If we are talking deer hunting then the .260 is a great caliber.  His claims for the most part are correct and the rifle price if new is good.  I think the big advantage of the 30 caliber is flexibility.  They allow you to talk larger size game and still shoot smaller game as well.  The .260 I feel is a more specialize caliber, one which is ideal for deer sized game.

I agree with X-ring.  It is more of a specialized caliber.  It will be excellent for deer, hogs, etc.  It is a great caliber for smaller persons.  The .260 is perfect for smaller women and children.  I am thinking about getting my nephew a Model 7 in this caliber for his first deer rifle.  Then he gets his first AR.

My wife has taken 3 deer with a Rem. 700 BDL ss. Shoots great and not much recoil for a smaller person. Loaded with 140 Hor. and H4831 it drops like a rock, 2550fps. Not a 400 yd. round. Last year I loaded 120 Ballistic Tips with IMR4350 and these were much better, about 2940fps. It is a great deer load and she is going after black bear this fall. I think the round is great but limited to deer or bear at the top of its list. All around a nice round.

i personally love the .260 or (6.5mm/08). my father in law got one as soon as they came out.  recoil is very light--even in a light gun.  the round is very accurate.  i agree with what everyone else said--great for deer, boar, black bear, pronghorn, sheep and maybe elk in a good situation.  a little bit on the weak side for anything larger.  with a .308 you can handload up to 200+ grain bullets for the big stuff.

i would really like to get an ar10 in .260.  i think you should get it.  i do not think you will regret it.  i believe that is what i will get when i pony up the cash for one of those light wight custom shop model 7's with the mannlicher stock.

sloth, I know a smith who's built a couple 260Rem chambered AR10s.   It's around 1k for the uppers that I've priced, I'm in the mood for a 260 as well but it will be awhile till I can swing a new upper for my AR10.  No idea on what a complete gun would run though, see if you can get ahold of him and see if he would build one up from an Eagle Arms AR10 lower?

George Gardner is his name and his shop is called GA Precision.   He says "GA" is for "Gnat's Ass."


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[url]http://www.dennysguns.com/denny/precision.html[/url]

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[url]http://www.dennysguns.com/denny/gapr_gallery.php?item=03[/url]

On the 260 Rem I think availability of ammunition could be a problem in many areas, the light bullets have a tough time in the wind and it really doesn,t have a lot of thump when it gets there. I shoot 308 Win and 300 Win Mag(a lot) I haven't owned a 30-06 for many years, but I think for most people a 30-06 is probably the best choice of cartridges.
  Have a nice day,  Rabon.

The 260 remington is an updated Swedish 6.5 x 55mm.  The 140 grain bullet has the same sectional density as a 180 grain 30 caliber bullet.  If you check the ballistic charts, the 260/6.5 x 55 can do everything a 308 winchester with 150 grain bullets can do, and has better terminal ballistics to boot.  

No matter what people tell you, the 308 does not have the case capacity to handle 180 grain bullets. If you want to send more lead downrange, use a 30-06 or 35 whelen.  If you want more range, period, use a magnum of some sort.  

Europeans have been useing the 6.5 x 55 on moose and other large deer for years with no problems.  The 260/6.5 can handle any non-dangerous game in North America within 300-350 yards.   As for me, I like the low recoil, and I have no fantasies about how accurately I can shoot past 200-250 yards!  It's one of my favorite calibers..  Try it, you'll like it! [:D]

The .260 is a great caliber, Accurate, specializing in deer, hogs, Black Bear,. ANything Bigger and you'll need a bigger gun. I would suggest a .308win just because you can get surplus ammo for practice, and lots of good hunting rounds out there!
-Chuck

If this is your first bolt gun, get a 30-06. If you have others in standard calibers like .308 .300 win, get the .260 as an additional choice. Cover the standards first. I would even recomend the .243 before the .260.

For a first rifle, the .260 is a bit exotic.  The real advantage of the .260 is the very high performance HPBT available...the Sierra 142 grain does better in the wind at extreme range...If you don't reload, the broad availability of .308 ammo makes it a better choice

The .260 is the lightest powered round in the 6.5 family.  The 6.5 swede is a much hotter round, which has proven itself to be a superb hunting round, VERY accurate...

I had George Gardner build me a .260 upper for my AR10T.  The reasoning being that the round is short, accurate, moderate in recoil and super in long range flight.. The rifle has yet to really stretch it's wings, but I remain convinced this was a good move..

Note - reloading quality .260 ammo is a pain in the butt.  I first tried Remington factory .260 brass....(YUCK)... I'm now resizing Laupa .308 brass....results to follow...

The 142 gr HPBT is also a problem as you need an exceptionally short throat to load just off the lands on a clip fed round...I'm working with the Hornady 140 gr and the Nosler Partition currently... Varget is the powder.

George is a GREAT riflesmith.