I don't know why the 30-30 would be any better for reloading than the 260. There are plenty of 6.5 bullets to choose from. That said I have had a blast with my 30/30 contender all year getting ready for deer season. I don't know about recoil of the 260 but to me the 30/30 loaded with either 125 of 150 grain bullets recoil less than the same contender in 44 mag. If I were going to shoot factory loads out of the 45/70 I would get the encore. That extra 3/4 pound in weight will be about ten pouns of recoil energy less than the contender. I imagine it would be stout in either one.