This Fall, I was afforded the opportunity to buy a used D’Arcy Echols Classic rifle chambered in .270 Winchester. The rifle had been built in 1995 and the previous owner (who had commissioned the rifle) kept it in pristine condition. Despite the inherent sexual preference of the chambering, I made an offer that the owner accepted.

D’Arcy was kind enough to send me his records on the rifle and we talked about the rifle’s history at-length. This rifle was built on a trued 1909 Argentine and I believe that the bottom metal was designed by Tom Burgess. The scope is mounted using D’Arcy’s own scope mount system which is as rock-solid as they come. This rifle was the first Classic to receive the I-beam treatment to reinforce the forend and prevent the wood from migrating. The rifle does not have pillars, it having been built before D’Arcy began installing them as a matter of course.

The rifle arrived in the midst of our deer season so I did some very quick load development to try to get it in the field. A near-maximum charge of H-4831 and 130gr. TTSXs produced three-round groups of just under ½” at 100 yards with the bullets seated .050” off the lands. Good enough for now.

As nice as this rifle is, I don’t keep safe queens so I took it out on several hunts both locally and elsewhere in the Southeast. I’d already put several does in the freezer by the time the rifle arrived and never saw a mature buck during the rut so I didn’t get an opportunity to use it on deer, though I did shoot a hog with it at a friend’s property in Florida.

I’ve finally cleared my plate enough that I will soon be able serious load development with the rifle, starting with 150gr. Partitions and something like a 140gr. SST. The idea is to have a good load for elk and other larger game as well as something suitable for the smaller bodied deer that I hunt at home. I’m headed to Alberta on mule deer hunt in 2018 and this rifle will likely make the trip.

Hope that you enjoy the photos.

The deer and elk are in trouble now !

Sweet! Congratulations! I wonder why the original Argentine bottom metal wasn't retained?

Congrats! That's a beautiful rifle. Doesn't get any nicer than that.

that rifle looks like a very nice acquisition to enjoy using.

Appreciate all of the kind words.

I did make one error: the bottom metal is not Burgess' but rather was from a batch that Echols had made for use on his rifles (I can't remember who made them). As for why he didn't use the original 1909 metal, I suspect it was to ensure the correct geometry for the cartridges he intended to use. I've spent some time in his shop when he was doing feed work and he is a big proponent of starting out with the right geometry in the first place rather than trying to adapt something else to work. The trigger bows on these units were also left essentially square so that they could be machined/filed to the desired shape.

Beautiful.

What a rifle!!! Absolutely magnificent.

kd

Absolutely top rate rifle, congrats on getting it.
I am curious on what it weighs as it sits, if you have a chance to put it on a scale.
thanks

Freaking spectacular.

What's the barrel length?

What a Dream! So happy to know this rifle will be hunted.

Beautiful rifle.

1/2" with 130 TTSX's, there is no need to search further.

Congratulations.

On the bottom metal, it looks like a 1909 reworked by Tom. The units Echols had made were for short magnums ( 338 etc ). The internal dimensions of a 1909 box are perfect for a 270. The original box is a little short so Tom extended the box in the front ever so slightly. Burgess made a new floorplate as well which this rifle appears to have.
My vote: Thos M Burgess.

I'll try to answer all of the questions:

Barrel length: 24"

Weight: 8 pounds, 15.8 ounces scoped (which shocked me, I would have guess under 8 based on the way the gun carries).

Bottom metal: Rick (good meeting you at SCI) No, it's definitely not a Burgess-- I spoke to D'Arcy this afternoon. It was the first unit of a run made by Robbins & Lawrence in Ft. Collins, Co to Echols' specs. The ID length of this mag box is 3.400" which is longer than the 1909 doesn't require the extension conversion that Burgess performed. I have one of these units that I bought from D'Arcy for a 35 Whelen that I'm building for myself.

Here are a couple more photos that I pulled off my phone:
A shot of the I-beam in the forend

A skull that I found while still hunting with this rifle

One of the 100-yard targets

That's a beauty.

Beautiful rifle... Congrats !

Echols BM is still more or less based on the Burgess, but with added improvements and refinements.

The Jasper Raeburn/Joe Zoofall M98 shrouds Echols uses, are the best shrouds bar none!
the machining and finish is impeccable. - I didn't regret one bit the money spent on buying some.



To me the bow looks more like the geometry of the Burgess design used by Echols.

https://echolsrifles.com/pages/classic-standard

From my experience of having a top grade .270win 1909 built (right on par with Echols stds) I wouldn't call orig 1909 box dimensions ideal
for .270win ....not at all. Even some of the new manufacture BM for mausers leaves something to be desired in that department.

eg; I wouldn't use Wiebe BM because in my metal career opinion and my smiths opinion, they are a sub-standard item for a really top flight rifle.
I don't even consider people like Wiebe as being in the absolute top tier of custom gunmakers (I've just dented some egos no doubt)
especially after he personally described some of the crappy machining stds he uses on rifles.. But people who know no better know no different.

The smith I used also didn't like Blackburn and neither does Echols, but if the customer insisted ,my smith would then alter-rebuild the Blackburn
to his higher std. He has also used mauser BM supplied by Echols.....I was also looking at building the rifle using Burgess QD rings we had on
hand, in his technical view opinion there were some upgrade-rebuilding processes he wanted to apply to deal with some shortcomings.

Thats how far the best std. of gun building has come...but most of the tech./funct. improvements are subtle and visually unnoticeable to many people,
hence why some might question its increased cost, value, or relevance.

WOW!

WOWEE!

Here is the one photo that I have of my example of this run of bottom metal, taken when I was contouring the bow in my mill. As you can see from the right side, it comes very much without contour and must be milled/filed into shape.

Very nice rifle!

It is a very beautiful rifle!

It is a beauty. I have a 7x57 Swede that Jim Wisner metaled some years ago that is just flawless in every regard. I cannot imagine the man-hours.

It sure is pretty. Congrats!

Stunning rifle. Congratulations.

That is, hand's down, the most beautiful custom I've ever seen.

The only criticism I could muster is, to my eye, the barrel is too long relative to the forearm. I'd have it cut somewhere 22-23".

Just a minor nitpick from the peanut gallery, and others could just as easily see it differently...

It is a fine piece of not-too-gaudy contemporary American gunmaking. The little touches--like the engraved action screws--are just right.

Brad--To my eye, if I project the line of the forend forward, it seems to about meet the tip of the barrel (it is hard to be accurate on an internet photo). That may contribute to the sense of flow that the rifle has, and so the barrel length may be just about right.

spectacular 1909! I really like the finish color and the dark mineral streaking in the stock. I also like the point pattern checkering.
Can't wait to see some pics of the rifle with whatever game you take.
Congrats!

Beauty, thank you for posting.

fwiw,
D'Arcy sure can capture some beautiful lines. That is incredible...

Regards, Matt.

Thanks for sharing... outstanding.

Elegance at its best. Simply beautiful....

Top shelf as usual from one of the masters. No wonder few wood-stocked Echols' rifles come up for sale anymore. Lucky man finding this one.

What a spectacularly beautiful rifle. Especially refreshing in this day and age where most are black or plastic or both.

That would be worthy of some gold inlayed initials (which means you would have to make it a permanent family member)!

Beautiful rifle!

I'll be looking forward to seeing it in a picture with a mature Alberta buck in 2018.
Happy Hunting,

Thanks for the pictures, congrats on a great rifle from one of the masters. Looking forward to some pictures this fall of the rifle in the field, glad it's going hunting.

That is an amazing piece of craftsmanship and a beautiful piece of wood. Congratulations.

Stunning rifle. Congrats.

That is one of the most gorgeous rifles I have ever seen. Curious about the barrel contour, what is the muzzle diameter?

Man, seeing that rifle makes a fella lust a little. Especially since it shoots so danged good!

Magnificent rifle

Appreciate all of the kind words-- it is definitely a special rifle.

The barrel diameter at the muzzle is .575".