New Sheep/goat hunting rig

[palmer]

I am going to get a new rifle in 270wsm. I am thinkin of either the Winchester M70 classic ultimate shadow and the Browning A bolt mountain TI...since no one seens shy about given there opinions on here let me have them...and no i don't want a tikka

cheers
Palmer

[kutenay]

Well, I am not a huge fan of the WSMs, but, I do use a similar cartridge for hunting the pipeline; it's a .264 Win. in an old Mod. 70 "Westerner" made about '59. In a Micky G&H stock with a Leupy 3.5x10, it shoots much better than an old phart like me can and it's FLAT.

I bet that this is no surprise, I say get the Mod. 70...and I don wanna tikka idda !!!

[Maxx]

Get the browning Ti, I have it in 300 WSM, and I love it. It is super light, accurate, feeds well, I like the clip option on it as well.

With scope, rings, it is is 6 3/4 pounds. The recoil is not as bad as I thought, and in 270, it may be somewhat less recoil.

I looked at the Remington Ti, and handled one today. My issue with them is that in the SAUM models, the rifle is over 6 pounds. My thought is that if you are going to spend this kind of money, get the lightest, you will not regret it,

[Kody94]

I was not originally a big fan of the WSM line (the 300 seemed like the answer to a question that was never asked ;)), but I have come to really like the 270 WSM. To me it is just about the perfect sheep/goat cartridge. In my pursuit of the "perfect sheep rifle" about 8 years ago, I built a lightweight 6.5 Gibbs on a Rem 700 ADL. I absolutely love it and pretty much all 6.5's, but taking a look at the factory cartridges available today, the pragmatist in me wishes the 270 WSM was available then! It covers all the same territory and then some.

In an effort to help a buddy get his "perfect sheep rifle", I found him a slightly used Browning A-bolt in 270 WSM last winter. I spent some time working up a load for him this spring, and I was very impressed. I am not much of a fan of A-bolts, but this experienced warmed me up to them a little. The cartridge has me completely sold.

If I was to replace my Gibbs, I would probably give the Browning A-bolt Ti in 270 WSM a try.

Cheers,
4Ster

ps: long time lurker, new poster. I usually get enough of Gates over on AR. :)

[todbartell]

the Browning Ti is crazy expensive, but light.

I personally would go with a Remington m700 Ti, which I did (30-06 ~ long action 6 lbs 3 oz scoped) if I wanted a light light rifle.

If you're stuck on the 270WSM, I'd go with the m700 XCR. Myself I would replace the stock with a light fiberglass aftermarket model made by McMillan.

if you're considering the Browning Ti, you cant be afraid of spending a few bucks. Id go with a m700 rem in a light stock, talley mounts, and a good leupold.

my .02

[palmer]

Firebird you can always be counted on to support the Remington Corp. I have looked at the Rem Ti but did not like the feel...so at least for now it is off the list...

[youngfellla]

I had considered a 270 WSM for a mountain gun as well, in a Vanguard Sub-Moa model. The Model 70 Ultimate Shadow is a pretty slick unit, and the Remington XCR should be a very tough gun for rough weather, I am very impressed with the XCR.

[palmer]

I liked the XCR too but its weight is almost 8 pounds..

[kutenay]

What exactly will a .270WSM do on any game that a .270Win. will not do as well (in the real world)? One can find a super-light Husqvarna HVA in .270, put a Brown "kevlar" stock, alloy mounts and a light scope on it and have a far superior rifle in both functional and aesthetic-workmanship terms to any A-bolt.

I have a Husqvarna 4100 done this way, with a Wisner safety and it is just over 7 lbs. all up, in 7x57 and has consistently shot sub m.o.a., often under .5" @ 100 Yds. I have shot about 10 deer with this rifle and it carries so well I don't even notice it's there. This rig will cost about the same as a A-Bolt Ti, which I consider to be a over-priced and poorly designed rifle.

Each to his own, but, with guys like Bill Leeper, Ted Gaillard(in Sask) and Ralf Martini building rifles here in B.C., I would go custom rather than pay the tariff on an A-bolt Ti. I am a Browning fan of over 40 years and own several fairly rare and superb guns made by them as well as having owned many more, but, the A-bolt is not their finest effort, IMHO.

[todbartell]

I liked the XCR too but its weight is almost 8 pounds..

I owned a m700 SS in 7saum, you can bet the XCR in 7saum will weigh in almost identical to what mine did, which was 7.3 lbs unscoped.

keep in mind these stocks they use are not all that light weight. I believe they tip my scales at around 35 ounces. there are aftermarket stocks that are in the 20-22 ounce range finished. that would bring gun weight down to a bit over 6 lbs unscoped, which is truly light for a caliber the size of the 270 WSM.

add a trim Leupold, like a 3-9x40mm in some Talleys and you'd be in at around 7lbs or a hair more. converting your rifle to blind magazine ADL, bolt shroud replacement w/ aluminum aftermarket parts, skeletonizing your bolt handle/bolt body, and fluting the barrel will all shave ounces.

you could do all that and still be spending no more than what it costs for an Abolt Ti



just a suggestion.


and if you're not set on the 270 WSM, you can lose alot more weight right off the bat. A Remington m700 mtn rifle in 7-08 is 6.5 lbs unscoped. swap the stock for a fiberglass lightweight model and you're at 5.5 lbs, add talley rings and a 2-7x33mm leupold and you'll be at around 6.3 lbs scoped and ready.


just some idea to throw out there.

Im sure the Browning Ti would shoot fine and kill everything, if you do your part. Just not my cup of tea. :)

[steel_ram]

I'm more of a Rem.700 fan but have always always liked the look and feel of the Win. Featherweights with the schnabel fore end.

If your at all sensitive to recoil, I'd stay away from ultra-lightweight rifles chambered in heavier cartridges. I developed quite a flinch with a Rem mtn rifle in 30-06 before I got rid of it. A full size rifle in 338 doesn't bother me at all and is easier to steady when I've just climbed a slope and am breathing hard.

[Maxx]

Firebird- Do you have remington in your blood?LOL

Firebird is correct though, if 7mm-08 is the calibre you are interested in, then a M700 with a lighweight stock as he has suggested in the way to go, lighter than the browning. As with anything it is personal preference.

The reasons I like the browning- Stock fits me well, rubberized stock material ( very grippy), removable "clip" option, the calibre I wanted, IMO a quality rifle ( saw several mixed reviews on the internet of the Remington Ti), accurate out of the box,

If a light sheep rifle is what you want in a WSM calibre, then your options from the Large rifle makers is not very large. The Winchester featherweight is not that light, the Browning may be your "lightest" option in these calibres,

[Kody94]

What exactly will a .270WSM do on any game that a .270Win. will not do as well (in the real world)?

Nothing really. You and I are of like mind on this in general. But, while the practical differences are small, the 270 WSM does have a flatter trajectory with the same weight bullets, and hits with more gusto at all ranges. With todays monolithic and bonded core bullets, its also better elk/moose gun than the 270 Win. Of course you pay a price in recoil and muzzle blast relative the the 270 Win, but the difference isn't huge.

Since the 270 WSM is available, one might as well take advantage of the benefits, eh? :)

I went the custom route when I decided to have a 6.5 Gibbs built. Being from the EK, and with your knowlege of gunsmiths, I bet you can guess who gave me the idea. :) I wanted a 264 WM, but I had an '06 lenght donor action already....and the Gibbs comes pretty close. When it was all said and done, incl. lightweight stock etc, it wasn't a cheap project, though. With the factory options available today, I doubt I would do the same again...unless I was looking for something to keep me busy. :)

In the end there are a million ways to skin a cat, and there's always tradeoffs to be made. :)

Cheers,
4Ster

[tomigunz]

Check out the Sako Finnlight, it's a awesome rifle!

[X-man]

Palmer,
My vote goes to a Remington KS Custom Mountain rifle. In my mind the KS is a good balance between light weight and shootability. The KS stock (Brown Precision) is tough as nails....The Bell and Carleson is not.

Another option would be to have a custom gun built. A Reminton action is pretty tough to beat in the light weight custom gun realm. You should be able to build the gun of your dreams for about the same as a Browning Ti.

Good Luck!

[Peakebrook]

The 270 WSM shooting Barnes 140 gr TSX is a great combo.

The 270 WSM can be found in short action guns which saves weight. It shoots about 200 fps fast than a 270 Win with same weight bullet and same barrel length.

Sheep can be killed by many different cartridges, this one works for me. :-)

[Brambles]

I am doing the same thing right now. I picked up a Winchester Ultimate Shadow Stainless 300wsm for a back packing gun

The CRF of the winchester is what I was after, the winchester feeds the short fat cases easier than the remington. I am a Remington guy at heart but I needed a rifle that would reliably feed the WSM cases.

Unfortunatly I hear that there might be problems with the m70 action and the WSM cartridges starting with the chamber walls being too thin and threads too loose which distorts the chamber when the barrel is threaded to the action. I don't believe all are affected
I'm looking into this more as we speak.

The CRF does really feed WSM cases nice though.

Brambles

[Gateholio]

I'd get arifle built for me rather than buy a A-Bolt.

The A-Bolt does not appeal to me at all.

While I own a custom 300WSM, I always thought that the most interesting WSM was the 270WSM.

And while there is very little performance difference betweent he 300WM and the 300WSM, there is a difference between the 270WSM and 270Win.

In any case, I like the WSM's because they are COOL. And COOL goes a long way...:wink:

[Wildone]

I built a custom gun on a rem TI action . I baught the gun used and tore it apart without evershooting it( rule# 1 in custom gun building -never shoot the donor) . I built a 7-08 for sheep and goat , doing it again I may have done it in 308, I'll explain why later. The gun has a 24 in Lilja stainless fluted BBL in ul contour a Basner hitech stock talley regular mounts ( not the LW) and a Swaro a-line 3x9 on top and it come in at 6 lbs 4 oz loaded with 4 . Absolute tack driver with 140 gr txs. The thought of doing it in a 308 would be so that you could load 200 gr pills for the walk in griz country before you start to climb. I am not an a-bolt fan at all and if I had to choose on the 2 you mentioned I would pick the Winchester it is a much better action. Keep in mind you can lighten guns up over time with part changes as you get the money, ie lighter contour bbl, fluting, stock , rings ,etc. With either of those 2 actions you will never get them as light as a remmy 700 and the a bolt is a bitch to get the bbl off of it.