Ruger Compact .260 Rem

[Slooshark1]

I'm toying with picking up this rifle in .260 Rem. Does anyone have any experience with the .260 in a short 16-1/2" barrel? I'm planning on using it for hunting moose and whitetails in the bush but could get shots out to .300 yards. I'm looking for something that's low in recoil but powerful and accurate. How about the noise factor? Is this rifle louder than a standard rifle?

Thanks,

Slooshark1

 

[beretta boy]

...How about the noise factor? Is this rifle louder than a standard rifle?

The closer the muzzle is to your ears, the louder it will be.

On the other hand, it will be further away from the moose or deer, so they won''t mind as much !

 

[BigUglyMan]

I'd love one myself, though the 260 is, in my opinion, too light for moose at 300 yards. That little Ruger should be a dandy to carry and should be fairly accurate. You'll want to double check the twist of the barrel as my understanding is that a problem with some 260s on the market was that they have (had?) too slow a twist rate to stabilize the heavier 140 gr bullets. If the twist is fast enough it will be a fine little rifle, though you won't get quite as much velocity out of the short barrel as you would from a longer tube.

For deer and moose at closer ranges (say 200 MAX) it would be a fine choice and a good one to use to introduce new shooters with.

 

[JohnC]

have a .300 WSM in the ruger 16.5 incher. it loses about 25FPS per inch compared to a regular barrel ( say 200 FPS total drop) so it comes out about 30:06 regular barrel level. Shot two bull moose with it - one shot each case - 180 yards and 240 yards - both went 50- 60 yards and died. I since bought a 7mm-08 which i'm currently setting up and haven't shot at game yet but i'm told the caliber is fine for moose also.

If you have access to ballistic tables figure out what barrel lenth they use, deduct 25 FPS per inch for difference betwen 16.5 inches and that barrel length, then figure out drop and barrel energy from there

Not familiar with .260 numbers but I suspect the answer would come out pretty close to what BUM says.

oh and for me the noise even on the .300 WSM is not all that bad . when I'm shooting it ( although spectators seem to find it loud) . and recoil on the 7mm-08 to me is quite gentle - the Ruger is no ultra lightweight even with the short barrel

 

[Pickles]

I bought the missus one last year after she tagged along on a successful moose hunt and thought maybe she would like hunting.

I was originally was going to buy her a 7-08 but chose the 260 because the local gun emporium had one in stock. She's 5'4" and fits her perfectly.

So far it's only had 85 grain Sierra's shot through it and it seems to be a
+/- 1.25"-1.5" gun.

I'm sure with a decent trigger installed (winter plans) and possibly a bedding job the groups should tighten up. Has a 4x Leupold compact on it now.

I don't find the recoil or noise bad at all but lord is that thing short.

Every shot I figured I was going to get whacked with the scope.

I've got 129 Hornady's, 125 Partitions, and some 130 TSX's for the gun.
I'm pretty confident it would tip a moose over if shot with a decent bullet.

 

[JohnC]

I bought the missus one last year after she tagged along on a successful moose hunt and thought maybe she would like hunting.

I was originally was going to buy her a 7-08 but chose the 260 because the local gun emporium had one in stock. She's 5'4" and fits her perfectly.

So far it's only had 85 grain Sierra's shot through it and it seems to be a
+/- 1.25"-1.5" gun.

I'm sure with a decent trigger installed (winter plans) and possibly a bedding job the groups should tighten up. Has a 4x Leupold compact on it now.

I don't find the recoil or noise bad at all but lord is that thing short.

Every shot I figured I was going to get whacked with the scope.

I've got 129 Hornady's, 125 Partitions, and some 130 TSX's for the gun.
I'm pretty confident it would tip a moose over if shot with a decent bullet.

the shoert length is really good in the bush. i found if you pull down on the foreend a bit and make sure its snug in your shoulder the recoil is straight back - even on the .300WSM.

Limbsaver makes a recoil pad that fits the Compact. adds about 1/2 inch to the length