On "gray rats", by the time you fix it all up, regardless of the caliber, you are going to have more into it than if you bought a minty, low round count F or R/RS for a donor.
No restocking, no recolor casing, no reblue, already correctly D&T as well as selling a mint F, R/RS barrel would further offset your cost.
As for any .277 wildcat, why not just go with a 260 Remington ? Better SD, resale and factory brass. Plan B would be to find a 7mm08 99 and get it restocked.
Plan C would be to get a 243 and have it rebored.

See this thread for more info:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2592012/2

The kind of 99 you could buy for $7-800.

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