux of making long-range hits, and wind changes have caused you a few misses already today.

It's times like this when shooters wish for a lighter rifle, shooting ammunition that cuts through the wind better, drops less, and has less recoil. Sometimes going bigger isn't the answer; a larger magnum - like the .338 Lapua - might solve the ballistic problems, but at the expense of an even heavier rifle with more recoil.

Tactical shooters can be a dogmatic bunch, with some good reason. They have trained on a specific weapons system, shooting one kind of ammunition with one set of data, and they are comfortable with it. This can make arguing for a new bullet or cartridge a hard sell when the answer isn't 175-grain M118LR, the long-range accuracy loading of 7.62x51 NATO for sniper rifles.

To contrast, long-range competition shooters in disciplines such as F-class, High-Power, Palma, and Benchrest have been experimenting with new bullets for ages, and have accumulated a lot of experience with the long, sleek, high-BC 6.5 mm and 7 mm bullets.

In the last 15 years, long-range "practical" or "tactical" rifle matches have become popular, in part promulgated by Dr. David Kahn's Keneyathlon ("hunters test") format. These matches include the International Tactical Rifleman Championships (WY), Practical Rifle Team Challenge (CO), the NRA Whittington Center's Sporting Rifle Match (NM), the Blue Steel Ranch Steel Safari (NM), and various "Sniper Challenge" matches around the country. While conventional tactical calibers like .308 and .300 Winchester Magnum were initially the choice of competitors, it didn't take long to figure out that shooting sleeker bullets faster produced a dramatic improvement in making first-round long-range hits.

The 6.5 mm bore size - the metric designation for .264 - has not been a big hit in the United States, since our legendary rifle cartridges are .30-06 and .270 Winchester. However, in Europe the 6.5 mm caliber has a long history, in large part due to the 6.5 mm Swedish Mauser cartridge. The 6.5x55 mm Swede is as popular in Europe as .270 is here, and it is regularly used to take large game including moose.

Ever since the .308's introduction, it has been a favorite parent case for wild-cat cartridges, and the "6.5mm-08" has been around in custom chamberings for decades. In 1997, due to Jim Carmichel's efforts, Remington commercialized the .308 case necked to 6.5 mm in the .260 Remington, intended as a flat-shooting, low-recoil short-action cartridge for medium game. The .260 Remington can be thought of as the American version of the 6.5x55 Swede, but it fits in a short action and can be loaded to 2.800 inches.

The .260 Remington cartridge is gaining favor with many long-range shooters for the simple reason that it slings the long, slim, high-BC 6.5mm bullets at respectable velocity. It duplicates or beats the .300 Winchester Magnum's trajectory with less recoil than .308.

Compared to the venerable .300 Winchester Magnum's most common load - a 190-grain Sierra MatchKing at 2900 fps - the .260 has about 17% less wind drift and a few clicks less drop. Even though it shoots a 140-grain bullet, it still has 87% of the Magnum's energy at 1000 yards because its slim design yields a much higher ballistic coefficient (BC) value, so it retrains velocity longer. It also has 60% less recoil than the 300.

The .260 Remington blows .308 out of the water. It has 35% less wind drift and about 10 MOA less drop at 1000 yards than the standard 175-grain M118LR load. Despite a 35-grain deficiency in bullet mass, it has 31% more energy because it loses less along the way due to atmospheric drag, hitting 350 fps faster at 1000 yards.

For long-range use, the heavier, higher-BC bullets are always a good idea. In .260, this means using the 120 up to 142-grain match or VLD type bullets from Sierra, Lapua, or Berger. The 139-grain Lapua Scenar, 140-grain Berger VLD, and 142-grain Sierra MatchKing are the best choice for cutting through the wind and retaining down-range energy. These heavy 6.5 mm match bullets have BC values between 0.58 and 0.64, and can be shot at 2800-2850 fps from a 26-inch barrel.

If you want a flatter trajectory and don't mind a little more wind drift, the 120-grain SMK and 123-grain Lapua Scenar are good choices, gaining about 175 fps over the 140-grain-class bullets. These 120-grain-class 6.5 mm match bullets have BC values between 0.51 and 0.55. The best the .308 Winchester can do is 0.508 at 2850-2900 fps (155-grain Lapua Scenar), or 0.631 at 2400-2500 fps (210-grain Berger VLD).

The beauty of .260 is that it is a drop-in replacement in .308 rifles, providing a dramatic ballistic upgrade with only a barrel change. Since it is based on the .308 case, .260 cases can be formed easily by necking down .308 cases. Bolt-face size, feeding, and magazines are not affected. Screw a new barrel on your action, and you are ready to go. Certainly there are better long-range calibers, such as 6.5-284 Norma, 7 mm Remington Magnum, or .338 Lapua Magnum, but these require a larger action, different magazines, produce more recoil and will burn out barrels more quickly. For the .308 case, the 6.5 mm bore size is the sweet spot in terms of having bullets of high-enough BC value to perform at long-range while retaining decent muzzle velocity.

Sounds ideal? Well, it's not all roses. Up until now, there haven't been any factory loads which use those high-BC bullets appropriate for long-range. As this is being written, Black Hills Ammunition, at the request of G.A. Precision, is working on a factory load using the 139-grain Lapua Scenar. When this comes to market, the .260 will be a much more viable choice for the long-range shooters who don't or can't reload their ammunition.

For the reloader, lack of factory ammunition isn't a problem, but getting good components can be. A good general rule is that if Lapua makes brass in your caliber, then buy it even though it is a little more expensive. Its quality, consistency, and hardness alleviate the need for extensive brass preparation and allows for less work in each successive reload iteration. Unfortunately, only Remington produces .260 brass. I have found its hardness to be inconsistent, and some primers pockets are a little loose even before the first firing. Since .260 is based on the .308 case, reloaders can form .260 from .243, 7-08, and .308 cases, although this does add a couple extra steps to brass preparation the first time.

There is some good news for reloaders. Nosler has just announced that it will be producing NoslerCustom brass for the .260, with availability summer 2007. Silver State Armory has also done a small run of custom .260 brass.

I am lucky to be part of a flourishing group of practical long-range shooters in the Colorado region. In the last year, ten of us have put together rifles chambered in .260 Remington with impressive results. About half of the new .260 shooters have decided to stop shooting .308, and have just replaced the barrel on their main .308 rifle with a .260. Here are four representative rifles from the group.

My primary long-range rifle had been an Accuracy International AWP (.308) for a couple years, so when I fell into a screaming deal on a used AI-AW, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I unscrewed the original barrel, and sent the action off to George Gardner at G.A. Precision to fit a 26-inch medium Palma profile 5R barrel from Rock Creek Barrels. The rifle was topped with a Schmidt & Bender PMII 3-12x50 mm scope with a P4-Fine reticle and 1/10th mil click knobs. About a week later, I was shooting .260 Remington loads through the rifle. With only about a week to develop a good load before the 2006 Steel Safari match, I settled on a little over 41 grains of H4350 in Remington brass with a CCI BR2 primer, topped with a 139-grain Lapua Scenar. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done. My dope was on and the rifle came through, letting me squeak by a better rifle shooter and win the match by a hair's width. It's not a coincidence that he went on to build a .260. I have since moved to using Lapua .243 brass necked up to 6.5 mm because it is harder and more uniform.

The Remington 700 is the most common rifle used for long-range shooting because it is relatively cheap, good quality, and has lots of after-market parts available. My friend Michael built a spare Remington action into a .260 rifle by adding a 24-inch three-groove Lilja barrel with one-in-eight inch twist, tipped with a J.P. Enterprises Benny Cooley muzzle brake. The rifle wears a Nightforce 3.5-15x50mm NXS scope with NP-R2 reticle on a Badger 20 MOA base. Michael settled on a load using Remington brass shooting the 123-grain Lapua Scenar at about 3000 fps using VV-N550.

The next rifle is an ArmaLite AR-10, which has been fitted with a 22-inch barrel from J.P. Enterprises. The AR-10 is more finicky with regard to accuracy, and the gas system needs some tuning to ensure function and reduce recoil with the .260. This is easily accomplished with a J.P. adjustable gas block. This AR-10 gives good accuracy with the 142-grain SMK at about 2650 fps using H4350 and necked-down 7-08 brass. The gas gun loses velocity compared to the bolt rifles and is harder on brass.

My friend Chuck was seduced by the ballistics of 6.5-284 Norma but wanted to stay with a real short-action cartridge. The solution was 6.5-08 Ackley Improved, which is a .260 case blown out to have a steeper shoulder angle and less body taper. The benefit of the extra case capacity is an additional 80 to 120 fps, however, cases must be fire-formed which takes time and eats away additional barrel life. Since the Ackley Improved version is more overbore, it will burn out barrels faster than .260 Remington. The straight walls of the Ackley Improved also do not work well in double-stack double-feed magazines, such as those for the AI-AW and AR-10. Chuck's rifle was built by TJ's gunsmithing in Aurora, Colorado around a Surgeon Tactical action, with a 26-inch Krieger #10 MTU-contour barrel. Its McMillan A5 stock was fitted with the Badger AICS detachable box magazine system. A US Optics 3.2-17x44 mm SN3 scope is mounted on USO rings directly to the Surgeon receiver. In fire-formed brass, Chuck's load shoots the 142 Sierra MatchKing at 2900 fps using H4831SC powder. Everyone who shoots this rifle compares it to a laser beam.

The .260 Remington provides long-range ballistics conventionally limited to the magnum calibers. Because its parent case is the ubiquitous .308 Winchester, building a rifle in .260 can be as easy as fitting a new barrel. The .260 provides much less wind drift and drop than .308 but has less recoil. The hunting pedigree of 6.5 mm in Europe proves the caliber is formidable for practical use. For long-range shooters who want a better cartridge than .308, but don't want the costs associated with big overbore magnums, the .260 is just the ticket.

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_Bullet_           _BC_ _MV_         0     200     400     600     800    1000 | YARDS
338 Lapua         0.675 2960 >    0.00    1.71    7.14   16.84   31.47   51.79 | wind (inches)
7RM 168 VLD       0.648 2950 >    0.00    1.79    7.50   17.74   33.22   54.83 | wind (inches)
260 140 VLD       0.628 2840 >    0.00    1.95    8.20   19.45   36.52   60.47 | wind (inches)
260 123 Scenar    0.540 3000 >    0.00    2.12    8.96   21.42   40.60   67.89 | wind (inches)
300WM FGMM 190    0.53* 2900 >    0.00    2.25    9.55   22.88   43.55   73.15 | wind (inches)
308 155 Scenar    0.508 2830 >    0.00    2.45   10.44   25.12   47.94   80.53 | wind (inches)
308 175 SMK       0.51* 2650 >    0.00    2.76   11.81   28.51   54.73   92.12 | wind (inches)

_Bullet_           _BC_ _MV_         0     200     400     600     800    1000 | YARDS
338 Lapua         0.675 2960 >    0.00    0.30    1.50    3.00    4.70    6.80 | drop (mils)
7RM 168 VLD       0.648 2950 >    0.00    0.30    1.60    3.10    4.80    6.90 | drop (mils)
260 123 Scenar    0.540 3000 >    0.00    0.30    1.60    3.10    5.00    7.40 | drop (mils)
260 140 VLD       0.628 2840 >    0.00    0.40    1.70    3.40    5.40    7.70 | drop (mils)
300WM FGMM 190    0.53* 2900 >    0.00    0.40    1.70    3.40    5.50    8.00 | drop (mils)
308 155 Scenar    0.508 2830 >    0.00    0.40    1.80    3.70    6.00    8.80 | drop (mils)
308 175 SMK       0.51* 2650 >    0.00    0.50    2.20    4.30    7.00   10.50 | drop (mils)

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