Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Input welcome on my latest ultimate 270

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I had Hugh Henriksen make a 6.5-06 reamer and throater a few years ago but have never talked my self into building one.
Actually I think a 6.5-270 improved might be the ultimate sheep / trophy mule deer cartridge imaginable but again it is a wildcat.

Maybe a 6.5RPM would be even more ultimate

And it's not a wildcat.

I had a 6.5-06 put together last year using a Rem 700 action and a Barlien 2B barrel. I havent got to shoot it much yet,but last trip out was getting 1/2 groups with Lapua 140s running right around 3k

It is 7 1/2 lbs scoped and recoil is very mild. Will probably carry it elk hunting in Oct and will be on a deer hunt in Nov

RinB,
Ever consider the SAUM case.
Same capacity is he 06 case in a short fat round.
A 6.5 SAUM in a short AnTi Defiance .
It would get you where your headed weight wise.

My spotter is in the process of building a 6.5 WSSM.
For a bench gun.Made from 25 WSSM cases.
We figure 260 improved capacity.
We should get 140 g 6.5 bullet pretty close to 3000fps..


It really is pretty hard to beat a 270 WCF..
Manbun circa 1920.....

Dave

I think a lightweight 270 is a splendid idea. In fact, please post detailed specs as you progress. 😎

I toy with the idea of turning my Kimber 280 AI into a 280 or 270. I happen to have lots of components for each. The 280 AI with 160 and 175 gr bullets can be a bit a stout.

The 270 Win is hard to beat for any field condition. Excellent velocity from a 22- inch barrel keeping up with heavier recoiling magnums with a lot less recoil. The only chambering that could be potentially better would be the 6.5mm-06. Only reason is the excellent bullet selection for 6.5mm. It would be a whisker shy of 264 Win Mag velocities and handle really well as a mountain rifle. It and the 270 Win are a nice sweet spot for recoil, 22- inch barrels, killing potency and long range ability for most any game worldwide.

Rossimp
You have succinctly stated the case for the 270W. The 6.5 does have some very attractive numbers for BC but I don’t shoot at animals beyond 440, my self imposed limit. In scuba diving there is the saying that the most interesting diving is in the first 20’. I find hunting most interesting within 150-200 yards.

bwinters
I was a 280 fan before adopting the 270. Theoretically the 280 is slightly superior. I shot out at least one 280 before I adopted the 270 largely because of difficulty finding ammo and components. This happened about the same time I began traveling to hunt.
I have had two AI and one RCBS version of the improved 280. Loaded to identical pressures I got a gain of 35 fps which just wasn’t worth the effort.
I tried many different weights of bullets in the 280 and the 7RM. I settled on 140 or 150.
Using R26 in a 270 or 280 results in a measurable “improvement “.

For a lot of practical purposes/reasons it's hard to logically argue against a 270.

P O Ackley once said the 270 W did not need any improving it was perfect as is. Rifle wise what is perfect to one person may not be to the next. Today's 270 has been improved by the state of the art bullets you can get. The latest improvement to the 270 is applicable to other cartridges as well it is called Reloader-26. No real reason if you have been happy with 270 performance to change it just keeps getting better. As for rifles, like you say an ongoing process. My latest 270's are a pair of HVA small ring FN clones, one marked Hi Standard and the other JC Higgins m51L both 270. So far so good. It isn't like I'd be able to replace them for what little money I have in them. Their joy is their simplicity for damn little cash for the way they shoot.
Good luck
Mb

Rick, about the only other thing I failed to mention is I think a 1-9” twist is about perfect for the 270 Win.

Thanks Brad,
I like Benchmark barrels. They have both 8.5 & 9 twists available.

For a polite recoiling, flat shooter I think the 270 is about as good as it gets. With R26 I can get about 3000fps with 150s and that’s all I need for deer, sheep or similar sized game. Works like magic on elk too! Mine have all had the regular 1x10 twist barrels and shot everything just fine for my uses. I got my first one 50yrs ago and while I’ve had other 270 cal rifles like the 270Wby and a wildcat or two, I think the original is still the best.

I like the .270 as well, I have had a few. My current favorite is a M70 EW in McMillan edge stock. It will be one of the last cartridges I ever stop shooting.

I had a Kimber 84L re-barreled to 270Win with a 1:8 twist 3-groove Lilja bbl. Lilja duplicated the factory contour and I had the smith finish it @ 22". It's a bit over 7# all up with a 2.5-10x42 NXS w/IHR reticle in Tally Lwt fasteners.

So far it shoots well w/150gn ABLR a bit over 3K FPS. I've taken bull elk and several deer with the combo. This spring I started work on a load w/140gn Badlands Precision Super Bull-Dozers projectiles as well. I believe I am where I need to be with them, just need to stuff some more together, verify the initial accuracy I saw, then load up a bunch and verify dope @ distance and wait for fall.

I wonder what BobinNH would have said.

IMO: 9 twist in a rifle you like - lighter the better - an 8lb jug of RL26/H4831/Hunter - 933 150gr ABLR’s and you’ve probably got your most useful rifle all around.

Make your .308 a short, handy woods/timber/boat/plane gun.

My choice would be a 308. You will have a tremendous selection of bullets. I just got around to building a couple this past year and wonder why I've never had one. They just shoot great. They are not picky with loads and recoil ain't bad. Before I get all of my components for my 300 and 338RUM I will shoot one of my 308s with my soon to be here 2.5x-25x March scope. .

Since you have the long action, your best bet is to improve the 270 by making it a 30/06; no.2 minus contour barrel. Of course, I would then make your other rifle a 7mm-08 or a (gag) 6.5 CM, rather than a 308. Another Defiance action? GD

I used the Bartlein #0 to achieve this in my .257 Rbts build. It turned out exactly as I had hoped for....

Cartridge - .257 Roberts
Action - Blueprinted Model 70 XTR short action
Barrel - Bartlein #0 contour 21.5”
Stock – McMillan Sako Classic Edge brown w/black specks & red decelerator
Trigger – factory adjusted and polished
Optics - Leupold VX-6 3-18 x 44 with firedot illuminated reticle in Talley Lightweights
Cerakote all metal – Satin Mag

Anyone have a list of 20 oz stocks?
S.

Manners makes a Ultra Classic around 17 to 18 oz and the Ultra Classic plus for larger contour barrels around 19 to 21 oz Nice stocks for a LW build.