260 Ackley Improved

norfolk shooter

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UK, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Isle of Arran (Scotland). RSA, North West, Kalahari, Limpopo
Hello all,

I have the above calibre inbound as a semi custom build. The intentions for it are a UK deer rifle as well as a plains game rifle in Africa. I would be loading it with 140 grn bullets and was wondering how effective it will be on the stuff out in Africa?? Last May I took my 375 H&H with 250grn pills and everything was down in one shot. Also does anybody use Berger VLD hunting bullets? If so what do you think of them??

Many thanks as always

Manish
 
I've used the VLD Hunter on Wyoming antelope. It was a 130 grain from a 6.5 Creedmoor. I have a few guns in this caliber and really like them. The shot was at 200 yards and was an instant "bang, flop." It hit just above the heart broadside, and double lunged with a 3/4"- 1" exit hole. Bullet not recovered. The lungs were soup. For deer and antelope at extended ranges, this bullet is really great. I was expecting a 200-400 yard shot in heavy wind. I wanted a bullet with good BC, for wind and energy retained at mid range.

I would not use this caliber and bullet combo on large PG or our elk. Hitting heavy bone with real speed (like from an AI or 264 Win Mag), and a small bullet built like the VLD at close range can cause the bullet to explode on bone and not penetrate as needed. That would be a huge bummer to see a wounded eland, or zebra run off. Not only costly, but maybe an inhuman mistake on bullet choice. The speed of the VLD in a 260 AI needs to come down some for the bullet to work properly as designed. It is an excellent bullet (6.5/.264) for long range on thin skin and light boned animals where the impact velocity has dropped due to the range and will be hitting lighter bone.

I think for your deer and the smaller PG, it's a good cartridge. But when hunting in areas where the shots will be close (0-150 yards) I'd pick a different bullet with better construction to the high speeds that the .260 AI will make. The VLD has its place. But I'm not sure it's suited for much of what I'm told Africa will be (disclosure- I've not been). If you've done so well with the .375, maybe take it again along with the .260.

I have a pig hunt coming up that I may take a 6.5 on. But I just bought a .375 H&H Win M70 SE and am dying to use it. I have a few boxes of 300 grain TSX to shoot. I also have an aoudad hunt in south west Texas that I'll be using a 7mm Rem Mag on. The Aoudad are much tougher and have heavier builds, so I won't be using the 6.5 Creedmoor. Due to the ranges of the terrain in that area, I'll use the flatter shooting 7mm with a premium heavy built bullet (TTSX).
 
I have no first hand experience with importing guns into African countries but have read on AH that some countries require your case headstamp and rifle be marked the same. So if rifle is marked 260 AI and you have 260 Rem cases it could be trouble. I would do some research before I showed up with that combination. With a quick search I didn't find any 260 AI brass for sale but that was just a quick look. If you planed to fire form this may be a problem. I love the 260 Rem so if it's improved it more of a good thing.
Shawn
 
I have no first hand experience with importing guns into African countries but have read on AH that some countries require your case headstamp and rifle be marked the same. So if rifle is marked 260 AI and you have 260 Rem cases it could be trouble. I would do some research before I showed up with that combination. With a quick search I didn't find any 260 AI brass for sale but that was just a quick look. If you planed to fire form this may be a problem. I love the 260 Rem so if it's improved it more of a good thing.
Shawn

A very good point. I read somewhere on AH that someone was listing only the diameter of the cartridge withought the ending of the headstamp. So only listing ".260" on the paperwork of the gun and ammo to get through. I'm not sure if it has worked for anyone or if you'd be stuck in a problem.

It would be a real bummer to take a gun into Africa with a garrantee that you would not find your specialty ammo that was not let into the country. This might be a question for your hunt agent or outfitter.
 
My 375 H&H is just down as 375 on my UK license and the rifle. The ammo is head stamped as 375 H&H and I had no problems getting it into RSA.
 
That's good there is no there. What does barrel stamp say that is where the trouble may be.
The post was either on a rebored barrel or a rechambered barrel that barrel stamp did not mach casing headstamp.
As far as bullets my son is using bullets from GS Custom in a 22-250 for whitetail deer with great results on the two he has taken with it. The mono metal bullets seam to allow smaller rifles do a little more. GS Custom,Cutting Edge, and Barns are some of the makers. I don't know what is available in UK.
Shawn
 
All that aside I intend on using this rig for mid Asian Ibex which is a tough animal. I'm guessing the VLD is a very frangible bullet, to that end I think its out. I used Sierra GKs in my 375 I just wonder how well they would stand up in a .260 AI and would they be accurate out to 500 yds?
 
The 6.5's have become more popular lately, with plenty of people loving them. Heck WDM Bell liked using a 6.5 for plains game to feed his outfit.https://www.africahunting.com/index.php?threads/33438/.
That said from what I've read on some outfitters FAQ's it is on the light side of things. While GK's are proven killers With the AI speeds I suspect they'd be too frangible if they hit bone. I'd lean towards something bonded. Going with copper and lead for a 6.5 mm I'd choose either the Swift Scirocco 130 grain, Nosler Accubonds in 130 or 140 grain, or for even more weight Norma Oryx comes in a 152 grain I believe.
 
The 6.5's have become more popular lately, with plenty of people loving them. Heck WDM Bell liked using a 6.5 for plains game to feed his outfit.https://www.africahunting.com/index.php?threads/33438/.
That said from what I've read on some outfitters FAQ's it is on the light side of things. While GK's are proven killers With the AI speeds I suspect they'd be too frangible if they hit bone. I'd lean towards something bonded. Going with copper and lead for a 6.5 mm I'd choose either the Swift Scirocco 130 grain, Nosler Accubonds in 130 or 140 grain, or for even more weight Norma Oryx comes in a 152 grain I believe.
Hows about speer hotcors
 
They've got a good reputation for consistent expansion and decent weight retention. If you can find them and they shoot well from your rifle I bet they'd work well.
 
Woodleigh has a 160 gr PP that has good BC at .509 and very high sectional density at .328 The load data for the 260 REM is at about 2530 fps. I am not sure what speeds you could get from the AI so can't comment on the trajectory but I like the potential of the 160 gr. on hardier animals. Good luck!
 
Woodleigh has a 160 gr PP that has good BC at .509 and very high sectional density at .328 The load data for the 260 REM is at about 2530 fps. I am not sure what speeds you could get from the AI so can't comment on the trajectory but I like the potential of the 160 gr. on hardier animals. Good luck!

That is a very interesting bullet. Perfect for our hogs where shots are maybe 80-120 yards. Not many 140+ grain bullets for the 6.5/ .264. Cutting edge makes a solid as well that I think would be fun to load and see what it would do shooting wet telephone books.

But Woodleigh recommends 2k-3k impact velocity for bullet performance. That's going to be a hair over 300 yards for me with a 6.5 Creedmoor. So for the short game, that thing will hit hard much harder than other bullets. But the long game where the 6.5 shines, it is falling 92+" at 600 yards with a 200 yard zero. And has dropped to under 1,600 fps at this range (muzzle velocity of 2,500).

I'd like to see what the muzzle velocity is with the 260 AI vs the Creedmoor and .260 Rem. I wonder if it gets close to the barrel burning .264 Win Mag or 6.5-300 Weatherby.
 
Bit of a daft question but wit bc is a lower number better than a higher one??
 
Normal velocity gain with the AI is usually 100 fps m/l over the parent cartridge. Definitely not comparable to a 264 win mag and much less than the 6.5 Wby. My experience, I have 5 AI in different calibers, is the AI does not justify the the gain in fps for the pia of fireforming, and in some cases feeding problems due to the 40 degree shoulder experiences in some rifles. If you want more fps, move up to. 6.5x284, 6.5x06. The AI was an easy development to squeeze extra fps from the existing cartridge, i.e, 257 Bob is the better known, but along came the 25 06 and no longer a need for a 257 AI ( I have a 257 AI, why? , because I also have a 25 06). I gues just because I wanted it. FYI when fireforming brass, moderately mild load and JAM the bullet into the lands, otherwise, case separation is on the menu.
 
Bit of a daft question but wit bc is a lower number better than a higher one??

As said earlier higher the better, but be aware there are 2 BC's used now G1 and G7. The G1 number will be higher but the BC will change more as the velocity decreases. The G7 s lower but changes less as the velocity changes.
In both cases a high G1 is better than a low G1 and a high G7 is better than a low G7. Most BC's are listed as G1 BC's.
 
The camel in my thumbnail was shot with a 264WM and 140 Woodleighs. One shot had him in death circles and a quick 2nd was only an insurance shot. Your 260 will work fine. I didn't use any other projjies in it but HIGHLY recommend the Woodleigh combo at that velocity.
 
Ive had a little look around and I can get my mits on nosler accubond LR bullets. Looks like a good shout!! Any body used them??
 
How about the regular accubond?? What's wrong with the LR version??
 

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