260 Rem. Dilemma

[theoldgringo]

Gents,
Brand new to the forum and darn near brand new to bench-rest shooting.

Let me preface this "story" by saying I have a Karl Gustaf Swede long rifle, made in 1920, that is the best shooting rifle I own, with 140gr Swede surplus.

Went to the local big box sporting goods store this week to find a 6.5x55 (Tikka in mind) to shoot in the local IKES hunter class competitions. Well, sitting on two hooks immediately above the Tikka display was a Sako 75, walnut, hunter in 260 Rem., at a price I couldn't refuse. Knowing that 260 Rem and 6.5x55 are virtually identical ballistically, I grabbed this opportunity and ran with a new ($750.) Sako.

That was yesterday. Today I learn that Sako and, I guess, almost all manufacturers build their 260 Rems with a 1 in 9" twist rate, which is, at best, borderline for shooting any thing over the 130 grain bullet, especially if you want to shoot a target bullet.

Finally to the question; Will the 140 gr boat-tail bullets (HPBT, A-Max, etc) work well with the 1 in 9" twist rate. Will a 140 gr hunting bullet like the V-Max be a better option, or would a 130gr, or less, target bullet do the job best.

I'm having a really hard time understanding why all these rifles have the slower twist rate when Karl had it correct over a century ago with a
1 in 7 1/2" twist.

I'd sure appreciate some insight from somebody.

Thanks for "listening"...............tog

 

[criver600]

9 twist

Quite a few 9 twist have been shot in 1000 yard competition. I will never shoot another. If the temp gets around or below 70 degrees you can have very unstable bullets.

 

[Charles E]

What you can do:

1. Shoot as short a bullet as you can. Stability has more to do with the length of the bullet than with the weight. I have no idea which, if any approx 140 grain bullets are made on a shorter jacket, but there may be some. For example, GTB offers a bunch of 6.5s in various configurations -- tangent ogive, secant ogive, slightly less than 140-grain weight, etc. -- some of these may let you shoot 10 degrees cooler.

2. Keep the speed up as much as safe & accurate. My old 6.5/06 Ackley Improved had a 9-twist, and was fine even in February at Hawks Ridge. I dunno how cold it was -- above freezing -- but not by much. That used a 142 SMK at about 3,050.

3. Don't give up on the slightly lighter bullets. I remember when Leonard Baity was fireforming a .243 Ackley & used some 95-grain Bergers. They shot so well he used them in the first match, even though he was planning on 105. He won, so he shot the 95s all year, and wound up setting a new aggregate record.

 

[Dave Tooley]

Until you try heavier bullets don't rule them out. We have been using more twist than needed for years. The target will tell you what's right and what's wrong.

Karl twisted his barrel for the heavy round nose bullets 150+ grs.

Dave

 

[theoldgringo]

Gents,
It's been awhile so I think this thread has run it's course. Thanks very much to all who responded. Since posting, I've found that 140gr bullets may, indeed, shoot very well with this rifle and I'm now putting together a load work-up to test different weights and types.
Thanks again and may your cross-hairs (or dots) always be in focus............tog