260 on Plains Games

[Jeff Garcia]

Anyone with experience with 260 on Plains Game

 

[Code4]

Not me, but its not recommended for PG by some countries.

If I could use one I'd load a 140 Woodleigh or similar Premium.

 

[gillettehunter]

If you do a search, there was a write-up by one of the gun writers on a african hunt he did with the .260. If I remember correctly he even took a eland with it. I have a 6.5X47 which is essentially its ballistic twin and it is incredibly accurate and I shoot it well. A 130 grain bullet will do everything a .270 with a 130 will do. The .270 may have a touch more speed, but the .260 has better sectional density, so it penetrates better with similar bullets. Swift makes the A Fame in a 140 gr bullet. Nosler makes the partition also in the 140 grain weight. My rifle runs the 130's at about 2900 fps. I think the 140's could run close to 2850 fps. Basically, anything you would be comfortable shooting with a .270 you could use your .260.
The real key is how well do you shoot it? Its not a rifle to take marginal shots with. I'd say it would be great for some of the smaller plains game like Impala, Nyala, Reedbuck and Bushbuck etc. . It will do the job on Kudu and Gemsbuck IF you put it in the right place. Just not really the best choice for bigger animals. Good luck. Bruce

 

[Velo Dog]

The outfit I have hunted with the most specifies the 7x57 Mauser and / or the 7mm-08 Remington as their minimum for general PG hunting and with sturdy, high sectional density bullets at that for general bag.
But I know they have bent the rule a little for .270 shooters who are willing to use heavier / well made bullets such as the 140 gr Swift A-Frame and 150 gr Nosler Partition, etc.
Things like zebra, waterbuck and even warthog can sometimes take an amazing amount of damage before giving up.
If a client was only concentrating on the smaller animals, I can only guess they'd welcome small bore rifles for such but, I do not know for sure.
Consult your PH in all things, well before your hunt.

 

[Divernhunter]

I think you will do well if you use a good bullet such as Swift A-Frame and place your shots well.

My daughter took Zebra, Warthog(several), Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Impala and such with a 257Roberts using 120gr Swift A-Frame bullets. It was spot and stalk at ranges from 135-410 yards and all were no tracking one shot kills. She is a excellent shot and that is what matters.