The 260 Remington is another one of those cartridges spawned off of the 308 Winchester case, simply necked down to 6.5mm (.264). The cartridge has been around for some time as a wildcat, with Remington making it a factory-loaded cartridge 1997.
Performance is right up there with the 7mm-08 Remington. Recoil falls between the 243 Winchester and the 7mm-08 Remington being just slightly less than that of its 7mm cousin. In a rifle it is very comfortable to shoot. Making it one to consider for young people and lady hunters. Some say it’s a modern version of the 6.5mmx55 Swedish Mauser. This may be true but the 260 Remington has the advantage of fitting into a short action. Making it easier to chamber into lightweight and/or short barreled hunting rifles. My experience with the 260 Remington has mostly been with Remington’s XP-100R and factory ammunition. The loads I used were from Remington loaded with Nosler’s 120 Ballistic Tip and 125 Partition bullets. Accuracy was in the 1” to 2” range, which I found to be a pleasant surprise. In a rifle, with the same loads, accuracy was a little better (1” to 1 ˝”). A little time spent at the reloading bench and I’m sure groups could be improved. The 260 Remington should be just as easy to reload for as the 308 Winchester or the 7mm-08 Remington. There aren’t quite as many bullets to choose from in 6.5mm (.264) as there are in 7mm or 30 cal. but the one’s that are there seem to work just fine. 6.5mm bullets have high ballistic coefficients for their weight with good sectional density. This improves trajectory and down range performance over longer distances. It may be a little light for game larger than deer or antelope. Over time though it should prove to be one of the top short action cartridges for White-tailed deer. Personally I think it would be one to have in a lightweight rifle paired with a compact scope. This combination should be ideal for rattling or still-hunting in country where shots are in the 100-300 yard range.