# Is a .260 similar to a .25-06



## Gumswamp (Dec 27, 2010)

I have a Ruger .260 that I really enjoy hunting with, but find it difficult in my area to find ammo.  Is a .25-06 similar to my .260 and if so how easy is it to find ammo for it ?

Thanks
Gumswamp


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## ugadawg88 (Dec 27, 2010)

I have never shot a .260, but I would think it is not too terribly different from the .25-06. I have a buddy and he only shoots a .25-06 and he loves it. Very flat shooting gun from what I hear. As for ammo, he has bought it at walmart before when I was with him, but we went to another walmart and they didnt have it, the guy had never even heard of it. He kept telling us we meant .30-06... Anyways good luck, its one heck of a rifle


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## Twenty five ought six (Dec 27, 2010)

In the real world, not enough difference to get in a stew about.  Any deer shot with either one will not want to argue the fine points with you.

I don't have any problem finding .25-06 ammo -- get mine at Wally World. (BTW found out that Wally World has an internal catalog, and they can order stuff that's not on the shelves--if you ask them to). If anything, .25-06 ammo is easier to find today than 25 years ago because of a resurgence in popularity.

One small advantage of .25-06 is that if you're a varmint hunter, you can find factory loads down to 95 gr.


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## BamaBart (Dec 27, 2010)

I think you will be happy with a 25-06!

I have a 25-06.
I buy ammo during the summer and stock pile it so when hunting season comes I just grab a box off the shelf and hunt. I'm going to start hand loading all of my ammo since I bought a 270 WSM.


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## DeepweR (Dec 27, 2010)

i have both. i hunt with the .260 and nothing else! i get my ammo from a local gun shop or order it from midway usa.


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## Buckhead (Dec 27, 2010)

They are very close in performance with 120 grain bullets, however, the .260 is factory loaded up to 140 grains.  With the 25- 06, 120 grains is as heavy as you will find.  

The 25-06 isn't as efficient as the .260.  Very similar comparison to the parent cartridges.  The 25-06 burns 20+% more powder to achieve the same velocities as the .260.  As a consequence, will have more recoil and blast.    

It may be a little harder to find .260 ammo, but not difficult.  Remington, Federal, Fusion and others load it.  If you handload, a lot more options with the 6.5 mm bullets than you do with .25 caliber bullets.  My favorite white tail rifle is a .260.      

Aside from being able to ammo shop at Walmart, I don't see many advantages in owning a 25-06 over a .260.


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## dtala (Dec 27, 2010)

a 260 may be "more efficient"...but it ain't faster

my 25-06 would launch a 100gr Hornady at 3400...compared to a 260 at less than 3000

Rem factory ammo shows a 260/120 at 2730 compared to a 25-06/120 at 2990....

efficiency ain't everything. A 260 is more "efficient" than my 264WinMag but it's way slower with a 125gr bullet..2700/2800 vs a 264 at 3300. 6-700fps is a big difference

  troy


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## Buckhead (Dec 27, 2010)

dtala -

http://www.nosler.com/Reloading-Data/260-Remington-100-Grains.aspx

Mr. Nosler seems to think they are pretty much identical with 100 grain bullets.  Not sure how you get 150 fps more than he does.  Guess you got a good one.  

BTW, Remington loads the accutip at 2,890,  Federal loads the 120 ballistic tip at 2,950.    

Not talking about the .264 Win Mag or the 6.5-06, different animals.


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## miles58 (Dec 27, 2010)

Buckhead said:


> dtala -
> 
> http://www.nosler.com/Reloading-Data/260-Remington-100-Grains.aspx
> 
> ...



You need to compare the same powders and pressure.  The Nosler data does not.


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## Buckhead (Dec 27, 2010)

Whatever.


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## hitchin (Dec 27, 2010)

*.260 similar*

go ahead and buy the 25-06 everyone needs another rifle!!!! Everyone has thier preferences, but i doubt the deer will know the difference. I have shot a sackfull of deer with the 25-06 over a thirty year span and it does its job very well. I shoot the 120gr sierra bthp @ 3000 fps .I have never shot deer with the 260, but i have a friend that has one in the browing a bolt, It shoots sweet at the range. The only negative to the 25 is Long action---24 " barrell eqals long overall length.


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## thurmongene (Dec 27, 2010)

Hay Gumswamp,  do ya have any .260 brass left ?  I will buy it .


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## WGSNewnan (Dec 28, 2010)

why not just load your own. it'll be cheaper in the long run and will probably increase the accuracy and performance of your .260.


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## dtala (Dec 28, 2010)

Buckhead, lets put it in plain language....you cannot push a 260 to 25-06 speeds with the same bullet weight and pressure. 25-06 will win everytime, by a decent margin.

shoot yer 260 and be happy, but it ain't a 25-06.


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## Buckhead (Dec 28, 2010)

dtala -

Not to make a big deal out of this, but check the data.  I have already sent you a link to Nosler's page.  Attached is one to Hogden/IMR.  Unless you have a secret recipe, all of the common data is pretty consistent and shows the same thing.   

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

There just isn't much difference, plain and simple.  I don't know where you are coming up with this "decent margin" stuff.  It doesn't exist in facory loads or in common handload data.  The lone exception is the Hornady superperformance factory stuff with the proprietary powder. They don't load the .260.  You can not compare loads on the basis of pressure.  Certain rounds are capable of higher pressure than others.  Why would you handicap or download a cartridge for comparison purposes?    

The two bullet weights that are the most commonly shared are 100 grains and 120 grains.  At those weights, the .25-06 will give you 50 to 100 fps more.  That's it.  That margin can easily be offset by variances in a particular barrel or by barrel length.    Additionally, a .260 will shoot up to a 160 grain bullet.  That gives it a whole new dimension over the .25-06.  There is a much broader selection of 6.5 mm bullets, including VLDs for long range shooting, heavies for bigger game, etc...

If you want to keep arguing, have at it.  I think the data speaks for itself.


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## Win1917 (Dec 28, 2010)

For normal deer hunting the differences are minimal. I hunt with both and the deer don't like getting hit with either one. In longer distance shooting, match shooting, etc the 260 is hands down a better choice because of a huge selection of high BC match grade bullets. There's very little available like that in .257.


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