03-30-2013, 11:01 PM
Well, I think it boils down to a few simple characteristic decisions. I'm selling off all my .260 rifles and have had one of my historically important rifles rechambered to 6.5 Creedmoor. So, my decision is made, practical considerations of brass supply aside, I have over 5,000 Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor cases on hand so brass availability is not a serious concern form me, so I chose the 6.5 Creedmoor. But if brass availability was the primary consideration then the .260 has the advantage. So, from a design standpoint the 6.5 creedmoor is superior, from a factory load standpoint the 6.5 creedmoor is superior, and from a brass availability standpoint the .260 is superior. So it depends upon where you place your priorities.
For me it is simple 6.5 Creedmoor wins hands down. For others without the supply on hand the .260 wins, hands down.
Emil Praslic runs the AMU across the course rifle team. He had this same decision to make and chose a turn key solution, the Tubb 2K rifle chambered in .260 Remington. He could have chosen either of the other solutions but his decision was based upon readily available components. McMillan chambered the Tubb 2K in both .260 and 6.5 Creedmoor, Lapua had not yet committed to the .260 for brass, so they moved in with the .260 Rem anyway and that move won a national championship for them.
Sherri Galliger, used the .260 with Sierra 108, and 142 SMK bullets and Hodgdon Varget powder in Remington cases to win the National High Power Championship in 2010.
I have a Tubb 2K in 6.5 Creedmoor and I can say it is superior in all respects on the range, it shoots tighter groups than a .260 in the same rifle, it shoots higher velocities at lower pressure, and gives longer barrel life. But that is not the critical factor, Sherri shooting either caliber would win, because she is a more consistent and talented shooter, not because of the caliber she chose or was chosen for her.
For the record, I have abandoned my Tubb 2K and 6.5 Creedmoor in favor of the AR platform firing a 6mm Hagar, for me it is a more favorable platform, not that the T2K isn't a great platform, it is fantastic. However, I shoot the AR better even at 600 yard prone slow fire. And for the rapid fire strings a semi auto with softer recoil is the ticket. So, that is what I'm campaigning this year.
Back to the subject at hand, let me see if I can boil it down given a few comparisons and rank the choices first to last.
Ballistic performance, 6.5 Creedmoor, 260 Remington, 6.5x47
Factory Load Performance - 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47, .260
Factory Load Cost - 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5X47
Brass Quality - 6.5x47 and .260, 6.5 Creedmoor
Brass Availability - .260, 6.5x47, 6.5 Creedmoor
Accuracy of hand loads - 6.5X47 and 6.5 Creedmoor, .260
So, it depends upon your rank order of important factors.
I hope this helps, but in the end it comes down to the shooter, not the cartridge.
Bob
For me it is simple 6.5 Creedmoor wins hands down. For others without the supply on hand the .260 wins, hands down.
Emil Praslic runs the AMU across the course rifle team. He had this same decision to make and chose a turn key solution, the Tubb 2K rifle chambered in .260 Remington. He could have chosen either of the other solutions but his decision was based upon readily available components. McMillan chambered the Tubb 2K in both .260 and 6.5 Creedmoor, Lapua had not yet committed to the .260 for brass, so they moved in with the .260 Rem anyway and that move won a national championship for them.
Sherri Galliger, used the .260 with Sierra 108, and 142 SMK bullets and Hodgdon Varget powder in Remington cases to win the National High Power Championship in 2010.
I have a Tubb 2K in 6.5 Creedmoor and I can say it is superior in all respects on the range, it shoots tighter groups than a .260 in the same rifle, it shoots higher velocities at lower pressure, and gives longer barrel life. But that is not the critical factor, Sherri shooting either caliber would win, because she is a more consistent and talented shooter, not because of the caliber she chose or was chosen for her.
For the record, I have abandoned my Tubb 2K and 6.5 Creedmoor in favor of the AR platform firing a 6mm Hagar, for me it is a more favorable platform, not that the T2K isn't a great platform, it is fantastic. However, I shoot the AR better even at 600 yard prone slow fire. And for the rapid fire strings a semi auto with softer recoil is the ticket. So, that is what I'm campaigning this year.
Back to the subject at hand, let me see if I can boil it down given a few comparisons and rank the choices first to last.
Ballistic performance, 6.5 Creedmoor, 260 Remington, 6.5x47
Factory Load Performance - 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47, .260
Factory Load Cost - 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5X47
Brass Quality - 6.5x47 and .260, 6.5 Creedmoor
Brass Availability - .260, 6.5x47, 6.5 Creedmoor
Accuracy of hand loads - 6.5X47 and 6.5 Creedmoor, .260
So, it depends upon your rank order of important factors.
I hope this helps, but in the end it comes down to the shooter, not the cartridge.
Bob