Re: .260 for varmint hunting?
At very least...
From the Hodgdon load data site:
95 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H4350 .264" 2.780" 24" barrel
47.0gr. 3135fps 51,200PSI
49.7gr. 3284fps 58,100PSI
Some other loads, Benchmark for instance, top a published 3390fps at published max.
My barrel is 28". I found the minimum load, 47.0gr to be quite fast enough and relatively accurate, and the bullets held together to 200yd at the max load of 49.7 (actually, I pushed it to 50.0gr). Never clocked that one but I imagine it was getting close to 3500fps.
("Hang on, old Dobbin, we're comin' to the pass...")
I keep tellin' folks "That .260; it's not just for breakfast, anymore..."; but do they listen...?
Did you know that if you get that 95 V-Max up to 3400fps, it arrives at 1Kyd doing 1196fps (800ft ASL, 25Deg C.)? My advice, tune down the twist to about 1:10" and use a 28" or longer barrel. Just like Palama.
Greg