Hunting & Fishing New .260 is starting off well...

[Hondo64d]

My new Bryant Custom Stiller Predator .260 is having a pretty good start:

Got this Bobcat at 142 yards:

For whatever reason, he was hunting quite a ways from cover during broad daylight. His mistake...

This buck at 255:

Was in position no longer than 5 minutes when this guy exited the mesquites and started crossing an open field with his nose to the ground. Hot on the trail of a doe, no doubt.

And this Coyote at about 40:

Would love to hear the stories this old guy could tell. His teeth were worn down to nothing and he was missing most of his tail. Still had a beautiful thick coat though...

All shot with 130gr Berger VLDs launched at nearly 2900 fps. I REALLY like the way Bergers anchor stuff:

John

 

[snave58]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

hell yah! no doubt the yote would be an interesting read. outstanding outing and great shooting...

 

[Cinch]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Very nice! What are the specs on your rifle??

 

[Bradu]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Nice, I would love to kill a bobcat and have it mounted.

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Stiller Predator Short Action
Brux #4, 8.5" twist, finished at 24"
Shilen trigger
McMillan Remington Hunter with flushcups on left side and bipod stud on forend
PT&G bottom metal
Burris Signature Zee Rings
Zeiss 4.5-14x44 Conquest with their target turrets.

 

[Mayday]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Nice rifle and one hell of a good luck charm. Id hang on to that one, its a keeper.

 

[beretta682]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

nice rifle what does it weigh?

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

I don't have a scale capable of weighing it. Guessing about 9 or a little more all up.

John

 

[reeljob]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Congratulations!! I really have enjoyed hunting with my new .260 this year as well. I have not tried the 130 VLD but the 140 has performed w/out a hitch. Good Shooting!
RJ

 

[Wardy]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Sweet! Love my 260, gonna have to try out some Bergers..been shooting the 140 Amax and they're freakin accurate!

Nice rifle for sure!

 

[Trevor300wsm]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

The Amax is the Poor Man's Berger.

That's a nice looking rifle and it looks like your putting it to good use. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wards75</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sweet! Love my 260, gonna have to try out some Bergers..been shooting the 140 Amax and they're freakin accurate!</div></div>

140gr Amaxes are shooting well for me too, but haven't tried them on game. Have you used the 140gr Amaxes on game? If so, how have they worked for you?

Thanks,

John

 

[hamr56]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Sure looks like your gun is treating you well! I really like the barrel on that one, sharp looking rig.

 

[Trevor300wsm]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hamr56</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sure looks like your gun is treating you well! I really like the barrel on that one, sharp looking rig.
</div></div>

I think the skip fluting looks very nice. It's something different and it's always nice to see something out of the ordinary.

 

[Johnny Johnson]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hondo64d</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My new Bryant Custom

John </div></div>

What kind of software are you using to do this?

 

[boudin]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

On Target software. You can download it here.

http://www.ontargetshooting.com/

v1.10 is free and v2.10 is $11.99. I have v1.10 and it works just fine. Be sure to read in the help about what to do with scanned targets as opposed to a picture you took of the target. That gave me a headache or two until I decided to read how to use the program.

 

[Johnny Johnson]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Thanks

 

[krw]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

What kind of bottom metal are you using? Noticed your COAL at 3.200". Are you able to load these through the blind mag? Have some Berger 130's loaded on the bench now to send to PTG for a custom reamer, but the bearing surface is nearly flush with case mouth and a LOT of bullet is in the case at 2.810". I'm needing to stay in that length range to make the Rem "BDL" bottom metal work. I have all the components for build but am having a hard time deciding if the Berger 130VLD's are going to be my primary bullet. Even thought about using a Rem 700 LA, that would solve all the problems!

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

The bottom metal is PT&G. It is actually the same size and shape as Remington BDL bottom metal. The Remington Bottom metal will work with a Wyatt box, if you choose to use it.

The cartridge OAL you see on my load includes the Sinclair bullet comparator. Sorry for the confusion. It's just how I record all my OALs because it references the case head to ogive measurement. Actual OAL is about 2.915" I am using the Wyatt's extended box, but to be honest, it has been a bear to get to feed, so much so that I am going to go back to a standard Remington box.

I know what you mean about the VLDs at 2.8." That is a concern of mine, and unfortunately, my solution will likely changing to a bullet without such a long nose. I would not recommend having your rifle throated to a VLD at 2.8" unless you are SURE you won't want to shoot other bullets. Even the 140gr Amax's ogive is not far out of the case mouth when seated to 2.8." It's a shame, because I love the way the VLDs hammer stuff. I'll probably give them a try at 2.8" but if they don't shoot well for me, I will change bullets.

John

 

[krw]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

I would also guess that 48.5gr of 4831 would be a compressed load also? I would really like to shoot the 130gr Berger VLD's but I see a hassle. My original plan was to primarily shoot the Sierra 123MK's which I think I will go back too. The Barnes 120gr TTsx bullets will complement the Sierra's pretty well. I wanted the downrange energy that the Bergers offered but? I still don't know that the answer to all the problems is not a long action, but then I guess I'd go with the 6.5-284 and really fling em! krw

 

[Will Fennell]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Great looking 260....I've been hunting with a SAKO 85 in 260 for the last few years, and I've very happy with it and its performance on game. If you ever want to use a more "conventional hunting bullet", I've gotten GREAT results with the Nosler 130gr AccuBond over H4350. Its been deadly on hogs and deer.

Glad to see the Bergers are working well for you!

 

[dar1246]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Nice looking rifle.

krw
Most of the 260s will give great SDs on a seating depth of 2.850 or an ogive measurement of 2.333. Bergers with a longer nose might need to be out farther.This is with a Sammi spec chamber.

 

[oinco]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

That is a really nice looking rifle! Wonder what that cat was doing in the open?

 

[Nortex]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

How long did it take Mike to build the rifle?

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

I'd have to look and see when I took it to him, but seems like it was aboput 5 months. Well worth the wait. Mike does great work.

John

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would also guess that 48.5gr of 4831 would be a compressed load also? I would really like to shoot the 130gr Berger VLD's but I see a hassle. My original plan was to primarily shoot the Sierra 123MK's which I think I will go back too. The Barnes 120gr TTsx bullets will complement the Sierra's pretty well. I wanted the downrange energy that the Bergers offered but? I still don't know that the answer to all the problems is not a long action, but then I guess I'd go with the 6.5-284 and really fling em! krw </div></div>

Yeah, the 48.5 gr load is compressed, but doesn't seem to hurt anything. That load is likely to be pretty warm in some rifles. I had my rifle throated for the VLDs at a 2.9" OAL afforded by the Wyatt box. In my Browning Low Wall with a SAAMI throat, a 2.85" OAL takes 1gr less powder to get the same velocity.

My Remington mag box should be here today. After deer season is over, I will send my rifle back up to Mike and have him set the barrel back and re-chamber it, probably with his standard reamer. IIRC, he said his standard reemer has .060" freebore. That may not allow me to seat VLDs at mag length and reach the lands, but there are plenty of other bullets out there. I have also had great results with 130gr Accubonds and 129gr Hornady Interlocks, and am probably going to give 120gr Ballistic tips a try. At the ranges I typically have game present itself to me, I don't think I will loose much...

I have about decided that if one wants to run VLDs at mag length, a short action is not the best platform to do it. Now, having experienced it, if I wanted to exclusively run VLDs, I would probably build on a long action and go with a 6.5-06. But, I just like short actions, so .260 it is...

John

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hondo64d</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have about decided that if one wants to run VLDs at mag length, a short action is not the best platform to do it.</div></div>

I can run 3" OAL in the blind mag of my short-action Savage 10FP

 

[KaiserNorton]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hondo64d</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

I have about decided that if one wants to run VLDs at mag length, a short action is not the best platform to do it. Now, having experienced it, if I wanted to exclusively run VLDs, I would probably build on a long action and go with a 6.5-06. But, I just like short actions, so .260 it is...

John </div></div>

Sounds like your answer could probably be found in the 6.5 Creedmoor.

The Kaiser

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Thought about it, just hate starting over with a new cartridge.

John

 

[ccoker]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

nice gun and good shooting

 

[Nortex]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hondo64d</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'd have to look and see when I took it to him, but seems like it was aboput 5 months. Well worth the wait. Mike does great work.

John

</div></div>

It's not a huge deal was just kinda wondering, I agree on the wait Mike builds some hammers seen his rifles shoot very well.

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hondo64d</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am using the Wyatt's extended box, but to be honest, it has been a bear to get to feed, so much so that I am going to go back to a standard Remington box.

John </div></div>

Update to Wyatt Box feeding Issues. I talked to Curtis at Stiller and he had a few suggestions. I didn't know it at the time, but a Remington magazine spring actually has a specific top and bottom. The long end goes on the follower. He also had me tweak the spring with some needle nosed pliers to get the follower to ride more heel high. The combination of these two items seems to have worked. I've run at least ten magazines of dummies through with nary a hitch.

Best part is I can still run VLDs at 2.9" + through the magazine.

John

 

[D_TROS]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

Was gonna say maybe look at having your action cut for the AW mag. Also would prob help with the feeding issues. I have the stiller tac30 action, with the aw cut, and plan to load the VLD's to 2.95 OAL, which would give a little more case capacity (still waiting on stock).

Nice to see some real world data with the 130's though. Is the load you are useing a hot load? I saw its compressed, just wondering how far you pushed the envelope. Did you settle on the current load to maximize accuracy? I am hoping to get 3k with my rifle shooting the 130's, but I dont believe I will be able to unless I keep the barrel longer than 26".

Have you tried any other powders? Boolits (130 grns)?

I like the nice lightweight package you got there.

Regards,
_DT

 

[Hondo64d]

Re: New .260 is starting off well...

DT,

I don't really care for the tactical mags in a hunting rifle, so wouldn't do the AW. The feeding problems, as it turned out weren't really due to the box anyway, but rather with having the spring installed upside down and a little additional tweaking on the spring. I'm content now that it's feeding reliably.

The 48.5gr load is fine with no pressure signs in my rifle, but keep in mind that my rifle has a bit longer than standard throat to allow me to take advantage of the Wyatt box. The same load in my Browning Low Wall, with its SAAMI throat takes about 1gr less powder to get the same velocity. I know some guys push the 130s faster, but looking at all the load data I can find, I think 2850 is about right for staying within SAAMI pressure limits. YMMV.

Still working up loads with other powders and bullets. The 140gr Amax has done pretty well with H4350, but I am going to try it with H4831SC as well. I expect it to do fine.

John