Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Echols Classic .270

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.