Best route for a .260 Rem. ?

[Mt_Medic31]

Hey all,
I want to get into HP next summer, and have been researching rifles. .260 seems to be the way to go for moderate recoil, and bearable re-loading cost. I am having trouble finding a good rifle package out of the box in that caliber. I don't know if I want to go the Rem 700 route because of the history of problems with bolt, action, and even barrel straightness. I have a NICE bull barrel 700 in .223 that's causing me lots of problems as of late.
SO, should I find a cheap 700 SA base to build up from, or have Savage build me a 10 Precision carbine in the .260? Is there some other route that works really well? I am trying to keep the rifle around $1000, so I can still have some to spend on glass. Also, not a fan of the off model Remingtons like the 770. Any and all ideas appreciated.

[Bob259]

Look at a Tikka T3 6.5x55, can be found for under $600, good trigger (adjustable too) and a good shooter. Lot's of folks using them on the line and you can't beat the prices for a start up rifle till you can go to a full custom build.

Some article and web sites of interest....
http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/akforu ... /50290.htm
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/adva ... B0%5D=9650
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product ... s_id=90833
http://www.ozarkguns.com/rifles/tikka/t ... inless.htm

[Pete]

Hey Jonney,

Good to see you in Missoula, sounds like you had a good time.

There are many was to go on a HP. One is to find a donor 700 ADL, have a good 6.5 barrel put on it (260, 6.5 Bobcat. 6.5 X 47) and shoot it for a year or so. As I recall, it seems you like to tinker, so you could make some modifications to the the stock to make it fit you better. Later you can have a stock built for you.

Loren
[email protected]

[Finprof]

I might be mistaken on this, but the bolt head for the .223 might be a different size than the bolt head for the .260.
Most of the folks I know who built up a Remington 700 in .260 started with an ADL in .243.

The Tikka in 6.5x55 would be a good place to start. If you decide to get a custom built you will still have a good deer/boar gun.

SAKO makes the 85 in .260 but those are $1500+. They shoot well. The A& might be another choice, but I don't know offhand if it is available in .260.

[malinois]

I currently shoot a Remington 700 action and have no issues with it..Even as a out of the box rifle it shot very well with groups in the 1/2 inch range and smaller...But as much as I like the 700...I think I will build my next HiPower on a savage action so I can do all my re-barreling my self since barrels really go fast on a competition gun plus I can rechamber to other calibers and get more use out of the one set-up ..smaller caliber barrel varmit rifle or heavier caliber for hunting.

[Mt_Medic31]

All good ideas guys, thank you.
I do like to tinker, so 700 could be good in that respect. My 700 .223 is my prairie dog gun, and I tinker somewhat, but all of a sudden it shoots like hell, and not even the gunsmiths can figure it out, may end up just changing the barrel. I did everything I know how to do, for re-tuning my handloads, to barrel lapping, changed scopes, re-bedded the action (in an HS precision stock!). I even bought the tools from Brownells and re-crowned the darn thing, still to no avail. It went from 1 ragged hole at 100 yards to about 1.5 moa. Thats frustrating considering how much money i've put into the gun. I am going to have a gunsmith check the bolt, and the throat, but that's all thats left. I just don't want a competition gun that will do that to me.

I do have a tikka T3 in 300wsm I use as my elk gun, and its certainly a shooter, and there's that site Rifle-stocks.com that makes a nice looking Marksman model stock that seems more competition oriented, but still meets the hunting rifle standards.

I just read so much positive about savage as of late, I am leaning that way as well. Just kind of torn.

[Jerry G]

The head of a 223 is much smaller than the 308 family which include just about all the 6.5s.

How old is your 223? Could be a weak firing pin spring. Bad ignition will destroy your group.

[Mt_Medic31]

I was only using my .223 as an example of problems with Rem 700s. The gun is 2 years old, and has just shy of 2000 rounds through it, it really shouldn't be anything worn out I would think, part of the reason it is so frustrating.

If I do build a .260, I would use a R700 .308 as a base, as everything I read states the 260 case is based on 308 necked down, so would mainly be a barrel change.

[Jerry G]

If you are looking for an action, 243, 6mm, 7-08, and 308 all have the same bolt face. The old bbl will make a good jack handle if you cut it off short enough. I guess you might be able to get 2 handles from 1 bbl.

[Mt_Medic31]

well I got started today. Just started keeping my eyes peeled. Today found Rem 700 XHR with the xmark trigger in .243, got it on sale and with rebate I spent $500. So in the spring will get a .260 Barrel put on, and I'm set. Thanks for all the input guys.

[frog5215]

You can get a 700 plastic stock model at Academy for $350. It's the cheapest way to get an action. Rebarrel , restock, voila!.