Anyone use the 260 Rem to hunt deer?

[Hammack]

The 260 is a fine choice for deer sized game. I am currently building a 260 on a 700 Rem action to play with this year. I have been a fan of the 6.5mm's for some years. My main rifle is a 264 win mag that I built some years ago. The 6.5mm bullets will make up for in penetration what energy it lacks when compared to the 7mm-08. In other words they penetrate more than their size would have you believe. This is because of the high sectional density they have. If a deer is lost with a 260 then ONLY the shooter is to blame.

 

[Ga-Bullet]

Varget, BLC-2 and W-760 all work well in the 6.5's My 6.5 284 lives on RL-22.

 

[Win1917]

Not sure what kind of target shooters you are talking about but the 7mm-08 was invented/wildcatted originally as a target round for the pistol shooters shooting the long rams.

It was a popular round in high power rifle silhouette but from what I understand it's long been replaced by the 260 as the choice cartridge now. In handgun silhouette a 7-08 is way more cartridge than needed. I don't shoot big bore but I hear a lot guys using 6.5br, 7br, 7tcu and stuff like that. The problem with target shooting is that sometimes it's like a school of fish. One minute they're all going one way and then somebody wins with something different and the next year everyone's jumped ship to the new must-have .

The 7-08 and 260 are both great rounds and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in either for deer hunting. I'm using 15" Encore in 260 this year.

 

[Buckhead]

Great round for whitetails. My favorite tree stand rifle is a LSS Mountain rifle in .260. I have a Zeiss Diavari 3 x 9 on it and it is a sweet rig. Have taken several deer with that rifle. The largest being a 10 pt that field dressed at 165 lbs. No problems with deer running. Honestly can't tell any difference between the .260 and my .30 - 06 with comparable shots. 125 grain partitions are my favorite load. Second to that, 120 grain ballistic tips.

 

[shane256]

I realize this is an older thread, but I just signed up

I hunt with a .260 Remington and it's my favorite cartridge for whitetails. I have yet to have a deer run out of my sight and a number of them have never left their tracks when they were hit. I think the one that ran the farthest went about 30yds from where it was hit. I've never shot more than once at a deer and have never lost a deer with it. I like using 140gr bullets and haven't recovered one yet. I've been thinking about switching to 120gr or 130gr but since nothing seems to be broken, I'm hesitant to try to fix anything

I have a Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter with a 24" MGM barrel. I like this set up a lot because the overall length of the rifle is about 6" shorter than my 22" bolt action .30-06. that makes it great for use in shooting houses and tree stands. Even with its heavy contour barrel, it's still very light (about 7lbs with scope, sling, etc.) so it's easy to carry but even then it has mild recoil. Since the summer I got it four years ago (three deer seasons hunting with it, this coming season will be my 4th), my .30-06 and my .270Win rifles have only left my safe to go to the range. My .260 is my go-to rifle.

Sure, there's not really anything the .260 can do that a 7mm-08 can't but that works both ways, IMO.