.260 rem barrel length

[HALODIN]

Just a quick question ~ Before I order a new rifle in .260, is there any reason why I shouldn't go for a 26" barrel? I can't think of any, but thought I'd double check.

Cheers,

Craig.

[HALODIN]

I forgot to say, other options are 20" and 24" to the best of my knowledge. I have looked for an equivalent chart for .260 as the one below is for 1.7HMR, but I can't find one. So what's the optimum barrel length for this caliber?

[jcampbellsmith]

What do you want to do with your 260 Rem? Both of mine have 24 inch barrels. Regards JCS

[GazMorris]

So what's the optimum barrel length for this caliber?

You don't define what you mean by "optimum" but assuming that you mean the barrel with which you can get the highest velocity, I'd infer that it's going to be quite long! I don't have an equivalent graph for 260 Rem, but given that the 308 Win is still gaining velocity with increasing length at 34" and 260 Rem is just a necked down 308, it's going to be at least as long.

What do you want the rifle for?

Gaz

[HALODIN]

Thanks for the replies both!

Yes I guess by "optimum" I'm talking about muzzle velocity. 99% of the time I'll be shooting at 100 yards, so it MUST shoot as accurately as possible at this distance. That's absolutely paramount. I also plan to use this rifle at Bisley, so 1000 yard target shooting is probably the furthest i'll shoot in the foreseeable future, but I would like to go to WMS in Wales, so I'd like it to go out as far as possible.

The rifle's an accuracy international AT and in .260 I'm told 26" is the norm, but I've just been told 28" is also available and 30" would be a special order, but is also available. I don't care about weight and it won't ever be used for stalking, just target shooting.

One further note, I am buying the folding stock version, so cabinet height isn't an issue either.

[GazMorris]

The rifle's an accuracy international AT and in .260 I'm told 26" is the norm, but I've just been told 28" is also available and 30" would be a special order, but is also available. I don't care about weight and it won't ever be used for stalking, just target shooting.

Put a 34" barrel on that sucker and you'll be supersonic out to 1300+ yards! More seriously, get the longest that you can get for a sensible price. If the money for a 30" barrel is not too silly, I reckon you could go well beyond 1000x with it.

Gaz

[HALODIN]

They have the 26" and 28" in stock, the 30" would mean I have to wait, which is something I've never really been very good at. So I guess the choice is either 26 or 28... I assume you'd suggest 28" then.

Is there even the slightest chance that choosing the 28" barrel over the 26" barrel, would adversely effect accuracy at 100 yards? Even if that difference was <.25MOA. I have read that shorter stiffer barrels can perform better over shorter distances because of barrel harmonics and as I said, 100 yard performance is critical to me. I would be prepared to sacrifice long range velocity if it meant 100 yard accuracy improved.

[John MH]

Higher velocity does not necessarily mean greater accuracy, at 100 yards you'll probably find that the most accurate load is nowhere near the maximum safely achievable velocity. I run my .260 at 2750 FPS and it's more than accurate enough winning the RBL Charity Match long range stage by a fair margin.

[mag41uk]

I think, and stand to be corrected, that bullet style will be more important at 100 yards.
My 260 has a 26inch heavy barrel on it. ( 1 in 8.5 )
It will routinely v bull at 900 and knock down fig 11`s at 1000.
This is with 123gn scenars at 2850 fps.
Tony

[GazMorris]

They have the 26" and 28" in stock, the 30" would mean I have to wait, which is something I've never really been very good at. So I guess the choice is either 26 or 28... I assume you'd suggest 28" then.

Yep, definitely 28 over 26. It'll give you a bit more oomph in the longs.

Is there even the slightest chance that choosing the 28" barrel over the 26" barrel, would adversely effect accuracy at 100 yards? Even if that difference was <.25MOA. I have read that shorter stiffer barrels can perform better over shorter distances because of barrel harmonics and as I said, 100 yard performance is critical to me. I would be prepared to sacrifice long range velocity if it meant 100 yard accuracy improved.

I wouldn't have thought that it would disadvantage you in any way, but bayonetting distance isn't really my area of expertise tongueout

Gaz