Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester Short Mag.

I'm just checking things out right now but would like to build a Long Range .270. I have a 66(crapped up) Model 70 .270 that I could rebarrel to a tighter twist. But the rifle, even though it's a crapped up post 63 is pretty accurate and reliable. So I hate to screw with it. I was thinking for this project I'd like to go with a Short Mag platform and screw a 1:8 twist barrel on it in .277.

What problems do y'all know about that I might experience with the short mag platform. I have a spare Mauser action that I could rebarrel. However, I was admonished by more than one gun smith not to try to make a short mag on a regular Mauser action because the feed rails would be different and if whoever did the build didn't know what he was doing he could mess up the rails and then the action would be crap. If I found a Short Magnum donor action the feed rails wouldn't need attention. Other than the feed rails issue what problems could I run into wth the short mag platform?

I built one and had several factory wsm’s. I never had any problems. The only problems I’ve ever heard about have been with feeding. If you use a 700 and I remember right, the internal box magazine is different than the regular SA.

Filaman is right about feed rails. You also give up at least one cartridge in mag capacity

Tikka T3 Lite 270 WSM
just sayin'

I love a rebarrel project more than most folks, but if you want a 270 WSM that is one I would recommend you look around for a factory M70. I found a Stainless M70 270 WSM in a shop in Albuquerque for $500 out the door. It feeds like butter and is quite accurate. The magazine accommodates up to 3.0" rounds.
There are not too many other rifles that are good rebarrel candidates that combine the magnum bolt face, decent length magazine, and lack of feeding issues.
Just my $0.02,
Rex

Thanks Fremont. I've been interested in a Tikka T3. Do you know what barrel twist rates they come in? If I do this I want a 1:8 twist.

Thanks for all the info Gentlemen.

I don’t think you will find anything .277 twisted 1:8 from the factory. The tikka is 1:10.

New barrel, magazine and bolt face work that may not pan out makes the Tikka or other 270 WSM factory rifles a good option. With some of the newer powders and bullets available the difference between a 270 Win. and WSM is less than it used to be. I like the idea of a fast twist 270 WSM but the 270 Weatherby or 7mm WSM may be a better option.

I tend to agree with Tejano, with new powders, the 270 Win really closed the gap the 270WSM used to have on it. I'm shooting RL23 and getting 3250fps with 130s and 3000fps with 150s. RL26 can give you a little more, maybe 50fps, with the 150s, but isn't quite as temperature stable. That's a lot of performance from a round that components can be found very readily, much more so than the WSM counterpart.

Kimber Montana in .270WSM - just about the best all-around western hunting rig possible. Especially with modern bullets and modern powders. Excluding big bears.

Add 0.007” to the bore diameter and you’re bang on...

Someone states the painfully obvious.

If you want a short mag, buy one, it be way easier. Sell the other, apply to a new shirt mag