WhelenAway, here's a little secret for you.......most buyers ARE NOT paying attention to the twist rate. I understand that you and a couple of other folks live in a small world and you think that everyone is as crazy about this stuff as you are.....but that simply isn't the case. Most people have a life outside the reloading bench and technical manuals. They want nice guns that shoot reasonably well......that is all.
As far as weight, there is an awful lot of stand hunting done in the United states these days, and an awful lot of fat guys that simply ride their atv to the deer stand and climb up with their rifle. I don' t think weight matters that much to the average bubba. Not sure why anyone would look at winchester anyway if what they want is a lightweight svelte rifle. There are far better choices.
