Do similar rounds produce similar results? Any experienced shooter will tell you that that is not always the case. For direct proof, look no further than the .260 Remington vs 6.5 Creedmoor. Both of these are a perfect match for the .308 Winchester rifle. In many cases, if you weren’t the one who loaded the rounds, you may not be able to even tell a difference.
My personal experience has led me to prefer the .260 Remington over the 6.5 Creedmoor. We’ll get into why in this article. I’m old school, is the main reason. This guy pretty much sums up my thoughts on the .260 Remington in this video:
The old classic vs. the new hotshot
.260 Remington is a classic among long-time riflemen, having been the backbone of what we’ve used for such a long time. The reason for this is that seasoned hunters have expertise in reloading. .260 Remington rounds necessitate this, while 6.5 Creedmoor rounds are better for those without that reloading expertise.
As many new hunters aren’t trained in the art of the reload, Creedmoor can significantly reduce the learning curve when looking to get out into the field. Additionally, the Creedmoor has a shoulder angle that is sharper than the Remington. This comes with less body taper
Additionally, less water is held by the Creedmoor. This won’t affect certain shooters, but it’s worth noting. It can fit a longer bullet because of this, but the general use of handheld cartridges has all but eliminated any benefit there. Here, a video description of the two takes place.
High performance vs. low performance, and vice versa
The brass on the .260 Remington is of a higher quality than the 6.5 Creedmoor. With the Creedmoor, you may find that the brass isn’t as long lasting. This affects hunters as they experience less overall durability and flow with their shooting than if they were to use the .260 Remington.
The Creedmoor’s case is a bit shorter than the .260 Remington’s. The Remington is undoubtedly faster as a result of the higher case capacity, necessitating less maintenance in the field. Remingtons are better for those looking to use a bolt gun, but for the semi-automatic inclined, the 6.5 Creedmoor is the better choice. I’m always using bolt, so the Remington works for me.
When it comes to distance shooting, the Remington will be solid up to at least 800-900 yards.
Personal preference and skill level are a big factor
Beyond that, the accuracy can lose a bit of its dependability depending on skill and build. I’ve got mine accurate up to 1000, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. I will concede that the Creedmoor can perfectly nail a target from 1000 yards when built the right way and taken good care of. If everything is prepped correctly, that is the better option for really long distances.
I recommend keeping a chart of data from the rounds you fire with both. Test them out, and through your charts you can identify which one you are more accurate with, and which one makes the overall process easier for you. Keep track of powder, distance, velocity, and muzzle energy. I also encourage testing at different distances. Keep a record of 100 yard accuracy percentage compared with longer shots. Those who are new to long distance shooting should stick with the choice that they are the most comfortable with.
I also encourage shoots to watch some videos online of different practices with both options. Here are a couple great options:
- Creedmore footage
- Remington footage
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it really depends on personal preference. Take into consideration which bullets you plan to shoot, and whether or not you are willing to switch them to accommodate aesthetics or if you are hard lined on performance and personal comfort.
I’ve grown so accustomed to the .260 Remington over the decades that I’m not going to be switching anything up at this point.
If you enjoyed this article, please share on social media – us gun freaks always love a good debate on equipment.
Feel free to share your personal opinions in the comment section here, as I’m sure we’ve got a community of 6.5 Creedmoor users out there that have thoughts on the matter.
Featured Image via Madison Scott-Clary
read your post. glad to there are still some old school partners out there. been gunsmithing since 1971 and have seen a lot of rounds come and go- like the .244 rem. and the 7mm remington express (what a joke). i knew this would happen when they announced it. the same: i prefer the 260 rem. in the field. i built my wife one on a 98 small ring mex. she is quite small (99 lbs) and recoil sensitive and i wanted her something that would handle game up to elk. the then wildcat 6.5×308 did just that. i watced her take a large four point deer at 510 measured yards and a large bull elk at a bit over 275. the deer dropped in his tracks, the elk ran about 30 feet and dropped. we shoot barns bullets – they pretty well wreck what ever they run in to. maybe there is a need for magnum rounds but what i have seen through the years tells that those rounds based on the 30-06 – 308 -7mm mauser are more than capable of taking the desired game. they are effective at ranges that most are capable of shooting and are far less punishing. old school – if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. a friend of mine bought a 338 lapaua 2 years ago – fired 3 rounds trying to site in – needed one more – 6 months later he finally fired the round. had a hard time using his right arm for a while especially after the first three rounds. couldn’t sell the darn thing cause nobody wanted their shoulder knocked off. couldn’t trade it to dealers for the same reason. finally sold to a fellow – a large man – that was going to africa. back in the mid 60’s i fired competition on the 82nd airborne team out to 1000 yards – a fer piece – with mostly 308 and 30-06 rifles. a few 300 win mags also. also worked some with alverez in the hell hole vietman. saw him make some unbelievable shot extremely far and fairly near. it boils down to – know what your rifle is capable of – even more so – what your capable of. it’s fun to watch those long range shots on the hunting channel. they don’t show the misses and the crippled animals that drag off and die. long range shots are ok if conditions are right – most of the time they’re not. extended range shots are difficult and most are playing the fool for trying it. the 260 and the 6.5 creed. are fine round but the 260 gets the nod. BJB
You do realize that the 7mm rem express is a 280 rem right? It most definitely did not go away…
By fary personal favorite, followed by the 7mm08
I shoot a 260 rem CDL stainless fluted and a 280 . I love both and would never sell either one . The 280 (7mm Xpress)is here to stay…
Well, I was trying to decide just between .308 and 6.5 CM and you had to go make a great case for .260! I was attracted to 6.5 because of its flatness, but never considered .260. For just finding reasonably priced ammo alone, .260 seems like a smarter idea.
I’m having a Wilson Combat Super Sniper built and had thought I had settled on 6.5. It’s primarily for hunting, I considered adding a new Remington 700 PCR in .308 (half the cost of WC platform). Already have .458 HAM’R and Weatherby 300 Win Mag for bigger game.
Open for advice on the WC .308 vs 6.5. They offer a .260 Rem as well, but WC advised to go .308 up to 500 yards, beyond that they recommended the 6.5.
I jumped on the 260 Rem bandwagon a little too soon. I certainly don’t regret it, but I thought it would take off instead of the 6.5 Cr.
Its not a problem, though, because I can load my own, and the 308 cartridge will be around for the foreseeable future making the round basically future proof. If people can handload, I recommend the 260 Rem. If they don’t, I’d recommend the 6.5 Cr. Other than that, the differences are almost entirely academic. Good article.
Same here. I go to Cabelas and all they have is Creedmore and a box or two of 260 Rem. Creedmore won the retail contest but my 260 works fine.
Good article. If you would like to use an AR semi-auto rifle platform and also want to do some big game animal (deer, elk, moose, black bear, caribou, etc.) hunting with that rifle then go with the “the best recoil /to/ performance ratio” of the 6.5 Creemoor as a first choice ->instead ofinstead ofinstead of<- the 6.5 Creemoor or .260 Remington (these two cartridges mentioned in the article above).
This is my opinion and you may disagree.
I’m a hunter, not a target shooter. The prospect of shooting an animal over 400 yards does not exist. The .260 seems to be more of a hunting cartridge and is somewhat pleasant to shoot for an older man with shoulder problems. That being said, I have used a .243 almost exclusively for the last 25 years for eastern Whitetail. Most have dropped dead within 10 yards of where they were hit, and the longest run was 100 yds.
The recoil is less than a .260 and 6.5 and the ammo is significantly cheaper than both.
I would like to say this is because I am a great shot, but the simple fact of the matter, (borne out by great gun writers) is that all men, no matter how macho, are sensitive to recoil whether they know it or not. I attribute my hunting success, in part, to the polite recoil of a .243 letting me put the bullet where my crosshairs were.
One thing further to add to the pluses of the 260, you can resize 308 brass to 260. You will always be able to find 308 brass
.243 WIN. necks up perfectly into .260 REM. Really the .260 is the handloader’s ideal cartridge if he already loads .243 WIN.
I will add, in a bolt action >huntingis better than< the 6.5 Creedmoor or .260 Remington in any bullet weight. But in a magazine clip fed AR-10 type of semi-auto rifle, the best choice of these three cartridges is a 6.5 Creedmoor.
Thanks 🙂
I LIKE YOUR ARTICLE. It was very informative.Thanks. In nam I shot a 308 M1A1. Loved that round. I shoot a 2506 now. Last year I shot a Nebraska mule deer at 480 according to my range finder. Dropped in his tracks. I am 72 years young,LOL.
Mr. Wilson,
Love the comment on the 25/06. Lot’s of 6 and 6.5 Creedmore marketing today. Guns & Ammo’s best writer, Bob Milek was so far ahead of the game. His research on the “Quarter Bores” as he called them, prove one thing today. They work…
Peace My Brother.
That made for a very informative read, since I already have a Savage 308 win and a Remington 243 Win the 260 Remington is in my further. One thing I really like about the 308 is that it’s NOT a overbore, and it so darn easy to load for.
My son has had a 260 rem now for 10-12 years
I have had one for 3 years
I think the 260 is a great round
But it seems to have not become popular and is hard to find ammo in stores
Yet 6.5 Creed comes along and has become the most popular round today
I don’t understand why the 260 never got any credit for all of these years yet creed is the best thing ever
Is it because of bad press?
The only bad thing about 260 is you cant find ammo
Thanks for the article
I believe the major reason for the 260 Remington not being popular is the early rifles had a bore rate which was too slow something like 1 in 11. Most of the rates for the 6.5 and 260 are 1 in 8 and some barrels being 1 in 7. With the 260 you can load it to higher velocities than the 6.5. However, there is what I like to call the minimum effective dose in medicine. There is a minimum and a maximum range of velocities which are effective. Below 2000 you have lost a lot of the shock wave which ripples through the body. Above 2800 to 3,000 you begin to have recoil, barrel wear and little increased killing effect. At some point dead is dead and there is no more dead just because you have more foot pounds of energy delivered to the body. The 308 case has more than enough capacity for powder and energy for a 200 to 400 pound deer or man. Original the M1 Garand was originally designed for the 276 Peterson sort of a slim 260 Remington not the 30-06. The Grand would have been a 10 round not a 8 round weapon if it had been the 276. But we had too much 30-06 ammo in storage so the M1 Garand became a 30-06. The 30 caliber was overkill, overly expensive and less accurate than the 6.5. Plus 10 rounds beats 8. The 30-06 and 308 was a bad decision which we kept for over 100 years.
I wanted a whitetail deer rifle for my area of NY that opened rifle season for the first time in living memory a couple years ago. I hunt my own property and it goes from heavy cover to a power-line right of way where I could do a 500 yard shot (though my “spot” is 300 yards one way and 200 yards another). I doubt I’d ever get to 250 yards on a deer, but I have passed that on coyote. I went looking for a 7m-08 but the store had a sad, dusty .260 Rem Savage M11 (with a 1:8″ twist) they offered at a nice price, and we struck a deal. Knowing it had a hair better ballistics than a 6.5 x 55mm but in a short action was enough for me, and a peek at the reloading manual in the store was all I needed.
It has been a choice I am still happy with. This past week I took a whitetail buck at 160 yards with a Hornady ELD-X. Clean kill with little meat damage. The chances an elk will ever cross my property are slim (though a Fallow deer came to stay and grace my freezer- long story). I have raised sheep and still have chickens and a .260 Rem is strong medicine on coyote and fox. And it certainly has the accuracy to do what I ask. Mild recoil, I won’t go deaf when shooting at game, REALLY nice 0.264″ bullets on the market. It’s just a honey of a deer rifle.
I bought 40 rounds of Federal Premium 142 gr SMK to get me started and that was the last factory ammo I bought. I like reloading for a hobby and relaxing pastime. And it is a terrific cartridge for reloaders. Peterson. Lapua, Alpha all offer 0260 Rem brass. Perfect. Savage put a proper throat (and magazine clearance) in the M11 so I can seat the long 143 gr bullets out to 0.2890″ C.O.L. , still get a 0.010″ jump, and fill the case with H4891SC or H4350 for optimum velocity . . . though my “sweet” load is a bit less than max. Why stress it?
So, for me, the .260 Rem in a bolt gun, with nice Nikon BDC Scope, and all the reloading components I could ever need, is the perfect choice. I liked it so much I put a “pretty” Boyd’s thumbhole stock on it and pillar bedded it. A keeper for sure.
This can turn into a potatoe potata convo between the two .260rem and the 6.5cm…. that Creedmore brass has the sharp taper short mag look that gives that burn efficiency like the .300/270 WSM conversations..
There is something special about the 6.5cm our of a factory rifle with Factory Hornady precision Hunter ammunition doing 3/4-1/2MOA accuracy at 2700 FPS with the B.C. of that 143 ELDX!! Personally witnessed this from 4 different people at two different ranges. I’m sure ya’ll .260 boys can boast similar experiences at the BBQ…….
But all that said…. let me bring you all down to earth to the small elite club of 6.5×55 in modern long actions. If you hand load… and know that ALL the 6.5×55 are throated much deeper to accommodate the factory 160gr hornady round nose ammo… you can seat the 135-143gr bullets wayyy out increasing case capacity and have 6.5-284 ballistics.. I have a Tikka T3X varmint. 47.6gr H4350 (a bit of pressure but not enough to back off yet) 140 Berger VLD’s 3.18 COAL humming 1/2 MOA groups @ 2880 FPS… 3 years ago…. dead 700lbs bull elk 478 yards on the other side of a mountain ridge one shot kill rolled down 25feet from where I shot him….
Use hornady 95gr vmax for coyotes .. same gun for everything. All the different bullet choices with the 6.5..
Remember ALL the handloading manuals for the Swede are toned down for the old weak Mauser actions. So DO NOT use that amount of powder i mentioned in an old style action.
Learning to handload for the turned a passion for hunting into a obsession in shooting excellence.
I’ve been shooting the 6.5REM since the late 90’s in my ARMALITE AR10T with a custom 26″ fluted SS bull barrel with a 1/7 twist that I’ve used for CMP matches on a regular basis for over a decade. used laod it with SIERRA 155gr HPBTMK until SIERRA stopped making them in the 2,000’s.I was able to ignore the wind up to 600yds and still be able to stay within the ten ring.
Personally I don’t see what all the hype over the 6.5CM with it being by and large an inferior cartridge. It has less case capability than the 260REM, and case capacity is the important factor when loading with heavy long bullets. And the worst of all is the it’s based on an oddball proprietary parent case (30 TC) instead of the ubiquitous 308/7.62NATO parant case like the 260REM. Once something in the very near future causing the 6.5CM brass from being made, all those expensive rifles will be reduced to crude clubs.
Enjoyed the article. I was a 101st Abn rifle team member, armorer and batallion sniper. I found a nice AR10T 260 upper built by Scott Madisha for cheap, a young man needed divorce money. I had a 6.5-08 about 2 years before there was a 260, my Clymer reamer says 6.5×08. Scott had set the upper up for 107s so I got the calculator out and started crunching numbers. I discovered if I set the magazine clearance to .030 instead of .050 I could get a 120 SMK set .003 off the lands if the top of the BT was at the bottom of the neck. So I re-throated the 8 twist Lilja barrel. When using H-414 the actual performance could be up to 3,200 Fps max and would shoot .110 to .130 at 100. I would have traded a truck load of my modified M-14s with a Redfield scope for this one gun in 66.
But the 10T is a very heavy beast, so I sold the whole shebang. Right now I am working on building a lighter version of the AR 10T in the 260 based on an Aero Precision 5M set. Do not like the DPMS style but…. I do have three 260 guns including the XP and two 700s.
Oh by the way the claim has been made that the 6.5 Cr is based on the 30 IHMSA. Well the 30 itself was based on the 300 Savage with a longer neck to reduce case capacity for use in a 14 inch XP100. However, there was also a 6.5 IHMSA (wonder why the 6.5 CM is not based on the 6.5 IHMSA, hum….) about 5 calibers in this line all designed by Elgin Gates, then president of the IHMSA. On the Witchita page it says the International cartridge line is the same as the IHMSA line, that is not so. The International line is all based on rimmed cartridges for the International single shot pistol.
Ed
PS: Buskirk5 My batallion 2/319th was transferred to the 82nd when the 101st was sent back to the states, so I can not rib an 82nd guy too much, any more. 🙂 besides I am about 2 months short of 73 my self. Only takes me 15 minutes to walk in the morning.
My preference also is the 260 Rem… I bought mine from a cousin who built it for “Ringing the Iron”…
I only had to shoot it 5 times and that was all the convincing I needed…
First shot was a100 yards to make sure that my Eye was on the Tarket for the Subsequent Shots…
The Targets were 3/8” x 5” circled pieces of Steel… The Scope was 24×50 Leupold…
First 5” Steel circle was 400 yards… after that 500,600, and then 700… It rang the iron on them all… interesting enough he missed the 5” 700 yard shot… he told me that during Deer season he would shoot from where we were to the Back of his Beanfield that was 550 yards away… the futherest he ever had a deer go after that 6.5 hit him was 20 feet..
Most just dropped in their tracks…
Recently read where an African Hunter had killed ever animal in Africa with the 6.5 except for the Hippo, Elephant, and Buffalo…
My cousin told me I could change the Sites on the 25×50 to accurately shoot starting at 900 then 1000, 1100, and 1200 yards… I dont doubt it for a minute however finding a range that far is not that easy to find So I have never tried it… The trigger is Savage Double Trigger … supposedly it is what most of the expert long shooters in Tennessee use… It worked for be but you have to be ready to fire when you take your finger off set trigger.. Thats all I can say about that… Ringing that Iron is a beautiful sound… You shoot, then listen, then Pinggggg!
Awesome…
I built a .260 Remington around a Savage target action and a Shilen heavy bull barrel – which I then cut down to 18 inches do it looks like a truck axle. Also pillar bedded, etc.
I then round robined thru 4 powders, a handful of bullets and over a dozen seating depths. (On average it takes me 4 range visits of 3+ hours each to develop a gold-standard round). bullet seating depth is to to .0005 of an inch, and yes I trim the nose, weigh all my bullets, weigh all my cases, etc.
I settled on 4831SC, which has become my go-to high perf powder. It’s not hot, but it’s *incredibly* consistent, and I’ll take consistency over speed every day. 2575 FPS boom boom boom.
Fast forward: I brought my self-built .260 remi to Thunder Ranch high angle school and shot with, among other people, John Niceske. That rifle and ammo and *easily* shoot .25 MOA if the shooter is on.
It got nails, out to 1400 yards. The only caveat: I blew the extractor on about shot 20, and since then I think I’ve blown a half dozen extractors onbtgat rifle.
So: if I want to hit a 6 inch target at 1000+ yards in wind via an easily portable (not .300 Win Mag, not .338, not .50), there is only one calibers going with: .260 Remington.
A few years ago, in ‘14, I decided to build myself a long range rifle. Wanted to push as far as possible, but didn’t want a barrel burner…or a sore shoulder every outing. I knew right away it would be 6.5mm, and spent a couple months deciding which one. Ended up I went with 260. Just a few years later and I am really taken back by how 6.5cm took off. Actually, 260 has been forgotten for the most part. No one within 200 miles of my home even sells ammo! Good thing I’ve never even thought of wasting money on factory loaded JUNK!! I’m a seasoned reloaded and would still choose 260 Rem even now.. Most of my range ammo is loaded using 7.62×51 LC brass…NATO head stamp & all! I love the ease that this brass lends to resizing to 6.5mm pills.
Good video. Very practical points of view. I’m not a extreme long range shooter.
Good video. Very practical points of view. I’m not an extreme long range shooter.
As long as my rifles shoot “minute of low life” and I can hit within 4″ offhand at 200 yards I’m satisfied.
The marketing folks of the companies that sell all these firearm related products love all this hair splitting. I’m just happy to see many people
exercising their 2nd Amndmnt. rights. Also, it’s great America has such an advanced gun culture throughout it’s citizenry. Otherwise I’d say there are some people that need to get a life-lol.
The article seems to have conflicting points in several places. Also, why do a few of the links have nothing to do with what they are talking about? The “higher quality” link goes to gun safe reviews when it makes the claim 260 brass is better quality. I’d actually like to see data on it (other than some anecdotal notes). “Personal preference” link reference scopes for AR’s.
I do appreciate the fact that the author admits a personal bias/preference early on.
Just for the record, I don’t have a horse in this race so to speak. I have centerfire calibers ranging from .17 Rem to 45-70.