260 compared to 308 case/action length

Cryon · February 1, 2006, 12:55 PM

Hi to everyone I have been browsing this forum for a month or so and finally got myself registered some great information here.

Anyway onto my question i've been playing around with the idea of taking a Browning BLR Made in Belgium 308 action and putting a new 260 Remington barrel on it. Now I know that the case lengths are almost identical between the 308 and 260 but my real question is would this caliber conversion work or would the 308 action be too short?
Also will finding a barrel to be chambered for a 260 be impossible to find? Or would my local gunsmith be able to order one in?

Thanks for your time

It's just an idea for my first deer rifle.

Zak Smith · February 1, 2006, 01:42 PM

If you shoot long/heavy bullets in 260, you might have to seat the bottom of the bullet (ie, at the boat tail) below the bottom of the case neck. This is not really a problem (lots of factory match ammo loaded to standard OALs does this), but some guys don't like to do it for accuracy reasons.

Any competent gunsmith should be able to take a 6.5mm barrel blank and ream it for 260REM / 6.5-08.

Jim Watson · February 1, 2006, 05:27 PM

Z is right on the technical side.

You might not like paying for it. Hundreds of bucks. I cannot see the advantage over .308 to justify it.

Cryon · February 1, 2006, 09:49 PM

The only reason that I want to go the route of the 260 is because we have a caliber restriction in my area that doesn't allow us to carry a rifle bigger than a 270 out of deer season. I also wanted to go the way of 260 because that way I could double this rifle as a deer rifle and get more practice with one gun all year round.

Thanks for the replys

lfmayor · February 1, 2006, 10:44 PM

Man, and I thought we had idiot Bolshiveks around here making laws... if you don't mind my asking, exactly where is this restriction in place at?

Cryon · February 2, 2006, 11:24 AM

The restriction is in Southern Ontario. Yeah tell me about the weird laws I can go out into the woods 150 yards behind my house and deer hunt with shotguns only but other than the two weeks of deer season I can go out into that same woods and blast coyotes and groundhogs with a 270. Hmmmm can't figure that one out.

Rivers · February 2, 2006, 04:20 PM

Since the .260 is just a necked-down .308, it would seem to me that the conversion would work fine.

tINY · February 7, 2006, 03:25 AM

260 Rem is a good choice if they let you reload in Canada.

Else, It'd look at getting along action rifle chambered in the more popular 270 (which is a necked-down 30-06).

You guys have to have some of the worst beurocrats in the world. Is there any chance you can vote them out, or have they made that illegal?

-tINY

February 1, 2006, 12:55 PM	#1
Cryon Junior Member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 3	260 compared to 308 case/action length Hi to everyone I have been browsing this forum for a month or so and finally got myself registered some great information here. Anyway onto my question i've been playing around with the idea of taking a Browning BLR Made in Belgium 308 action and putting a new 260 Remington barrel on it. Now I know that the case lengths are almost identical between the 308 and 260 but my real question is would this caliber conversion work or would the 308 action be too short? Also will finding a barrel to be chambered for a 260 be impossible to find? Or would my local gunsmith be able to order one in? Thanks for your time It's just an idea for my first deer rifle.

February 1, 2006, 01:42 PM	#2
Zak Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 1999 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA Posts: 2,682	If you shoot long/heavy bullets in 260, you might have to seat the bottom of the bullet (ie, at the boat tail) below the bottom of the case neck. This is not really a problem (lots of factory match ammo loaded to standard OALs does this), but some guys don't like to do it for accuracy reasons. Any competent gunsmith should be able to take a 6.5mm barrel blank and ream it for 260REM / 6.5-08. __________________ Zak Smith . DEMIGOD LLC . THUNDER BEAST ARMS CORP . COLORADO MULTI-GUN *My PM inbox full? Send e-mail instead.*

February 1, 2006, 10:44 PM	#5
lfmayor Member Join Date: January 28, 2006 Location: in the red area of a blue state Posts: 73	Filthy Sandinista regimes Man, and I thought we had idiot Bolshiveks around here making laws... if you don't mind my asking, exactly where is this restriction in place at?

February 1, 2006, 05:27 PM	#3
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 19,164	Z is right on the technical side. You might not like paying for it. Hundreds of bucks. I cannot see the advantage over .308 to justify it.

February 1, 2006, 09:49 PM	#4
Cryon Junior Member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 3	The only reason that I want to go the route of the 260 is because we have a caliber restriction in my area that doesn't allow us to carry a rifle bigger than a 270 out of deer season. I also wanted to go the way of 260 because that way I could double this rifle as a deer rifle and get more practice with one gun all year round. Thanks for the replys

February 2, 2006, 11:24 AM	#6
Cryon Junior Member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 3	The restriction is in Southern Ontario. Yeah tell me about the weird laws I can go out into the woods 150 yards behind my house and deer hunt with shotguns only but other than the two weeks of deer season I can go out into that same woods and blast coyotes and groundhogs with a 270. Hmmmm can't figure that one out.

February 2, 2006, 04:20 PM	#7
Rivers Junior member Join Date: November 5, 2005 Posts: 670	Since the .260 is just a necked-down .308, it would seem to me that the conversion would work fine.

February 7, 2006, 03:25 AM	#8
tINY Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2005 Location: Orygun Posts: 2,589	260 Rem is a good choice if they let you reload in Canada. Else, It'd look at getting along action rifle chambered in the more popular 270 (which is a necked-down 30-06). You guys have to have some of the worst beurocrats in the world. Is there any chance you can vote them out, or have they made that illegal? -tINY