woodseye

My vote is for the 7mm-08 myself and I have the 308 also.I just went to get a Savage 16 in 260 and find they have stopped chambering it [:' (]bummer! I wanted one and now I' ll have to get one of my savages rebarreled.I think the 260 like most of the good 6.5' s will slowly fade out and fail to catch on as this caliber never clicks in the US for some odd reason.The 7mm-08 is the best deer caliber I have ever used bar none on our northern deer.I just stopped posting and looked,the 260 is only listed in one model Ruger and the Remington 700/7 rifles now.I guess customs would chamber for it but hardly any factory rifles still being made for it. Hmmmmmmmm.............wonder why this is happening?Must be the 6.5 curse at work again.

whelen36

i' de pick either the 7mm-08 or the .260 rem. , and to be honest my choice would be the .260 rem , as i have one and know what it can do , it' s an excellent deer getter and will do everything the 7mm-08 will do and even a little more , it has less recoil , will be a little more accurate out a little farther , and not that it would interest you but , it can also be used for smaller than deer game like ground hogs , and if the .260 dies out , you' ll still have factory ammo for it for years , and could reload it with better components than factory ammo.

frizzellr

PLease tell us exactly what the 260 Rem will do that the 7mm-08 Rem won' t. I am just dying to know where you came up with that little piece of fantasy. Let' s see, you have 120 and 140 grain bullets for the 6.5mm. I have 110, 115, 120, 130, 140, 145, 160, 165 grain bullets at my disposal for the 7mm. I can shoot a 130 grain 7mm bullet 100 fps faster than you can shoot a 120 grain 6.5mm. As far as the 260 being more accurate farther, surely you jest. Paper theory aside for a moment the truth of the matter is that there is about a dimes worth of difference between the two cartridges with the 7mm being the more versatile of the two and without much increase in felt recoil if any.

PABuck_HNTR

7MM-08 Hands Down

stubblejumper

frizzellr-I agree with your response 100%.There is nothing that the 260 can do that the 7mm-08 can' t.As for the 260 being more accurate all I can say is B.S.The gun and load are far more of a factor where accuracy is concerned than the specific cartridge, especially when both cartridges use the same parent case and are so close in bullet diameter.As previously stated the cartridges are so close that there is no real difference between the two.If anything the 7mm-08 maybe a bit more suitable for use on larger game because of it' s ability to use slightly heavier bullets.

seattlesetters

I have personally killed or seen killed over a dozen big game animals with both the 7mm-08 and the .260 Rem (some were when it was still a wildcat). It was split about 60% deer to 30% elk to 10% pronghorn. I am being very honest when I say that you will never notice a difference between the two in their performance on game, with the possible exception of the greatest penetration, which in my experience comes from 140gr premium bullets fired from the .260.

They have the equivalent sectional density to the 160gr 7mm bullet, and the 140gr can be launched a touch faster from the .260 than the 7mm-08 can launch a 160gr bullet, so this appears reasonable. It also retains velocity as well or better, giving some credence to whelen36' s assertion that it may be better at longer range.

All I know is that I prefer the 150gr bullet for elk in the 7mm-08 because it seems to do a bit better than the 160gr because of the higher velocity. And it does not do as well or penetrate an elk as far as a 140gr bullet fired from the .260 Rem. In fact, I' ve seen that .260 load leave nice exit wounds in big bulls that were shot at less than desirable angles.

But all this aside, if you like the 7mm-08, get it. It is one of the finest big game cartridges around, and you will be infinitely happy with it.

broey1

Back to the original question about which caliber for deer..... all three are great deer rounds. A guy won' t go wrong with either.

Now the 260 or 7mm-08 debate: No difference at all. Ballistically they are so close that it is a mute point, both are light on recoil, both will do in 99% of hunting situations with deer/antelope, both can be short range elk guns, etc. They are VERY CLOSE.

Also, I really don' t see the 260 fading away simply because it is now becoming a favorite of long range competitive target shooters. At this point it only trails the 308 in that category and is coming on fast. Also, several local gunshop owners tell me it is becoming a favorite for first hunting rifles. Many fathers who would buy their sons and daughters a 243 are now going for the 260.

So, with all that being said...... either a 260, 7mm-08, or 308 will work to the original question.

broey1

I' ve killed five whitetails with my 260 and my brother has killed at least a dozen with his 7mm-08 and at the end of the day..... they were all in the freezer.

KTF

Thanks for all the input. Before I read all the responses to my question I was leaning toward the 7mm-08. My brother has a mod. 7 SS in .260 and loves it. I have killed quite a few deer here in Georgia with the .308, so I know what that will do. I believe I' ll stay with the 7mm-08 simply because I haven' t had one. This all sounds like the .270-.280-30-06 debate. Just flip a coin, the deer won' t know the difference from one to the other.

frizzellr

Actually the 160 grain 7mm-08 Rem edges the 140 grain 260 Rem by 10-20 fps so that too is a moot point.