Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors What would you build?

6mm Remington, 6.5-06, 240 Wby mag., 338-06... lots of good choices out there! Keep us posted!

I had a 220 Swift with a 1x7 twist, 33.5 grains of varget with 77 gr of Sierra Match Kings at 3200 fps. Great for prairie dogs.

My own pre 64 220 Swift is away, having some work done, but I'm certain you would need a new follower and mag box and even then might have feed problems. Pretty sure bolt and extractor for the Swift would also be different. Bolt stop probably OK. I'd go with the 257 Roberts or 7mm Mauser. Whatever you decide, stay close to the original cartridge head dimensions if you want to keep cost down.

If you are looking to keep costs down nothing is simpler than sticking with an 06 based cartridge. Then it is just a matter of what caliber fits with your desired use for the rifle. Keeping costs down pretty much rules out any wildcats, fwiw. (dies, reamer, fireforming, potential resale, etc.)

The Roberts is the perfect companion to your other rifles.

How about a .264 Win.? It would remain true to the action, and would suck the doors off any of your other 6.5s!

I don't own a 264 WinMag but, that would be my choice as well.

I am pretty surprised that no one thus far has suggested the .35 Whelen because if you were even considering the .338 Federal, a Whelen has stood the test of time and I'm not forecasting as bright a future for the .338 Federal. That heavy hitter 9.3 x 62 would be unique, but unique on the used market wouldn't sell as well as the Whelen and the two are pretty similar.

This ^^^^^^^

I have a 5 digit classic in 264 wm so don't need another I really have all my bases covered but I hate seeing the parts sit. Lilja has the correct barrel in stock for the McMillan edge featherweight stock I have but it's a .308 with 1:11 twist. I may just have to do another 30-06.

I recently inherited a '48 chambered in a 270, been seriously thinking having it bored to make a 338-06.

I had a magnum pre -64 action so I built a 257 weatherby mag. if you don`t want to open the bolt face I would build either a 220 swift or a 6.5 x284 but I would have it finished with a 26 inch barrel, the 6.5x284 would be my first choice also,with the standard bolt face.good luck,Pete53

Sounds like he wants to stick with a light contoured barrel, so another vote for 240 Weatherby.

I think a 35 Whelen would work nicely in your rifle lineup👍

Your first thought for the .257 Roberts is a great one considering your existing battery. Everyone needs at least one mild mannered cartridge. Deer are not that hard to kill. After chasing them for almost sixty years, I could have taken all except maybe four with a .30-30. Certainly with a Roberts and it would have done well except perhaps two of them.

Best wishes,

Jack

For anything other than an 06 based case I would get some cases first and run them thru the action to see if there are any feeding issues. Other cases may require some mods, which you may or may not want to do.
Now a 257 Roberts built into a lightweight model 70 would be a neat/nostalgic deer rifle. Doesn't have to be logical or the most practical to be interesting!

Horse, water, drink...

[quote=hawkman0206]I think a 35 Whelen would work nicely in your rifle lineup👍[/quote


I also think the .35 Whelen should be in heavy consideration

MH

Could you like a 6mm-06 or a 25-06 AI?

If you are wanting to change things up from the 270 make sure and take a peek at Wisner's for replica parts like mag boxes, followers, etc.. They can be out of stock at times, but they get around to making the stuff. I have had a 20" carbine fwt contoured 250-3000 built and I hung onto the pre 64 stuff so it can be put back to original one day if it strikes a fancy. The 7x57 I had put together in a fwt configuration was rough so I just Gunkote'ed it olive drab and bedded it into a Hi Tech stock. Someone had done a Krylon paint job to that entire rifle prior to me getting it. I'm fixing to do a 284 Win in a fwt contour, but not sure if it will be on a pre 64 or an early 5 digit classic yet. The last one I have in mind is going to be a 256 Newton. Mainly because I like to be different, lol. If I didn't go Newton I'd go 6.5-06 just for cost effectiveness.