.260 Load development pt1

[SA Feral Shooter]

Well, started load development for the .260 using Hornady 143gn eld-x bullets. Powder charges started from 40.5gn of AR2209 to 41.7gns , Lap brass, Fed match primers and all bullets seated 5 thou off lands.
Three shot groups at 100yds with the smallest group of .546" and the largest of .794....all charge weights were increased by .2gn increments.
The best groups started at .640" 40.5, .566" 40.7 and .546"at 40.9 , with group sizes starting to open up at 41.1 for .716"
The next batch of rounds will be 40.6gns, 40.8 and 41.0 ....then after that test I will be tinkering with seating depth to squeeze as much accuracy out of the Horandys.
Iam currently loading 5 thou off the lands, do have any suggestions for seating depth?, I have read anywhere from kissing the lands , right out to 25thou off.
cheers,
Sean
https://youtu.be/NtrBhEEe7ek

[trevort]

test them out further

[lee_enfield223]

My first 260rem with a MAB/TSE barrel on a rem700 action would not group with 2209 and 140gr pills but I tried 2213sc another adi powder and suddenly groups went down to .3's at 100m with the same nosler custom match 140's and with 2209 groups were 1 inch plus. I now have almost finished my new PRS tactical rifle in 260rem with a .295 neck (that's a no neck turn brass minimum size if you don't use Lapua) built up using a stiller spectre action, cut rifled chanlyn 1-8 barrel on a McMillian A3A5 fully adjustable stock. and a March scope. ill keep you guys updated on it's accuracy loads as well. can some people supply details on their accuracy loads ??? yes I know that they should be approached with caution.

[mistit]

My first 260rem with a MAB/TSE barrel on a rem700 action would not group with 2209 and 140gr pills but I tried 2213sc another adi powder and suddenly groups went down to .3's at 100m with the same nosler custom match 140's and with 2209 groups were 1 inch plus. I now have almost finished my new PRS tactical rifle in 260rem with a .295 neck (that's a no neck turn brass minimum size if you don't use Lapua) built up using a stiller spectre action, cut rifled chanlyn 1-8 barrel on a McMillian A3A5 fully adjustable stock. and a March scope. ill keep you guys updated on it's accuracy loads as well. can some people supply details on their accuracy loads ??? yes I know that they should be approached with caution.

G'day Le Enfield
What you should probably do is post some photos of your rifle and start a new thread in varmint rifles ,
Just trying to help

[trevort]

My first 260rem with a MAB/TSE barrel on a rem700 action would not group with 2209 and 140gr pills but I tried 2213sc another adi powder and suddenly groups went down to .3's at 100m with the same nosler custom match 140's and with 2209 groups were 1 inch plus. I now have almost finished my new PRS tactical rifle in 260rem with a .295 neck (that's a no neck turn brass minimum size if you don't use Lapua) built up using a stiller spectre action, cut rifled chanlyn 1-8 barrel on a McMillian A3A5 fully adjustable stock. and a March scope. ill keep you guys updated on it's accuracy loads as well. can some people supply details on their accuracy loads ??? yes I know that they should be approached with caution.

G'day Le Enfield
What you should probably do is post some photos of your rifle and start a new thread in varmint rifles ,
Just trying to help

Please do. Interested. And tell us about PRS. I'm hearing the term frequently but don't know much about it.

PS Kickinback uses a 260 rem at 500 fly so should have a bit of load infor

[trevort]

Seating depth, Sean I'm probably the worst in the world to comment given my agricultural method to determine seating depth but the general opinion on LRBR ranges is that long pills do better as close to as possible or in the lands as they have the potential to tip

[lee_enfield223]

ok will do guys ill post it in varminting rifles

[Old Trev-39]

I am seating 140gr.J.L.K. V.L.D. with .060 jump and shoots well.
Cheers,
Trevor.

[RDavies]

[/quote]
Please do. Interested. And tell us about PRS. I'm hearing the term frequently but don't know much about it.

[/quote]
PRS or Precision Rifle Series started out in USA and is now getting more popular over here. It is pretty much the long range rifle version of IPSC pistol shooting. In PRS, the shooters fire from short range or to 1200yds (rarely), with most shooting apparently from 200-700yds in a variety of positions with time limits. The shooter might have to fire 2 shots at a 500yd gong from the bonnet of a car, then run 10 meters to fire 2 shots at 200yds from a fence post etc. As it is handy to be able to sport your hits (and misses), lighter recoiling 6mms and 6.5s are being used with muzzle brakes, 10 round detachable mags just as the OP is building with his 260 Rem.

https://www.australianprecisionservicerifle.com/

https://www.facebook.com/PrecisionRifleSeriesAUS/

http://precisionrifleblog.com/

[sometime shooter]

Has anyone used the 143 eld-X's on larger game like pigs or fallow deer. I am almost out of 140 sst's and thinking of trying something different, I still have 3/4 of a box of hornady 140 match bullet's but I am loath to use a none expanding projectile on game especially pig's.

[Tony Z]

There is no set guidline for seating depth. Berger has recently claimed up to 100 thou or more jump with their secant ogive VLDs which seems a lot but feedback says it can work. Hornady pills are secant ogive so may respond similarly.
One thing very rarely mentioned is throat angle. Secant ogive bullets often require far steeper throats. I know many on here are using throat angles up to 3 degrees half angle as opposed to 3 or 3.5 degrees full angle. This makes a big difference to secant ogive bullets in the way they respond and for how long the accuracy window is maintained.
All my match reamers i made have all been 5.5 degrees since 96. DG, Jacko, JeffH, aJR, old trev and many others have used or still use at least 5 degree throats. I can go into great detail as can DG as to why, but to put it simply and not bore the fuck out of people, the statistics from way back when have shown it to be successful. The industry standard is 3.5 degrees included. Great most of the time but not perfect for secant ogive bullets and can often lead to frustration or barrels tossed into the corner.