Okay, go ahead. Stand with me. Or shoot you down?

NO WAY!

6.5 / .264 is an awesome caliber!

120 gr

AccuTip BT 2,890 fps 2,392 ft·lbf

____________________________________

140 gr

Soft Point 2,750 fps 2,351 ft·lbf

7.62 NATO Lake City Match brass would make beautiful and accurate cases for reloading!

260 Remington M1A? Interesting thought!

The .243 winchester with a 100 gr spitzer boattail is the ideal whitetail cartridge. It too is a fast, flat shooting round out to 275 yards. Beyond that, most people can't shoot as well as their firearm anyhow. And the .243 will knock 'em just as stiff as the .270.

Now if you're back to "stopping power" -- which is, to my mind, a cheesey way of saying that you can't count on being accurate enough to hit a heart or lung -- then you need to up your bullet weight to at least 180 grains, which puts you into a .30-06 if you still want really great ballistics at 270 yards. But really, if you can't be accurate enough to use a .243, then you need to spend more time at the range.

I'm standing with you, man. It's a very adequate round for deer, more so than the .243 (sorry, people in my neck of the woods have had some negative experiences with that cartridge so I'm a little prejudiced against it), and all the hunters I know who own .260's are in love with them.

Not to mention the cool factor of it being a sniper round. In fact, I'd like to pick up a .260 AR one of these days...

fishdaddy8

The 264 being is between the .257 (257 Bob / 25-06) and .284/7mm, there is something about the areodynamics of this caliber that makes it an excellant combination to be top pick for long range and performing bullet!

I would lean towards the 6.5-06, but the 6.5-08 is no punk!

A similar cartridge some of us enjoy shooting is the 6.5x55.

Go figure!

I once missed an opportunity to buy one of the rare Winchester Model 70 XTR Featherweights in 6.5x55 (before the company's recent offering of that caliber in the custom Featherweight). The gun was in beautiful condition and the buyer wanted only $500. But I was a young freelance writer who didn't have $500.
Still pains me.
But it eventually convinced me of a simple maxim: When you see a gun you really want, just buy it--which recently led me to a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage.

As much as I hate not presenting an alternative viewpoint, I must admit that the argument, as presented, is airtight.

The 260 Rem. is a wonderful little cartridge, BUT there is one big problem with it. It isn't popular! To be considered the ultimate whitetail round it should be one that is available at any sporting goods store or hardware store that sells ammo. I am a reloader, but most hunters aren't. If you want a light kicking rifle, get a 30/30. If you can hadle more, get a 270 or an 06. Most deer are taken at ranges less than 100 yards anyway. And to add to the range issue, most hunters aren't good enough in field positions during real world hunting conditions to be consistently lethal at longer ranges than 150 yards or so. Just my thoughts.

For me it is all about what kills the quickest. Being aware of a univeristy study and a couple wildlife department studies done on this subject I know the 260 isn't the best, though it is darn close. The studies required offices place the hunters and after the shot wait for the office to recover the animal. Data was collected on DRT, distance traveled, lost animals, etc. The 25 calibers won hands down. The 260 is a great caliber, just not "The Best" for deer.

give me a .243 any day. kills mule deer just fine. easy to shoot. ammo is easy to find.

I feel sort of guilty hunting deer with a 12ga Hornady SST, let alone a rifle. As for stopping power, I'm with Mike Diehl.

Hey Walt

If you hand load, you will have tons of brass to reload for the 260 Remington, cheaper and more available than any thing out there!

308 and 7.62 NATO!

Lake City 7.62 NATO would be absolutely perfect. The cases are annealed and will give superior performance over commercial brass. Just remember one thing, you will get far more reloads and because the case walls are thicker you must reduce your powder by 1.5 grains to compensate!

HEY, THE 260 REMINGTON IS A RELOADERS DREAM!

The 260 remington is a wonderful deer round and in my custom heavy encore barrel a long range coyote whopper. However in saying this the same could be same of the .375 H&H. The .375 is a wonderful all around deer cartridge from Texas to saskacthawen. With a good 270 grain spitzer at about 2700 fps you will get ultra minimal expansion with a 375 caliber hole that you could thread an expanded 264 caliber bullet through, and the beauty of this is...You will ruin almost no meat! unlike that beloved 120 grain balistic tip many .260 shooters tout. The .375 is also a very light kicking rifles when compared to other calibers in its class and with a 10 lb rifle, very easy to handle. These arguements will go on all day with the real king of deer woods being the 30-30 winchester. There is no more handy a rifle in the hands of a skilled hunter than a slab sided marlin and with the new leverevolution ammo, we have an honest to God 300 yard deer hammer! from woods to plains, men, women, and children across the country should all own at least a battered nasty model 94 to pay respect to deer camps of olden days. Also if you find yourself in a barber shop in backwoods population 19 real world Mayberry. I will bet there is a box of 30-30 ammo for sale.

The .260 Rem is a great whitetail gun, not so much due to availiblity of the rifle and rounds! Lets go with a caliber that is easy to find rounds for (beginners don't reload) and you can find a variety of manufactures mass producing a .260 Rem. In my mind the perfect whitetail gun would be a .243 if your in the south where the deer are smaller or a .270 in the north where the deer are slightly larger. Both of these calibers have are mass produced and are avalible for a novice hunter, not to mention you can buy a box of bullets at any WalMart and there cheap. If you own a .260 you would probably leave it in the gun safe half the time due to lack of ammo or the cost of it, making it not so great.

OK, Scott, here's the real test:

Exactly how many rifles do you own in this caliber that you bought yourself and were not sponsored, underwritten, or gifted to you by a manufacturer? And how many hunts have you taken one on that were not in support of a hunt or gun test article you were scheduled to write?

I could make a killing on the sales on 260 Rem brass!

Okay, WA Mtnhunter,
Cordially, this is Dave, not Scott. I do not own nor have ever owned a single .260 Rem. that's been gifted, underwritten, or even made cheaper via a "friendly price" from any manufacturer. I have never even been offered such. I have never been on a single manufacturer-sponsored hunt wherein I've used a .260 Rem.. Not ever. I have had absolutely no correspondence of any sort with any of the various makers of .260 Rem. loads or bullet in anticipation of this blog. What you seem to be suggesting is dead wrong. I like the load for its merits.
In the name of good manners, I'll overlook what could be construed as an attack on my integrity and just politely point out that you couldn't be more wrong.

Dave,

The internet and email is a wonderful place to misconstrue intended meaning, misinterpret intents, and promote miscommunication that it was designed to improve.

I meant no, not even a smidgen, question of your integrity or intentions. I was just fishing for real testimonial of the cartridge. Nothing more, nothing less!

I sincerely apologize if I offended you in any manner. It was not intended I assure you!

Best regards

WMH

WA Mnthunter,
Not one worry in the world. Don't think twice.
I understand. There is a great deal in today's whitetail world that should be met with considerable skepticism. And I welcome the opportunity to point out what I believe too few (and I'm not necessarily referring to you here) don't realize: That F&S is the real deal. When it comes to integrity, we set the standard.

Thanks, Dave

I really enjoy "the real deal " F & S staff in all respects, here and in print.

Someone has to write and argue about cartridges else it would be a boring existense. Thanks for keeping it real!

Best regards
WMH

I'll agree with Mike Diehl that a .243 will knock them just as stiff as a .270 because I use both. But I get less meat damage and more exit wounds with the .270, especially on deer going 150 lbs. and up. For those reasons, and the fact that it's more common, I plan on starting my boy out with a 7mm-08.

i have to go with the 30-06!! good expansion,cheap,and always on the shelf at any sporting goods store. I hunt with alot of guys that shoot the smaller faster rounds.close shots=little expansion. It seems they are always blood trailing for 70+ yards.

SHOOT - "GOT AMMO" (anywhere ? )

Now I have to go find a .260 and do some shooting.
Dang, that'll be a rough job. And I'm looking forward to it.
A few years back, as I slowly began weaning myself from the BLR .308 that had been my only big game rifle since childhood, I toted a Rem. Model 7 in 7mm08. Handiest little rifle I have ever carried, more than reasonably accurate. Completely deadly cartridge on deer and antelope, and it took a bull and a cow elk - both with a single shot. I've never had a deer rifle that I liked better. But it was very short, and I passed it on to a nephew who needed it badly. Now I shoot a Rem. 700 LTR in .308, and I think I've found the gun to grow old with.

My choice of choices is the 6.5x55. Having been around since the 1800's, that round still whacks like Thors hammer. The Swedes were way out in front of the pack with this round.

Last night, I got thinking why the 260 Remington or better known as the 6.5-08. Of all the cartridges out there such as the 257 Roberts etc fine choices indeed! I realized why and it’s so simple, WOW! For those of us who shoot competition and hunt, that 264 diameter pill is awesome in performance over the other calibers. So why the 308 necked down to 264??? There are three prime users are looking at this cartridge to take the advantage of the performance. Competition Shooters, Hunters but most of all the Military. So why the 308? Other cartridges have been on the market for a long time and the actions are rated much lower than today. When comparing the 308 to the 7.62 NATO, this is where it’s all at!!!! (Besides the shorter actions and we all know why), The average Commercial chamber pressures hovers around 55,000 psi while the Military loadings are around and as high as 60,000 psi. Another reason for the 260 Rem if it was to cross over to the Military, far less retooling and weapons modifications would be minimal. I believe there is more to the 260 Rem than we realize!

.264 NATO COMING SOON TO A ARMY UNIT NEAR YOU! ???

Wackdaddy,
Well argued.

I guess it all depends on what measurement stick(s) you want to use to qualify "Best Whitetail Cartridge". If we're talking about game hitting the ground when the trigger is squeezed, I'm not sure ammo availibility, long/short action or rifle rareness has anything to do with it. I've always asked, "How much gun do you really need to take down a whitetail?" Does any of it matter, if the rifle shoots good and you can place shots where you ought? I don't think the deer really care if you're shooting a .260 Rem, a 6.5x55 or a 264 Win Mag. The only interaction it has with what you're shooting is... with the bullet: caliber, weight, speed. Deer aren't behemoth monsters, but they are tough. I've had them run after taking a boilerroom shot from a higpower and I've had them drop in a heap with a shot from a flintlock 50cal. I've heard people say all you need is a .222 and others that wouldn't step into the woods w/o their 300 Win mag. I think selection has a lot to do with where/how you hunt. My 257 Rob isn't nearly as good as a bean field gun as it is here in the woods of PA. I like a 100gr 25cal at 3100fps. It has done well for me, but I also don't usually shoot at deer over 200yds. I guess I personally don't care how you get there, 250-3000, 257Rob, 25WSSM, 25-06 or 257 WM. I like 100gr 25cal @3100, 130gr .277 @2900fps and 140gr 7mm @2700fps. I think they are a good mix of low recoil, adequate power and won't ruin a lot of meat.

.260 Remington: The Round That Should Have Succeeded, But Didn't(Won't)......

Why?

Here's some of the faux pas:

-wrong barrel twist
-wrong bullets loaded in factory ammo
-availability and cost of factory ammo
-total lack of support/marketing by Remington for guns and ammunition
-lack of adoption/support by other gun & ammunition makers. Politics? Methinks possibly....

The competition the .260 faces is pretty fierce:

6.5x55 - 'nuff said
.25-06 - ditto
7mm-08 - well supported by gun & ammo makers
.257 Roberts - a long tradition, lots of legacy there
.270 Winchester -are you $#!tt!ng me, Pvt. Pyle???

.....and then the other near- and not-so-near competitors splitting the already split hairs:

6.5x284 - coming on strong, adopted as a factory round by Savage. A wildcat that has a LOT of buzz going on and a strong competition record....
6.5 Creedmoor - another relative newcomer, with Ruger among others offering factory chamberings. Again, some competition history....
6.5x47 Lapua - VERY accurate, still obscure though
6.5 Grendel - fits shorter actions, can work in AR-15 FWIW. Try buying some of that at Wal-Mart....
6.8 SPCII - possible military adoption, comparably limited power, but short action/AR compatible.

All that said the .260 has the stuff to succeed. It should, but it won't. Without wider validation by the makers and accessible ammo choices, I think it will quietly fade into obscurity. As the firearms & ammunition makers conjure up other "newest greatest must-have" things for us, we'll look back and ask,

WHY?

"All-around" is a broad statement. The .260 Rem is excellent for many whitetail hunting situations, but it has two drawbacks: light bullets and lack of availability. The .260 is the spawn of the .308 Win, and the parent cartridge is superior. It has a significantly larger diameter and heavier bullet, legendary accuracy, and is available everywhere. Recoil is mild, too. The .308 Win is the true "All-Around Whitetail Cartridge" king.

I think you make the case for any who are not with you -sighted in at 125yds 3" high and you get a 3" drop at 300 That is a drop of 6" in the last 175yds, not so flat

Dave, I'm sure the .260 is a fine round for all of the reasons that you and others cite. At the same time, there are at least a dozen other rounds that are a sniff away from the .260 in terms of performance, recoil, etc. The key is AVAILABILITY.

I grew up hunting with a 7.7mm Japanese Arisaka...good luck finding THAT behind the counter of your local WalMart.

.30-'06. Mice to moose. Case closed. -Bob

Part of what I do for a living is build custom rifles. I shoot a 7 STW, one son shoots a .30-06, one son a .280 Rem. and the other shoots a .260 Rem. During deer season my youngest son and I went to the range and checked the zero on everyone's rifles. The .260 was a pleasure to shoot especially compared to the STW in terms of recoil. The .260 was easy to shoot and easy to shoot well. About the only drawback to the .260 even for a handloader is that brass can be very difficult to find if you have to have a .260 Rem headstamp on the case. However, the brass can easily be made from necking up .243 brass or necking down .308 brass.

What I tell most guys when selecting a cartridge to have their rifles chambered who don't handload, is that it's pretty hard to go wrong with selecting the chambering based on what will be available at most hardware stores that sell ammo. For hunting rifles, go with the .243, .270, .30-06, 7mm Rem mag or .300 Win Mag using the smaller end of the list for deer and the larger end for elk. Any of these cartridges are available at just about any mom and pop hardware store that sells ammo. The rest of us that handload and for who accuracy is an obsession is what keeps me in business.

.243 baby! I shot a 350lb russian wild boar with 243 remington 100gr core-lock back in 1983. Drop'd him in his tracks. I remember reading an article in a hunting mag how anything smaller than an '06 would just "bounce off" the shoulder. Yeah right. I like the looks of this 260 remington, but like a lot of your readers have suggested, where would you find ammo for it? Heck, I'm having problems finding 30-06 and 30-30 ammo! (although I think the ammo "shortage" is getting better).

how does it compare to a 25.06

When the .260 Rem. came out, I thought it looked good on paper and heralded the choice and thought it a nice change from the magnumnitus that has gripped the land. A number of folks I know in Pennsylvania love the round, but all seem to agree it hasn't taken the shooting/hunting world by storm, and seems to be falling out of favor already for much sexier rounds. Some say it's almost dead. The 7mm-08 seems more versatile and ammo can be found most anywhere. I'm a big fan of the 6MM's and quarterbores like the .257 Roberts. I absolutely love my pre-64 M70 in .257 Roberts. If you LIKE to shoot, it's nice not to get beat up all afternoon at the range. For me, the .260 nestles nicely between the .25's and the short 7MM's. But I don't know if I would buy one until I see more ammo on the shelves and more rifles chambered in it. I'm lucky I reload, but I also know the scarcity of the 6MM Rem. and .257 Roberts on some gunstore shelves already. These rounds certainly are not as popular as the .270/.308/.30-06 class or follow the craze of the short-magnums these days. And whatever happened to the 6.5x55? What a fine round but interest in it is zilch.

I think it is definately the best. It will not over kill a whitetail but at the same time it has the ability to take an elk and most likely a moose with no trouble.

Best All around for Deer? Close, but lacking only in the area of ability to readily buy ammo and cost of the ammo.

Probably the 7-08 is just as capable and easier to feed.

bowhrad

Perhaps the 260 Rem may not be taking the hunting and Shooting world by storm, the caliber of 6.5mm/.264 is.

It's sweeping thru the shooting world and well as the Military like a wild fire!

Like I said earlier, I truly believe the 260 Remington is going to cross over into the Military World as the 6.5 NATO with a chamber pressure running about 60,000 psi smoking the other military cartridges!

I first want to mention that I have killed deer with guns ranging from .22 - .44 caliber guns. I prefer my .300 Win Mag for bigger deer (mule deer) and have really grow to like my .243 for whitetail hunting, but was mostly using my .25-06 before (I think I began to use it because it was something different than what most hunters in my area were using). I tried to be more objective about this and created a matrix to score what would be some key aspects for rating a deer rifle. I came up with the following rating system (which is subject to riducule and debate is as with everything these days):

flat shooting
recoil
bullet weights options
price of ammo
knock down power
availability of ammo
gun weight

I made ratings based upon the following:
1-5 (5 being the best and only one 5 per category)
I considered the following to be the most popular calibers in the .22 to .30 range: 223, 243, 257, 25-06, 260, 264, 270, 280, 284,30-30, 30-06, 308, and the 300 Win Mag.

My attempt at unbiased results scored the .30-06 the highest at 29 with the .300 Win Mag and .270 next at 28. I won't go out and buy a .30-06 now, but realize each hunter has a reason for their choice.

This is the best round I have used from Blacktail Deer in California to the Colorado Rockies Mule Deer.
I own a 7mm-08 which is 7mm/.264 in a 140 grain 308 casing and it does the job well, distance, accuracy and speed is perfect for me, oh and of course no recoil.

"Okay, go ahead. Stand with me. Or shoot me down."

B-A-N-G!

Pure plain and simple.
30-06

Loads of ammo available in every store I've been in, with very reasonable prices.

Have you tried to buy .260 ammo, much less the rifle itself?
I walked into 2-different stores, Dick's and a shooting supply,target range ... their reply "We're out, we don't have a large demand for this specific caliber."

Check out the classifieds in any American town newspaper or pawn shop and see what caliber rifle is most frequently available.

Recoil sensitive?
I graduated with a degree, I might add, from the school of "hard knocks," and expect both my boys and girls to hold their own with the 30-06. It's far more versatile, readily available and especially in this day-n-age, a far greater value and more bang for your buck!

As for the sniper angle, my son started out with the Remington, Automatic 742 bdl, 30-06 in his younger days, and was very thankful. He bought a .270 Remington, bolt action, prior to entering the Army, for Sniper School. He thought the 30-06 was less of a thump than the .270.

"The .260 Remington Is The Best All-Around Whitetail Cartridge"

If it's hard to get the ammo for a .260, one isn't going to be doing much practicing ... how much fun is that?

Been buzz'in over the "perfect" deer cartridge since 1983, had a Guns & Ammo Magnum Rifle issue and read it cover to cover many times. 20yrs in Michigan(which at the time had .25 minimum for deer?)and 27 yrs.in Texas(.22 minimum)Michigan will continue to produce 300 lb.whitetails, buck and doe, Texas I will bet have trouble coming up with a 300lb Mule deer. I have killed these animals with .221FB, .223rem,.240wby, 6.5rem mag,7-08rem, 7rem mag, .308win, 06sprfld,.338win mag, .35rem . I am a rifle,reloading FREAK and have learned if that deer runs after the shot, I WANT GRAVY ON THE GROUND ! 22s won't leave it, 24s leave little, almost bought a 25-06 when I got to Tx in '83' love all the math on 250sav, 257rbt,and 257wby.Bought 7mag, download to 280 specs. and didn't think about another rifle 'till a little Model 600 6.5 rem mag walked into my life for next to nuth'in, 85gr to 160gr in a carbine X4 scope, I use 100gr HDY SP @ 2900fps out of the carbine and yes, you know it kill'im dead. NOWTHESH!TOFTHEMATTER if you can't find it on the shelf U-R SOL.BOTTOM LINE if you are going to one gun it South of the Mason Dixon .270win its the perfect deer gun and I don't own one/ North, one gun, 30-06. My wife all 120lbs of her Italian glory thinks her .338win mag was developed by E.Keith & The Lord our Savior is the Earths perfect deer cartridge because of minimal meat damage and she like to track? Jim Carmichel 6.5-08(260rem) is brilliant but not everybody handloads and an old .300 savage will still git-r-done ! single shot, bolt, pump, auto, just hunt, teach hunting, take people hunting, as long as we fight to breathe air (like when we are born)we should fight to be in the field to hunt !Good Luck have kids & take them hunting, LIVE LONGER EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU !

as i agree that the .260 reminton is a nice round, it has some very fatal flaws. For one limited supply of ammunition with the .260 you cant just go to a walmart or local hutning store and buy a few rounds. also this rifle is a good whitetail and smaller game round but what happens if you run into an issue hutning like an angry bear or an angry cougar or moose. this round is outdone by something like a 7mm-08 or a 270 win where you can load some hot rounds for the calibers with minimal kick perfect for a youth or recoil sensitive person or you could load them up for larger game. making them a more versaitle cartridge with less restrictions to getting ammuntion.

I may be a minority here, but I would have to go with the venerable.45 70. It's a heavy load that can both penetrate hide, bone, and if necessary foliage (wont deflect off a twig). It can be accurately fired in a long range plains hunting setting, or handled easily in the woods. Plus, the cartridge and bullet come in many different styles and grains. I really feel like the .45 70 can be the ideal round for any big game including white tail deer, but it isn't limited. It can handle a bear or buffalo as easily as a coyote. I think its the .45 70 hands down and I think many of your grandfathers would agree. An added plus is that its not hard to reload, and is available in classic lever and rolling block actions.

I own multiple 260 guns and even more 6.5mm guns. There is no other diameter cartridge out there that offers the ballistic coefficient to weight ratio of the 6.5mm round.

Unfortunately Remington screwed the pooch with the 260 Remington. There are plenty of quality ammo choices out there today. Yeah, you won't find it on all Walmart shelves, but that certainly won't deter me from buying a gun or odd caliber. Apparently unlike some posters on here, I buy my ammo before I need it and keep a plentiful supply of it, especially if I know that it is a somewhat non mainstream caliber.

I learned a long time ago that I don't need the magnum calibers to stoke my ego or kill whitetails. I've at least 2 truckloads of deer with my .260 guns. I've killed deer at 300+ yards with it. It has low recoil, low muzzle blast and noise and does the job on whitetails and other game. What else do I need?

.260: Great cartridge, low recoil, flat trajectory but unpopular and scant supply of ammo.

.25-06: Great cartridge, low recoil, flat trajectory but will ruin too much meat (too high a velocity).

6.5x55: Amazing cartridge, low recoil, low meat spoilage but low availability and you have to be a hand-loader to wring out it's full potential

Any Magnum: Flat trajectory, high availability and popularity but high recoil and meat spoilage.

.30-06, .270, .308, 7mm-08, .243: Great cartridge, high popularity and availability, low recoil, low meat spoilage, high variety of loads, great trajectory (out to 300 yards which is whitetail distance).

We've all got our pets, and (almost) every bullet is fun to shoot. But in my book, the .30-06, .270, 7mm-08 and .243 are the best you can get for whitetail.

By the way, 308 Win runs a chamber pressure higher than most cartridges which came to birth even after it. 308 Win runs around 55,000 psi and the Military version of this cartridge called the 7.62 NATO runs on up at 60,000 psi. Because of this, you can get more performance than the other cartridges

ken.mcloud said it best!

“So, I think that the superior killing power of larger rounds is largely in our heads.(likely testosterone induced) A flat-shooting round that you can accurately place will produce as many if not more "bang-flop" kills as a heavy caliber round.”

Reguired disclaimer: This opinion does not constitute legal advice. Please consult an attorney licensed to pratice in your jurisdiction. Wear sunscreen, protective eyewear, and hearing protection. Buckle your seatbelt. Call your mother.
-The Armchair Outfitter

260 Rem and the 270 Win is a dead heat!

I wonder if they make a barrel yet for my M1A in 260 Rem!

I've been killing deer and such for 45 years. My shooter since 1965 is a 6.5 Rem Mag, unless the wind is up and then I go to my 7mm Weatherby Fibermark with 175 gr Core-lokts, which the Fibermark really likes. Both kill things just as dead but the 6.5 is a lot more fun to shoot and a lot less rifle to carry around, just like the .260 in, say, a Model 7. So all considered I think the 260 Remington is a good'un for an all around deer round especially considering Dave's specification - low recoil, accurate and handy.

OMG!

hunt3r HAS IT RIGHT!

and a +1

May I add to hunt3r if I may,

Just remember the psi rating on those prime mauser actions out there used for custom rifles that just don't have the PSI rating to handle the chamber pressure of the 260 Remington. It wasn't until I started to dig into the reloading data of the 260 Rem to notice the case is being pushed at 7.62 NATO's chamber pressure of 60,000 psi, 5,000 psi above the 308 Winchester Commercial loadings.

That's 1.6 times more than a scuba tank at 3000 psi!

Wow! 22 out of 106 posts! That is impressive for one guy. LOL

I suppose "best" is a personal preference. All cartridges are best, because people keep using .243's, .30-.30's, .270 Win. and the list goes on(and a bunch of handgun stuff). It seams like when one "new" one comes along it's really only similar to one that is like "this" one which kind of does something like "that" one and remember that "other" one a while back? It was a belted magnum I believe or maybe a wildcatted deal, now I remember it was ??mm.'0 something or other and it was good too. You could make 5 shot 3/4" cloverleaf groups at...well it was really far,I'm sure. One time I saw this buddy of mine kill a...well he's not my friend anymore anyways. So there you have my view on it, there's no truth to any of this, or it's all true, to each his own. 100 years and still going strong...Ball Cartridge,Caliber.30,Model of 1906 -- .30GOV'T06 -- .30-06 Springfield -- Or just'06!!!

I've wanted to try a .260 for awhile. I have only seen ammo at one sporting goods store though. They carry everything from .17M2 to .50BMG. I've been hunting with a 1903 Springfield passed down from my father for 35 years now. It doesn't matter where I go I can find ammo. I've got to shoot you down on this one Dave.

Any job you need none right, you can do with a .308. That's why all the great cartriges are based on the .308 case. Nuff said.

If the .260 was a round we all wanted, there'd BE plenty of available rifles and ammo. Look at the WSMs. They've been around a lot less time than the .260, and you can even get a Browning BLR in WSMs. Availability follows demand. There is no availability because there is no demand. Yet the .260 is the perfect deer round. Why is there no demand?

Thing is, the .260 came out as a supposed accuracy specific round, yet it never delivered much accuracy from factory rifles firing factory loads. I leave it to smarter guys than me to explain why that should be, but it is a fact. Remington introduced it with its least accurate bullet (the Core Lokt) and put it in a woods rifle, the Model 7. If Remington had brought out a couple of loads, including a nice, flat shooting 120 grainer for people who are not all shivery over sectional density, the .260 might have done better. Would you sell your 7mm-08 to get a .260? Would you sell your .270 to get a .280? Most of us say no. That may be it right there.

id say if i was gonna build a scout style all-round rifle usable for anything i put my mind to id just get a 270 winchester.. with light varmint bullets there is nothing a 25-06 can do that u cant do with a 270.w. u can get roundnosed fmj`s that will let u shoot pretty small animals withouth ruining too much meat. a huge range of bullets and loads in 130 and 150 grain bullets over the counter in the whole world now actually that will let u hunt a wide range of animals with dedicated loads for each prey. and even 160 grain roundnosed barnes-x style bullets and even solids.. for those too big prey that wont fall down easily..
basically u can hunt ANYTHING in theory with this one calibre and get ammo anywhere.. and it doesnt do any one thing better than any other calibre, but the range of usefullness it has and lov lvl of recoil and so forth just makes this the one calibre that can do it all... dang it! :P

Please someone tell me why; When a blogger wants to discuss the hunting merits of a rifle cartridge WHY do people extoll the virtues that the 30.06 is the panacea to all hunting issues??
You know, there has been a many invention since the Model T, Black and White TV, and tootsie rolls!
The .260 Rem does make a good Deer gun, not in spite of the 30.06 being better; it just IS! GOOD GOD let's just OUTLAW all other hunting rounds and make the 30.06 the ONLY RIFLE ROUNDS permitted for hunting!!
Ohhhh,man...watch all the -1s I'm gonna get tagged for this RANT!!!

Ralph the Hunter, if it was the .36 Kenosha Warstopper & A.York(rest his soul)used it to capture X hundreds enemy soldiers and during peace time, the populace used it to put 6 or so generations of table fair quality game in the larder ect. Hunters like to sing the song of favor on thing that bring peace & happiness, quick kills low meat damage ect. As the 30-03 with 220gr. bullets I am sure this brought smiles the hunters face as a game stopper.When I read of a fellow that was using a 6.5 & 7mm to smack pachyderms about with superior sectional density FMJs of soft points, I thought to myself, I like to hunt like that, get in as close as possible and destroy the beast. Of course my beast was the Ship Rats of Detroit a my widowmaker was the Crosman 760. So my first Big Game rifle, 7mmMag 175gr bullet, first deer caught it the lungs @ 21 ft. oHHHH did I learn about HIGH VELOCITY & HEMOTOMA mercy! Became and immediate hand loader and turned the 7MAG into a .280 by specs. My .300wby sits as does my .358 norma waiting on the bench for their chance to please me driving 220gr.& 275gr.bullets @ 2700fps ahh Alaska and Africa await.If it wasn't for lack of great bullets at the time I would probably be one of the one gun hunters with a .264 win.mag. and smiling big with a freezer full of high protein cuts of meat.Killed one deer with the '06', my Dad's 740 with some 165 hdy.sp @ 2550 so the deer died a great cartridge death as many more will but this was Dad's '06' and thats what made it great! Thanks Dad, Love you, Rest in Peace. No Flame Out Ralph we just keep sing'in !

I don't think there is one "deer round." I myself use a .308 because ammo is a available. The .308 has been the marksmans choice for decades... if it's not broke lets not fix it. Even though I use this round I don't belive it to be the ONE! It all comes down to shot placement!

Many people seem focused on the fact that .260 Remington ammunition is hard to come by at local establishments, but Dave’s argument regarding the .260 has nothing to do with availability. Similarly, the fact that the .30-06, 7mm Magnum, and other cartridges have more versatility is irrelevant, since we’re only talking about whitetail. The arguments concerning which cartridge ruins more meat are similarly ridiculous. The cartridge has little to do with meat preservation. Put a Berger Hunting VLD at high speed through the hams of your next deer and witness the devastation, or shoot the same caliber loaded with a Barnes TSX through the neck of a deer standing 400 yards out and watch the bullet zip through with almost no expansion. It all comes down to bullet choice, velocity at impact, and, most importantly, bullet placement. And the so called brush-busting of the large and slow crowd like the .45-70 and its ilk? That has been disproven more times that you can count with both shoes off.

Dave’s argument is focused on the .260 cartridge itself and its application to deer hunting, not on how much a box of ammunition costs, how hard it is to get, or whether the same ammunition could be reasonably relied upon to kill a moose. It is undeniably a fine whitetail round, and could easily be considered “the best” whitetail specific cartridge ever devised for the reasons Dave stated; it is light kicking, flat shooting, has adequate power, and has the added bonus of being housed in short action rifles.

Of course, there are several other cartridges that meet the same criteria. Any of the following could just as easily be considered “the best” whitetail specific cartridge: .257 Roberts, .25-06 Remington, 6.5x55 Swedish, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x284 Norma, .270 Winchester, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm-08 Remington, .284 Winchester, .280 Remington, and too many wildcats to name. Some of these either do not fit or do not meet their full potential in a short action, but in my opinion that is overrated. The cycling speed is only a fraction of a second slower with a long action, and the added length and weight is so minimal as to be non-factor. The ballistic coefficients of the bullets for these rounds are very close (when comparing similar bullet styles), which makes sense when you consider that the smallest and largest among those listed are separated by only .027 inch in diameter and roughly 50 grains of bullet weight. Velocity figures of all listed are entirely adequate for hunting deer at ranges up to 400 yards.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to what is most important to you. If you’re a gun nut with a love for the uncommon who happens to reload, walking through the woods with a classic Mannlicher-stocked 6.5x55 would probably get your blood pumping. If you want a cheap rifle that shoots well with relatively cheap, readily available ammunition, pick up a battered .270 from a used gun rack and you’ll be set for a lifetime. I lean toward the latter end of the spectrum, so my decidedly utilitarian Ruger M77 MKII All Weather in .270 is about as perfect a combination as I’m likely to find.

The 30/06 with 125 Gr. bullet. Accurate, doesn't kick, and fast. Factory load 3140 fps. Best for deer on down.

Pops 30-06 125 gr? I used 130's for 47 years now and all been bang flops! By the way, great on Caribou too, not good on grizz :(

tikka t3 has it in many models ;)

RedFeather may I add,

With the 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5x47mm Lapua already out in full production, Remington really blew it by dragging there feet!

Based on the absolute lack of voting toward the end of this comment board, I doubt many are still reading. But I'm hoping to change direction a bit. The 25-06 was mentioned briefly earlier. I've never fired it once, but the round, and it's capabilities intrigue me. Will someone educate me on why this round is or is not as awesome as I think it is. Also, I think it says a lot that the Swedes have been traditionally using a caliber below .30 as their moose round. Hec, if it's big enough for moose, it surely will put down a white tail. I read multiple articles on the 25-06 knocking down elk. TELL ME ABOUT THE 25-06.

this is a very interesting article and opend up my eyes some. never heard much on the .260 ever and now that i have looked into it if i did not have youth model .243 to give my sun when he becomes old enough here in a few years i would look into this caliber even more. I my self shoot a .270wsm ive done a lot of things with this rifle and i wanted one that was not a real common caliber and wanted the knockdown of the mag but the flat shooting of the .270. Just like everyone has there favorite caliber i fell in love with the .270's flat shooting and universal roll for most of your north american big game. Im from The north east corner of south dakota and we have big corn fed whitetails that are brutal but i have learned that caliber doesn't matter one hundred percent as much as shot placement does i have a good friend that has shot many big bucks at 2-300 yards and droped them stone dead in there tracks and all he has is a 22-250. but im glad to come across this article and open my eyes up to new info. Thanks

Walt Smith,
Congratulations. You have won the argument. In fact, you won it days and days ago. Tried to email you, but have not heard back. If you would like to be our guest blogger for the next "Shoot Me Down," please shoot me an email at webmaster@fieldandstream.com. I'll give you further instructions once I hear from you.

It’s been 1 day 23 hours ago since the last comment and now it’s time to really weigh in.

A choice of cartridges is like ice cream and some like a variety of mixtures and types while some like only one.
So what do I personally like about the 260 Remington besides being a Box Star Sleeper? It’s kind of like Eva Cassidy, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Cassidy) noticed for greatness after they are gone. So what makes the 260 Remington appealing to me the most? Comparing it to other cartridges in the same class, you will only find a gain or disadvantage of about 100 yards, so what. What I like about the 260 Remington as for those who hand load, you have a bountiful endless supply of 308 Win or better yet 7.62 NATO Match cases at no cost. If you want the range and versatility, the 260 Remington is a excellent choice in my book, not too big and not too small, just right!!!

I like cases with great Parents (308/7.62NATO)!
6.5-284? Parentless!

I've never even heard of the 2.60> If your afraid of the kick of a 270 you should be golfing it kicks less then a 20 gauge. You can find 270 ammo any wear but if noones has heard of 260 where are you going to get ammo?

I've never even heard of the 2.60> If your afraid of the kick of a 270 you should be golfing it kicks less then a 20 gauge. You can find 270 ammo any wear but if noones has heard of 260 where are you going to get ammo?

LISTEN: I may be young {26 yrs old} But i have killed many deer... I am a reloader and long range shooter. I have killed deer with everything from a 222 REM to a 300 Winchester MAG... I own a REM BDL 25-06 that i reload for and shoot 85 grain noslers through it... I have killed 4 deer over 140 B&C three of them with this rifle.. I can say hands down i have not had one to much more and wiggle after the shot.... To me this caliber is the best Deer caliber south of OHIO... I am also a huge 308 fan and a 7MM ReM MAG fan.... But the 25-06 really shines in the state of Kentucky.... My farthest kill was 472 yards...

Everything hit with my .30/06 at responsible ranges falls down dead. For brush hunting deer where I might need a quick second shot I carry my lever action .30-30 but mostly because it's a fun gun. So for black-tails and bigger, why get fancy? I think there's far too much worry about equipment specialization going on. Just use enough gun and them them right, and you can't kill them any deader with some special new cartridge over another.

30-06 rules the deer woods.

Your choice has merit and I think the 260 is undoubtedly a fine deer cartridge but I do not consider it the best all around. That distinction belongs to the 280 Remington.

7mm-08 or .243

Depends upon the situation. I would not carry a .260 to shoot whitetail that weigh upwards of 400 pounds in Canada any more than I would carry one in the hills and hollows of Tennessee where 100 yards is a long shot and a deer that has run 75 yards after being hit may be impossible to find.

I have discovered the 30-06 and 7X57 aka 7mm Mauser to have an almost supernatural ability to drop deer in their tracks. And the 7X57 is hard to find in any rifle besides a Ruger No. 1 which weighs enough to make it the lightest kicking centerfire rifle I own. I have fallen in love with it, it is the perfect tool for my needs and conditions.

The .260 Rem. would be the best whitetail deer cartridge if it wasn't for that darned old 6.5x55 Swede. Either will knock the stuffing out of a whitetail without bruising your shoulder, but with 140 gr. bullets, factory loads for the Swede aren't quite as hot .260 factory loads. The Swede kicks a bit less. The advantage of the Swede is than Norma make great 156 gr. loads for those who like heavier bullets. The 7mm/o8 has more power than you need, and kicks more. Why put up with the 7mm/o8's kick and muzzle blast when the .260 Rem. and 6.5 Swede offer plenty of power for deer? Remember--the 6.5 Swede is by far the most popular caliber in the Scandanavian countries for killing 400-700 pound moose. The .260 and the 6.5 Swede with 140 gr bullets have better sectional density and give better penetration than the .243/100 gr. and .257 Roberts/120 gr. The 260 Rem. and 6.5 Swede are a perfect compromise for whitetail deer--more potent than the .243 or quarter bores, less kick than the 7mm/08. The 6.5 Swede beats the .260 because it offers more versitility due to the availibility of 156 gr. factory loads.

I first became enamored of the 260 based upon Jim Carmicheal's work. Purchased one from the custom shop at Remington in the model seven Mannnlicher. Where I live the majority of Whitetail meet their demise due to 12 gauge slugs. I hunt here and where more " modern implements" are allowed. Have put venison on the table with the venerable 30-06, 30-40 Krag, 30-30, 243 as well as handgun rounds such as the 44, 460 and 500 and archery as well. I do not know what the best " Whitetail round " is. I do know the ..260 is a caliber my daughter and nieces think is " fun " to shoot, that I have put around a dozen Northern Whitetail on the ground, bang they don't move , over the years and that when I am headed to the woods my .260 is what I grab out of the safe, ahead of the rest. Oh, by the way, if you can not plan ahead enough to carry sufficient ammo in the correct caliber for your hunt, perhaps you should not be sallying forth?

Ok im gonna have to stand with ya on the 260, to me it is one of the greatest all around white tail rifle, there really nothing you cant do with this caliber, ive owned one for 7 years now, and it has done better than any rifle i have on a white tale, i think ive dropped bout everyone ive shot with other than the 2 lung shot that ran maybe 30 yards.. i actually shot one about 300 yards out and this is one of my lung shot and you would have loved to see the impact on this deer, it really suprised the heck out of me and made me a true beleaver.. but one argumeant i have to make is the 7x57 mauser is one of my favorites, with even less recoil and better accurcy.. i really dont see anyone talk about this caliber, all you see is 30-06,270, 7mm magnum,308,exc.. the 7x57 has been around over a 100 years now and has kept somewhat a rep up on other pages,but really dont hear much and the ammo is somewhat hard to come by sometimes, maybe not where you live but is here.. i own both though the ruger mk2 260 and 7x57, and the 7x57 groups about 3 shot 1/2 in if not better groups with everything factory, and the 260 somewhere around 1 in groups at 100 yards.. So i would really love someone to argue the differ and see a blog about this caliber on here about the 7x57 (7mm mauser).. its by far the greatest in my point of veiw..

If the 260 rem is a good cartridge, so is the 6.5x55 Swedish. This puny cartridge has accounted for a fair number of moose... nothing wrong with its stopping power.

I have bought 4 rifles in .260 over the years. I still have all but one. I had a Remington 700 with a DM which wouldn't feed reliably so it got traded off.
It will do everything I need in a rifle. However, more importantly I can shoot 50-100 rounds in practice and not be sore the next day.
Shot placement is the key with any round and the more you practice the better you can make the shot.

I bought a Rem 700 "mountain rifle" in 260 cal several years ago--tired of being blasted by my 30/06 and really wanted a 7/08 but my local outfitter was out of stock (should have seen it coming).

After a box or two of ammo at the range, several things were clear: this is a very pleasant shooting cartridge, and the 700/Mtn rifle is a deer hunter's dream if you do much walking and stalking. After taking several deer and wild hogs with the 140 grn factory loads, I have to say that I really don't see any difference in performance (wound channels), compared to the 30/06 in the 150 grn load, up to say 200 yards.

It seems the main complaint about the 260 is ammo availabilty, and it's true, but really, how many rounds a year do you shoot with your high power? And Cabela's has a ton of 260 in every type of load.

Face it, the 308 is the successor to the 30/06 in terms of popular American cartdrige development (omitting the 5.65 of course), and if you don't think that a 6.5 mm cartrige is more efficient than a 30 cal or 7mm all else equal, then you might do a search for a ballistic term: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectional_density

OK, I know about the short/fat cartridges, you can argue these. But, you can always get 308 brass and 6.5 mm bullets, forever.

I am standing with you on this one.
Three things I love about my one year run 260 Remington 700 DM.
It drops everything I shoot with it, Not everyone owns one, If you can not buy the ammo, make it your way.
I like this caliber so much that I am in the process of building a light weight, compact gun for my 9 year old son.
There are many arguments for and against it however, with Deer sized calibers like 257 weatherby, 25-06 rem, 25 gibbs, 257 roberts, 243, 7mm-08, 7mm rem mag, 7mm rum, 7mm stw, 7mm wsm, 300 wsm and 6.5x55 (my range gun) all in my vault, I find myself packing this gun when going out the door to the whitetail woods everytime.
Note: If you do not want to build one yourself, there are numerous fine new and used rifles available in 260 rem.
Savage probably has the best selection of new ones in several models. Ammo is available in stores around me however, it's easily ordered from numerous fine retailers.
I just love it's mild manner, bullet co efficiency, accuracy and non arguable performance on whitetails.

I have a Remington .260 with custom hand loaded shells and I have to say that the .260 is an awesome all round deer rifle! I have shot deer anywhere from 30 yards to 387 yards. I will say that I have had problems with ricochet off small twigs but I have adjusted my hunting areas to less dense areas and I am really impressed with the yardage and the knockdown power! While on a doe management hunt, I succesfully dropped a mature doe in her tracks at 387 yards with minimal bullet drop. If anyone doubts me, I have the video to prove it.

The .260 looks like a great deer cartridge. I have never fired one myself. Should be much better than the .243. The .243 is NOT the perfect deer round and is definitely not a great hog round. I have shot the .243 extensively and it was the only rifle I owned for years. I have never seen a deer shot with the .243 that wasn't a central nervous system shot that didn't run for 50 to 150 yards even well hit. Lost hogs shot with it too. Anyway, I stepped up to a .308 and am happy with it. A pet peeve of mine is complaints that such and such caliber doesn't sell well, but you never see them in your local purveyor of firearms shop. The .35 Remington is a great DRT deer round, but not a flat shooter, but drops them flat. Anyway, I would love to try the .260 out. Know some people who hunt with it and love it.