500-1000m hunting/target round, only 2 choices...

[J0HN_R1]

.260 Remington or 7mm-08 ?

Please tell us your opinion on the better long-distance hunting (500-750 meters) and target (600-1000m) projectile.

I hand-load, and want a .308-based cartridge. Don't ask, I just do...

And I only ask for opinions on the 2 choices, no "such-n-such caliber would be my choice" please.

*edit - I missed the poll button before I clicked "post"...

[BackPackHunter]

I'd take the 7-08
Have a read on the New 7 thread , lots of good info

[Robmcleod82]

That's a hard one as I like them both thinking I would lean 260

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by Robmcleod82

That's a hard one as I like them both thinking I would lean 260

What would make you lean that way?
7 having heavier bullets with better BC ,
Wouldn't that help with wind drift at that distances ?

[Throttle_monkey1]

Out of your two choices op I would go with a 260 with an 8 twist or faster barrel in a rifle where you can seat those slippery 142 grain bullets long. A 142 grain accubond long range @ 2800 should be plenty.

[dogslayer403]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

What would make you lean that way?
7 having heavier bullets with better BC ,
Wouldn't that help with wind drift at that distances ?

As a comparison the 6.5 140g and 7mm 168g have roughly the same BC but in the 260 you can launch it at least a 100fps faster than te 7-08 with 168g so the 260 has the advantage and as you go heavier in the 7mm your velocity loss starts to really trump your BC gain IMHO and also i have use both and while both are good choices I would choose te 260

[TUFFBUFF]

Originally Posted by dogslayer403

As a comparison the 6.5 140g and 7mm 168g have roughly the same BC but in the 260 you can launch it at least a 100fps faster than te 7-08 with 168g so the 260 has the advantage and as you go heavier in the 7mm your velocity loss starts to really trump your BC gain IMHO and also i have use both and while both are good choices I would choose te 260

This makes sense to me, most guys launching 160gr and heavier bullets aren't doing it from a 7-08 there using the larger cases. A good 160gr 7mm bullet at 3000fps is a wonderful all round Alberta game getter IMO.
Lots are using short action 6.5's of some sort and getting it done consistently on paper and flesh, them bullets just keep on going it seems.
I have a 7-08 with about 30rounds down the pipe that sits in the corner and often grab one of the three 260's when I want some trigger time or some meat.

[catnthehat]

The 6.5 bullets have long been I preferential to the 7's to 300 meters and beyond for a very long time , the first time I ran into this I was very young and was watching my father make 6mm International cartridges for his 300 meter Free rifle .

He explained to me that the Europeans were kicking our butts in 300 meter Free rifle competition because we didn't have a decent 6.5 match bullet and cartridge on the North American market , Because the public wouldn't buy them- the 308 was the best choice for recoil and accuracy .

The 7's eventually got popular as did the 6.5's , but it took the silhouette craze to change that .
For me , it would be a smaller case with a 6.5 bullet unless I was planning to hunt with it as well, then I would go to a larger case .
Competing and informal target shooting are two different things for me, and superiority fir hunting would be the more important equation here for me.
Cat

[Robmcleod82]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

What would make you lean that way?
7 having heavier bullets with better BC ,
Wouldn't that help with wind drift at that distances ?

It's really tough to beat a 139 scenar on paper and game combined.

[Jordan Smith]

Both are excellent choices. I was in an identical position a couple of years ago, deciding between the .260 and 7-08. Both have pros and cons, here are just a few:

.260
- slightly less demanding COAL requirements for building or buying a S/A
- slightly less recoil
- smaller caliber bullets are usually cheaper than bigger bullets

7-08
- slightly better barrel life
- better availability of great bullets
- heavier bullets available for shooting large critters at distance (although both are perfectly capable, I'd give the 7-08 a slight advantage here)

In the end, performance on target and on game is nearly a wash, but in this case I chose the 7-08 simply because I have a much easier time finding good, slippery 7mm bullets than I do 6.5mm. When you go through a lot of them in practice, which you should if you're shooting game at distance, then sourcing them becomes a serious consideration.

[J0HN_R1]

These are excellent responses.

Thanks, and keep 'em coming !

[BigRedJeep]

It was a hard choice. I went with a 260rem but sort of wishing I went 6.5x55. My other option was the 7-08! I wish I had gotten the swede as I had my mind made up on buying a tikka. I hadn't realized at the time that they only use one action length. Knowing that I would have gotten the swede that was sitting right beside it!


Sent from my photon beam particle emitter

[Duramaximos]

Originally Posted by BigRedJeep

It was a hard choice. I went with a 260rem but sort of wishing I went 6.5x55. My other option was the 7-08! I wish I had gotten the swede as I had my mind made up on buying a tikka. I hadn't realized at the time that they only use one action length. Knowing that I would have gotten the swede that was sitting right beside it!


Sent from my photon beam particle emitter

Just went through the same thought process and decided on the swede. In my case rebarreling a great BSA action.

Love the 6.5's.

[buschy03]

Originally Posted by BigRedJeep

It was a hard choice. I went with a 260rem but sort of wishing I went 6.5x55. My other option was the 7-08! I wish I had gotten the swede as I had my mind made up on buying a tikka. I hadn't realized at the time that they only use one action length. Knowing that I would have gotten the swede that was sitting right beside it!


Sent from my photon beam particle emitter

Just go for a 6.5x55 swede and be done with it,,, could of saved you 3 pages of reading,,,lol..close enough to a 260.....