Extreme long range caliber choice?

I've maxed out my 260 at a little over 1200 yards so I'm looking to upsize to get out to a mile. The wife gave the go ahead for a HS Precision 338 Lapua Mag but I'm having a hard time buying one. The initial cost isn't so bad but all the reloading equipment and cost of shooting is very high. I'm considering alternatives before I plunk down a bunch of money. The factors I'm considering are supersonic to a mile, quality brass readily available, relative cost per round, reasonable barrel life, and at least a 7mm bore. Currently on my short list is 7 SAUM, 300 WSM, and 300 Win mag. Won't be shooting at that range more than once a month but at least 4 times a year. Anybody been through the same quandary? Thoughts or opinions? Thanks

Depends on what SPECIFICALLY you mean by "Maxed out my 260". That cartridge will easily do a mile.
I regularly shoot to a mile with both a 308, and a Creedmoor. Just need a scope/base that will allow you the adjustment.
My Creed wears a Primary Arms 4-14, and Painless wears a Weaver 3-15(#800363).

Personally from what I've seen shooting against most in this neck of the woods, is people don't know their ballistics worth a hoot. Then there is the issue of people tending to use bullets with a Sexy-sounding BC... Many of those bullets will NOT survive the trans-sonic crossing, with the pointy end in the correct direction. Dr. McCoy wrote a book on that very subject, but a VERY general cliff note version goes like this.
About a 9 degree boat tail angle is the best compromise for both good BC & survival. But if you have an Ogive that is too long, you run into a Center of Gravity/Center of Pressure that is off ballance. So when the turbulance hits, the over-turning moment is too great and the bullet flops ends.

All that said, by all means, your wife is correct. You DO need a new rifle :D But what you want we can't say, only you.

If you share your rifle/loads on this forum you will get a wealth of information about ways to extend your range with your current setup. Like darkker said many people have shot past 1 mile with a 260

My two current 260 loads are 142 SMK at 2840 fps and 123 Amax at 2945. One in each of my 2 260's (142 in the long throat CBI barrel and the 123's in the standard throat Shilen.) One issue with my 260 is energy on target when it arrives. I have relatives in eastern Oregon who I scout with and we seem to see a lot of elk in the 600-800 yard range. Bottom line is I want to be able to hunt occasionally 600+ yards and target shoot 1500+ yards for the challenge. I'm not inexperienced or naive out to 1000-1200 yards but longer than that I don't have experience with the extreme distance or the big cartridges used to shoot really really far. As an aside, my cousin took me out to their 1000 yard range and laughed at my little 260 compared to his 30-378 Weatherby. With the 10-12 mph winds he ended up with 1 of 12 shots hitting a 12x24" steel at 1000 while I made 24 of 28 shots.

Forgot to add if you know or suspect what 6.5mm bullets are the most stable going transonic post them and I may give them a try just to see what happens. Thanks

284 shehane.

6-800 yards on elk would be better suited to the 7mm/300 Etc. Did not realize you were looking for knockdown power for hunting.

Right... So you didn't really Max out the 260, you just haven't tried farther.

Now the mile thing is sort of by the wayside, but big game hunting at 600 is in the picture..... You need to decide what you are asking/want.
That 260 fired with a 140gr load fired that hot, has enough energy (over 1,000 ft/lb) and velocity for proper bullet opening on game out to 800.
And your 142 SMK is still supersonic at 1500 yards, BTW.

So that kind of brings us back to my original question of what you mean by maxed. Everything that you said you want to do, that cartridge will happily do. So the short coming seems to be your knowledge of what you have.

As to trans-sonic survival with the 6.5mm's:
The 140gr Custom Comp, and 140 gr HPBT hornady are the only ones I've personally used successfully. I've had mixed results with the Berger hybrids.

I have quite a stash of the Hornady 140 BTHP. I use them in my 600 yard league. I'll try and work them out to a mile and see what happens. On the other hand you'll have a hard time convincing me to shoot an elk at 800 yards with a 260. It will kill but at that range on a mature bull elk I'll go with the something that makes a lot bigger hole but that I can still shoot well.

7mm Remington will kill an Elk out to 1000yds no problem.

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Originally Posted by alphapygmy

My two current 260 loads are 142 SMK at 2840 fps and 123 Amax at 2945. One in each of my 2 260's (142 in the long throat CBI barrel and the 123's in the standard throat Shilen.) One issue with my 260 is energy on target when it arrives. I have relatives in eastern Oregon who I scout with and we seem to see a lot of elk in the 600-800 yard range. Bottom line is I want to be able to hunt occasionally 600+ yards and target shoot 1500+ yards for the challenge. I'm not inexperienced or naive out to 1000-1200 yards but longer than that I don't have experience with the extreme distance or the big cartridges used to shoot really really far. As an aside, my cousin took me out to their 1000 yard range and laughed at my little 260 compared to his 30-378 Weatherby. With the 10-12 mph winds he ended up with 1 of 12 shots hitting a 12x24" steel at 1000 while I made 24 of 28 shots.

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That would have been the right time to offer him a low price on the 30x378 lol.
That would for sure give you what your looking for.

I don't know, I read the 30-378 has a typical barrel life of 600-700 rounds. I went to Accurate Shooter website and put the numbers in on their overbore calculator and it's off the chart as a barrel burner. It does have impressive ballistics though.

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Originally Posted by alphapygmy

I don't know, I read the 30-378 has a typical barrel life of 600-700 rounds. I went to Accurate Shooter website and put the numbers in on their overbore calculator and it's off the chart as a barrel burner. It does have impressive ballistics though.

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I used a 30x378 for long range hunting for about 30 years. Mine have been used exclusivly for hunting and minimal practice each year.
Probably average about 50 rounds per year in my case. I think your numbers are on the low side but thats the price we pay for performance.
3500 fps with a 200 gr bullet from a 36" barrel will get your attention for sure. A 230 berger in a (good) 30x378 would be a better choice than a 250 gr
in a 338 lapua. Cartridges pushing the 300 gr bullets over 3000 fps have an advatage over the 30x378 at very long distances. But you need about
1500 yds for that benefit to become visable when actualy shooting the guns. A 200 gr smk @3500 fps in my gun took 32 minits of elevation @ 1500 yds
depending on the conditions. At 1700 yds it took 50 minits again depending on conditions. So you can see by that whats happening to those bullets beyond
1500 yds. Their dropping like a rock thats whats happening. Now picture if you will a smaller cartridge doing that. Yes you can get them there but thats about all
especially if theres any degree of wind at all. And dont try it with scopes not having lots and lots of elevation adjustment. A 500 yd zero might help lol.

It would be cool if my ballistic program would show angle of impact from vertical. Maybe some do but mine doesn't.
I didn't mean 600 rounds and it's finished just when accuracy starts dropping off or you start getting occasional fliers. Even then I'd say barrel quality, how you clean, and how many shots in a string of fire play a big part. Might be interesting to have a 30-378 built and get the barrel nitrided and see how long it lives.

Why not a 338 Edge?

300 win mag would be my choice...and i know yobuck hates when i say this...the 300wm is the poor mans 338!!

The Edge may be a good option. Mcgowan has prefits for it. I'll be looking into it. After 600 yard league is done for the year I'll have a small shank long action to play with. 300 Win Mag is on my short list too. Letting go of the 7mm idea. Might as well go for a big boomer.

Coming from someone that just built an Edge, check into brass before making that decision. It's impossible to find 300RUM brass right now.

Can't see hunting with something setup for range work. Seems to me you really need 2 more rifles. Too many compromises in the 1 gun plan. Unless your hunting with yobuck.

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Originally Posted by LongRange

300 win mag would be my choice...and i know yobuck hates when i say this...the 300wm is the poor mans 338!!

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Guns are like women, their all nice but some are nicer than others for different uses lol.
And i would dare not have said that in presence of my late wife.
A 300 win mag cost the same to build as a 338 edge or 338x378.
But a blind man can see the difference in performance when shooting long distances across valleys from mountain to mountain.
A 300 win mag would be among the top group of guns id own for shots on game up to 1000 yds and maybe a little further
in some parts of the country. You can haul a ton of shingles on a half ton pickup and get away with it most times also.
But your only gonna need 1 time wishing you had a bigger one to change your mind on whats enough truck.
Same goes with guns when hunting long range. Remember this, most hunters only talk about their kills. And very good groups lol.

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Originally Posted by upSLIDEdown

Coming from someone that just built an Edge, check into brass before making that decision. It's impossible to find 300RUM brass right now.

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big part of why i didnt build an edge here.

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Originally Posted by sixonetonoffun

Can't see hunting with something setup for range work. Seems to me you really need 2 more rifles. Too many compromises in the 1 gun plan. Unless your hunting with yobuck.

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im not a hunter but arent most elk shot at like 4-500yds+? if so id be shooting prone anyway so a range set up would work fine but i see what you guys are talking about if packing in and trying to stay on the lighter side.

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Originally Posted by yobuck

Guns are like women, their all nice but some are nicer than others for different uses lol.
And i would dare not have said that in presence of my late wife.
A 300 win mag cost the same to build as a 338 edge or 338x378.
But a blind man can see the difference in performance when shooting long distances across valleys from mountain to mountain.
A 300 win mag would be among the top group of guns id own for shots on game up to 1000 yds and maybe a little further
in some parts of the country. You can haul a ton of shingles on a half ton pickup and get away with it most times also.
But your only gonna need 1 time wishing you had a bigger one to change your mind on whats enough truck.
Same goes with guns when hunting long range. Remember this, most hunters only talk about their kills. And very good groups lol.

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i agree with everything you said especially the part about not having enough riffle to get the job done(or truck)...also about hunters talking about kills and skipping over all the misses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18

If thats the girl I think it is she is the real deal with that 243. My buddy(who I believe is her brother ) guides on the Jicarilla and owns a couple of those Greybull rifles in 243 and 7mm Rem.
The 7mm is amazing at 1000yds with 180gr Berger bullets. That however is pretty much the max for that rifle and that bullet for killing Elk.