New rifle on the way

969 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Don Fischer, 2 mo ago

Don Fischer

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

Wanted a 250-3000 but finding case's was a pain and not sure what to make them from. So dropped off my old 700 ADL in 243 at the gunsmith Tuesday and it's gonna be a 260 Rem! Re-sized a bunch of 308 case's to 260 today and cleaned them up. Gonna start priming them tomorrow. Time, smith said it would be about 13 weeks. Getting a 22" Lilja, smiths suggestion. For the hunter I just don't think the brand of barrel is as important as people think. I've heard of Lilja barrels but have never known anyone that had one. Not gonna worry about it much! This smith's dad built me a 6.5x06 and a 6.5x55 years ago with Shilen barrels and they shoot fine but probably better than me, I'm not a match shooter. I get a 1" rifle, I'm good with it but I suspect it will do much better! Most of my rifles do and those two Shilens are the only custom barrels I've ever had. This is not a need, just a want. Shoot if it were a need, most my rifle's would kill anything I hunt dead as dead can be if I do my part. Really wanted that 250-3000 but have a soft spot for 6.5's also so this is alright! probably should have gone with a Creedmoor but for two things. Brass easier to make, I think, for the 260 and I don't have a man bun!

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Kevinbear

· #2 · 3 mo ago

Congratulations, hope it shoots well!

shawlerbrook

· #3 · 3 mo ago

Don’t give up hope on the 250-3000. I had a 336 rebarreled to 250ai and brass can be found if you are patient and diligent.

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Clawed 1

· #4 · 3 mo ago

Don Fischer said:
So dropped off my old 700 ADL in 243 at the gunsmith Tuesday and it's gonna be a 260 Rem! Re-sized a bunch of 308 case's to 260 today and cleaned them up.

Don Fischer said:
probably should have gone with a Creedmoor but for two things. Brass easier to make, I think, for the 260 and I don't have a man bun!

That's the beauty of the 260 Rem, or any cartridge/case that can be formed from 308 or 30-06 brass. Or any military round for that matter, availability is always there.
I watch neck thickness when necking down, in some rifles they can be tight and hard to chamber resulting in excessive pressure due to a pinched bullet.

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crooked creek

· #5 · 3 mo ago

Don Fischer said:
Wanted a 250-3000 but

Don, I'm sure you are going to be quite fond of the 260 Rem. and the Lilja barrel. His barrels are excellent, when there is a good gunsmith behind it (always a requirement), no barrel will make up for sloppy or poorly executed work.
Just for the record, in case you still have a hankering for a 250-3000 Savage somewhere down the road, it is a very easy task (as easy, or less effort, than taking 308 down to 260 Rem.) to expand readily available 22-250 cases to 250 Savage. I've done it for my Ruger M77 RSI 250 Savage.

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Don Fischer

Discussion Starter · #6 · 3 mo ago

I read up on expanding up the 22-250 and got good reports on it and bad. I'm pretty sure some of them were simply a guess! Some claimed necking up thinned the necks to much. I've never necked up myself, always down. Then other's said to go ahead and use the 308 case. most were alright with that and does make sense. Looked up the case the 250-3000 was origionally made from. 30-06! Seems like a lot of trouble cutting down the case and I suspect out of myleague but does make me wonder about the 308 case! Oh well one of these days I'll get back around to it. Finally found some 250-3000 case's day or so ago. Think I'd have had to get a lifetime supply to insure I had them few years from now. But I got plenty of 6.5x55 case's so in the end probably doable! Try it again in a year or so, or course by then there may not be any reloading brass to be had, sorry thought!

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crooked creek

· #7 · 3 mo ago

Don Fischer said:
I read up on expanding up the 22-250 and got good reports on it and bad. I'm pretty sure some of them were simply a guess! Some claimed necking up thinned the necks to much. I've never necked up myself, always down. Then other's said to go ahead and use the 308 case. most were alright with that and does make sense. Looked up the case the 250-3000 was origionally made from. 30-06! Seems like a lot of trouble cutting down the case and I suspect out of myleague but does make me wonder about the 308 case! Oh well one of these days I'll get back around to it. Finally found some 250-3000 case's day or so ago. Think I'd have had to get a lifetime supply to insure I had them few years from now. But I got plenty of 6.5x55 case's so in the end probably doable! Try it again in a year or so, or course by then there may not be any reloading brass to be had, sorry thought!

A couple of things to consider: Keep in mind the dimensions I'm giving are the nominal caliber stated dimensions, what may be actually encountered will be based on where/when you start, fired/unfired cases etc. Expanding from .224" to .264" is .040" (.020" per side, much less if starting with fired cases). Sizing down from .308" to .264" is .044" (.022" per side, much more if staring with fired cases). Very similar dimensions, but sizing down may require neck turning, depending on the finish reamer your gunsmith uses. Whereas, expanding up a factory 22-250 case (that has not been previously neck turned) will be good to go (and not too thin) without additional prep.

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tdoyka

· #8 · 3 mo ago

in the early days, the 6.5CM brass was scares, i used 22-250 cases to make 6.5 Creedmoor. it was a little short (the max case length was .2 or .02" shorter) but it shot just as well.

i, er my youngest son, has a 6.5x55 on his '16 Spanish Mauser that has a Numrich barrel. i shot a 120gr Nosler BT and i think, IMR4895? that goes about 3/4" at 100 yards (5 shots/bench). its plenty good enuff for deer.

i have a '16 Spanish that will be a 257 Bob, whenever i get around to it.

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TMan

· #9 · 3 mo ago

Clawed 1 said:
That's the beauty of the 260 Rem, or any cartridge/case that can be formed from 308 or 30-06 brass.

I don't own a .308 or .30-06. About 15 years ago, I trimmed my rifle collection to .223, .7-08 and .35 Whelen, because I know I'd never run out of brass. I did keep my .30-30's, an American essential, and I'll likely die before I wear out my supply.

Clawed 1

· #10 · 3 mo ago

TMan said:
, I trimmed my rifle collection to .223, .7-08 and .35 Whelen

The parent case is a military cartridge, case closed.

10X Shooter

· #11 · 2 mo ago

Don't shoot anything heavier than a 140 bullets in that .260 and you will love it. i have a .260 30* shoulder. I shoot 130's in it. Deer and Antelope DRT! I shoot 139 lapua's for shooting steel at 600 yds. Makes a lovely clang!

Don Fischer

Discussion Starter · #12 · 2 mo ago

10X Shooter said:
Don't shoot anything heavier than a 140 bullets in that .260 and you will love it. i have a .260 30* shoulder. I shoot 130's in it. Deer and Antelope DRT! I shoot 139 lapua's for shooting steel at 600 yds. Makes a lovely clang!

Actually I shoot 140's in my 6.5x55 and 6.5x06. Have been planning on 129gr Hornady's hopefully. They don't work I'll look for another 130gr bullet!

bigjershooter

· #13 · 2 mo ago

I would suggest that you form you 260rem brass from 7mm-08. A lot less sizing is needed and its is easy to form.Have you considered the Nosler 125gr Partition bullet for your hunting needs? I have shot that bullet for deer hunting for many years and it kills well!

Chickasaw Hunter

· #14 · 2 mo ago

I inherited a .260 Rem a few years ago. Brass was impossible to find. I also shoot a .308 and I didn't want to use .308 brass for safety's sake so not to get stuff mixed up. I managed to get some .243 and 7/08 brass and reform those. So for me if it's got a .308 headstamp it's a .308. But if it's got the other stamps it's a .260. I don't have a .243 or 708. No matter which brass I use it shoots great.

Darkker

· #15 · 2 mo ago

Certainly do what makes you the most comfortable, that's just good business.
Personally I don't don't how you would confuse a 26 & 30, with a quick glance. $0.02

Cheers

Chickasaw Hunter

· #16 · 2 mo ago

Thank you for setting me straight on that.

Don Fischer

Discussion Starter · #17 · 2 mo ago

bigjershooter said:
I would suggest that you form you 260rem brass from 7mm-08. A lot less sizing is needed and its is easy to form.Have you considered the Nosler 125gr Partition bullet for your hunting needs? I have shot that bullet for deer hunting for many years and it kills well!

That's a good suggestion and in fact I make my 6.5x06 brass from either 270 or 280 brass as I don't have either. I'm pretty sure that 308 brass won't chamber in a 260 chamber. But making case's from something your not using does make sense!

On Nosler partition bullet's I've never been sold on he idea they are any better than well chosen cup and core bullet's. I built my 6.5x06 on the idea of using 140gr Partitions and did breakin in with 140gr Hornadys. Then bunch of shooting with the 140gr partition and they shot just as well as the Hornady so planned on using them. Hunting season got here and all I had were 140gr Hornadys and have had great results with them in the past in everything so went ahead and used them. Three elk dropped in their tracks with the Hornadys is hard to beat. Tried Noslers back in the 70's and didn't care for them shearing at the partition and their accuracy left a lot to be desired. These newer Nosler's shoot the pants off the old ones and probably kill just as well. I'm one of those guy's that feels the only real advance in premium bullet's over well chosen cup and core is the increase in price. Shoot, an old 50 cal round ball seem's to kill as well as anything. If I were to go to a premium bullet I'd lean toward a bonded bullet. If they stick to the jacket as well as the Speer Hot Core did for me one time, be hard to beat them. On dangerous game the monolithic bullet I could see having an advantage as it simply can't come apart and lighter bullets driven at higher speed penetrate better. If I was to hunt dangerous game, which I won't, I'd choose a 200gr bullet in my 30-06. I've used the 30-06 on three elk with 180gr bullet and nothing fancy, simply kills them. I suspect a disadvantage of mono bullet's may actually be a smaller degree of distruction inside an animal. never having used a mono bullet other than FMJ I really don't know. of course I don't believe the extra 4 or 5 grs of a 129 gr or 130gr bullet is going to be that much of an advantage over the 125 partition either. We tend to choose bullet's based on two things. 1) what has always worked for us and 2) what's the latest and greatest. To say modern premium bullet aren't good bullet's would be foolish. I've just been using cup and core bullet's so long with good results it really is hard to change.

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