.260 rem project complete

[cduarte]

finally got the barrel on, headspaced and had to modify the bolt baffle since it previously was setup for .223. Used the pacific tool and gauge bolt head which is a very nicely machined piece. Shilen Select match barrel from Northland Shooters Supply (Jim is a great guy and is very helpful) along with his recoil lug and barrel nut. I think it came together quite nicely. Special thanks to Hooker who sent me the magazine and follower I needed to complete the project.

http://home.comcast.net/~c.duarte/10fpa.jpg

[david8989]

Nice rifle man. I've been shooting my savage .260 for a couple months now and wow. It's long range ballistics are like cheating compared to a .308 much less a .223! Happy shooting!

[jonbearman]

You did a nice job on this rifle.I put a .260 together and love it.Let us know how she shoots. Mine shoots around .4 most of the time as I have the same barrel as yours.It will do better if I can get some good weather.

[redman]

What stock, scope, etc.? I have a 260ai that is a lot of fun.

[cduarte]

stock is a McMillan A3 purchased from the ceo of savage (former coworker shoots trap with him). Scope is a Nikon tactical 2.5-10x44 with duplex reticle. It's a fantastic scope, bought it from cdnn a long time ago for about half of what they're retailing for now. Rings and bases are Leupold QR. Trigger is a SSS comp. This rifle started life as a 10fp in .308 with the tupperware stock, then was converted to .223 for the last 6yrs or so and now it's .260 rem. I'd love any recommendations for loads. I currently have 120 and 140gr SMK's and 140gr Nosler comp bullets. I have imr4350 and some other powders which may or may not be suitable for this round (imr4895, rl15, blc-2, ramshot TAC, wcc844 and 846).

[LRJammer]

IMR 4350 will work but I suspect you will find that H4350 works even better. I found a load for mine with H4350 that will be my go to load once I finish using up an 8lb container of IMR 4350. The IMR 4350 load will shoot in the .4s but the Hodgedon load shoots in the .2's! It is 43.0 Grains of H4350 behind a 140 Gr SMK at a COAL of 2.730"

[bodywerks]

Did you just chop off that piece of baffle and then sand it flat? That's what i did. Looks factory now. I also used the pt&g bolt head. Very nice piece. If you haven't done it you may want to make sure the firing pin protrudes far enough. I lost about .008 with the new head, putting protrusion down to the minimum .050. I prefer .058-.060 so i had to adjust it.
I'm rebarreling my 223 to 260s well, but with a Krieger target contour barrel blank, so the recoil lug is going byebye.

[cduarte]

Did you just chop off that piece of baffle and then sand it flat? That's what i did. Looks factory now. I also used the pt&g bolt head. Very nice piece. If you haven't done it you may want to make sure the firing pin protrudes far enough. I lost about .008 with the new head, putting protrusion down to the minimum .050. I prefer .058-.060 so i had to adjust it.

pretty much, I used a 3/8" 6 flute carbide end mill on my bridgeport to remove the offending piece... ;-) I did debur it but no sanding was required because tool speed was a little on the high side and fed it nice and slow. I haven't checked the fp protrusion yet.

[bodywerks]

My mill is 450 miles away so i had to do it the shadetree way;)
Do check the firing pin...

[Hooker]

Glad to see it finished. Where did you find the bolt head? I need one to go with my PTG bolt body. Good luck with the shooting. BTW, last time I checked, Southwest ammunition has loaded 260 Rem. in stock.

[cduarte]

pacific tool and gauge sells the bolt heads on their website. I load my own, so won't be spending money on loaded ammo. Thanks again for the magazine and follower.

[cpurick]

How long did it take to get the barrel? Everybody seems to need about two months of lead time on those things.

[cduarte]

it took just under a week. I called Jim at Northland Shooters supply, he had it in stock, so I ordered it and I had it in my hands about 6 days later...

[Jet]

stock is a McMillan A3 purchased from the ceo of savage (former coworker shoots trap with him). Scope is a Nikon tactical 2.5-10x44 with duplex reticle. It's a fantastic scope, bought it from cdnn a long time ago for about half of what they're retailing for now. Rings and bases are Leupold QR. Trigger is a SSS comp. This rifle started life as a 10fp in .308 with the tupperware stock, then was converted to .223 for the last 6yrs or so and now it's .260 rem. I'd love any recommendations for loads. I currently have 120 and 140gr SMK's and 140gr Nosler comp bullets. I have imr4350 and some other powders which may or may not be suitable for this round (imr4895, rl15, blc-2, ramshot TAC, wcc844 and 846).

My 260 LRP shoots 5 shots inside of .3 with 139 gr Lap Scenars and H4350. 142 SMKs shoot almost as well. 40.7 gr of the H4350 is the sweet spot for this rifle. It's not as fast as I would like but it is very accurate. This past weekend I shot a 10 shot 3.3" group @ 600yds with this load

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8491322530_b00114d541.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/81405794@N07/8491322530/)
17 Feb Group 005 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/81405794@N07/8491322530/) by Jet171 (http://www.flickr.com/people/81405794@N07/), on Flickr

[cpurick]

Looks like Jim's the way to go. I ordered mine today. Criterion 26", heavy, match grade. In-stock. I should have it in a week or so.