You are right. The 260 is a fine round with little recoil. It is an excellent long range gun. For many years I shot steel silhouette targets which are as far out as 500 meters. I just read that the 260 is now the second most popular round used in that type of shooting. That is because of the excellent long range properties of the 6.5 caliber bullet. The 260 is well suited for game up to and including Elk. My 260 took a nice elk last year at about 250 yards. One shot with a Barnes 140 Grain X bullet. The bullet went in behind one shoulder, exited breaking the off shoulder. The only problem was, I didn,t get to do it. I loaned the rifle to a friend who had trouble with his rifle just before his hunt. The 308 is the same casing and would have a little advantage in bullet wt. They are however preyyt much interchangeable with the 308 and 7mm08 for deer hunting.