Lightweight .270WSM

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Going on a backpack Dall sheep hunt in '08....well at least that's my excuse for buying a new rifle, and I want to take a new .270WSM with me. Looking at factory rifles only that are under 5 1/2 pounds bare....give me your favourites and why.

Aww come on man... You are a magazine writer... take the gun that's offered as a demo with the most support and $ for your trip and subsequent article! That bevy of "Remington Girls" would look awful good helping tote your gear!

You sniffing glue today Oko.....hard cash coming out of my pocket buddy.

[Rockymtnx]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

I haven't looked at the Sako or Weatherby but will for sure.

I just snooping at the Weatherby website. You can only get the .270WSM in the Vangard line of Weatherby rifles which weigh 7-3/4lbs.
Personally I am not a fan of the Vangards. Once I started shooting a Mark V I have set that to be the Weatherby standard.

I know that Weatherby isn't on the top of your list for rifles, but too bad they didn't make the Mark V Ultra Lightweight in .270 WSM (6-3/4lbs).
Bell & Carlson stock with a CNC machined AL block
54 degree Mark V bolt
Adjustable Trigger
.583" Stainless Fluted Barrel
Pachmayr recoil pad

[Faststeel]

Sheep have you had a chance to check out the H S Precision web site? I haven't owned one of these yet but we have moved a number of them through P&D and never a complaint. The Pro hunter seems to come in at the weight you are looking for. FS

[ABDUKNUT]

Not sure what the Finnlight 85 weighs, I'm guessing a blonde hair under 6.5 lbs but keep in mind you won't find one very easily right now... Should change in the very near future though. A new one will cost $1539 compared to $1399 for the Kimber Montana.

Not that expensive, when you take into account a model 7 in WSM will cost you $1100... I bought a model 7 SS years ago and it cost me under $600 brand new off the shelf, so I could never pay double that, knowing what I'm getting. The Sako makes the Remington look like a hunk of crap if you compare the 2 side by side.

[Hunter1]

Have you checked out the savage model 10fcm Sierra. Weighs about 6.25lbs and can get it in 270 WSM. Priced quite nicely too. Savages are know to shoot well right out of the box. Would also look at the Remington Model 7 XCR. Its new this year.

[cmfic1]

Have you checked out the savage model 10fcm Sierra

Whoa, whoa, whoa, remember, hes doing this for a Story.....meaning pictures will be taken!

[Mintaka]

*

Originally Posted by cmfic1

Whoa, whoa, whoa, remember, hes doing this for a Story.....meaning pictures will be taken!

Hey, I think it's kind of purdy.

[harv3589]

I have a new Sako 85 stainless/sythetic 30-06 and I would take it into the mountains without a hesitation...its fairly light, only 8.5lbs with the optilok rings and 6x42 leupold on it.

That is a pretty heavy rifle for an extended backpack trip. I've already got a Sako M995 in 7STW that's only a few ounces heavier...likely due to the longer barrel and 3-9 Zeiss Scope that I must admit gets pretty heavy after a few days of packing it around. Perfect for antelope and even the occasional day hunt but on a 10-day backpack trip where every ounce counts, shaving a pound or more off a rifle is very welcome.

Okay a couple questions about the Savage....

1) Other than feeling ike you are dating someone's ugly sister....are there any real performance issues with these rifles that people know of. I constantly hear good things about them and about how accurate they are.

2) The 10CFM only has a 20" barrel. What kind of muzzle velocity reduction will that cause with a .270WSM vs say a 23" barrrel?

[cmfic1]

sheep, I would imagine this would be a close comparison.

A few yrs ago, a buddy bought a Weatherby in .270 Weatherby. It came with a 26" tube. He wanted it @ 22" (dont ask me why). So we proceeded to the Range with hacksaw in hand. I dont remember the exact figures but we shot it @ 26, 25, 24, 23 & 22 1/2" through the chrony. On avg. for each cut he lost about 37 fps with each inch.

He then sent it to a 'smith to make the final cut & recrown. Ballistically speaking these two rounds are pretty close, so I think this could be a fair comparison.

[rugatika]

Speaking as a reader. I would be most interested in reading an article on the new Sako 85. The finnlight 85 is listed as 2.9kg which should put it a hair over 6.5 lbs and it's available in 270wsm.

Ya 6 3/8 pound with a 24" barrel is pretty impressive. The Browning still intrigues me though at 5.5 pound with a 23" barrel. Decisions...Decisions

Originally Posted by cmfic1

sheep, I would imagine this would be a close comparison.

A few yrs ago, a buddy bought a Weatherby in .270 Weatherby. It came with a 26" tube. He wanted it @ 22" (dont ask me why). So we proceeded to the Range with hacksaw in hand. I dont remember the exact figures but we shot it @ 26, 25, 24, 23 & 22 1/2" through the chrony. On avg. for each cut he lost about 37 fps with each inch.

He then sent it to a 'smith to make the final cut & recrown. Ballistically speaking these two rounds are pretty close, so I think this could be a fair comparison.

Thanks! Some good info there.

Okay, here's my thoughts so far.

Savage is out because of the short barrel.

Remington is very attractive at 6 pounds with 24" barrel but it is pricy

Sako is also attractive at 6 3/8 pounds with 24 3/8 barrel

Browning still intriques me at 5.5 pounds with 23" barrel. Trigger is a bit of an issue with it.

Tikka is a the best bargain at 6 pounds 6 ounces with a 24 3/8 barrel but why the long action?

Okay...Tikka vs Sako vs Browning vs Remington

Originally Posted by Faststeel

Sheep have you had a chance to check out the H S Precision web site? I haven't owned one of these yet but we have moved a number of them through P&D and never a complaint. The Pro hunter seems to come in at the weight you are looking for. FS

Do you know the price of them Greg? They are a nice looking rifle. I've handled them a bit at the SHOT Show but never really paid enough attention.

[Rockymtnx]

Just to put everything in perspective. Here they are.

Remington 700 Alaskan Ti 24" 6 lbs $2139.95
Sako 85 SS 24.4" 6-3/8 lbs $1569.95
Browning Mountain Ti 23" 5-1/2 lbs $1699.95
Savage 10FCM 20" 6-1/4 lbs $549.95
Tikka T3 Lite 24.4" 6-3/8 lbs $699.95

Now if you wanted to buy it like you were going to the bulk candy store here's what they look like.
Remington = $22.30/ounce
Sako = $15.40/ounce
Browning = $19.32/ounce
Savage = $5.50/ounce
Tikka = $6.86/ounce
(ok bad humor on this one)



If price wasn't an issue I would buy the Remington 700 Alaskan Ti in a heartbeat.
The Browning does look pretty nice at 5-1/2 lbs. (But I am not a big A-bolt guy. That's just me)
The Tikka does look pretty good as a all around gun for price and weight.
The Savages barrel length looks to short to me. I know there is no way in hell that you would get a full powder burn from a magnum in 20"

My two votes go to the Remington and Tikka. But that's only "my opinion".

Sheep you defiantly need to do some thinking on this one. There are so many variables here. I am glad its you making the decision and not me.

Ya, the Tikka is pretty good value per ounce....lol

I shot the Remington on a Nilgai hunt last January and loved it but at three times the cost of the Tikka it's a big step up. I could put some awfully nice glass on the Tikka for the difference.

BTW, what are you taking for antelope? I've got the 7STW dialed in tight so that will be my second choice if I can't get it done with the .50 cal.

[Rockymtnx]

Ok don't laugh but I am taking my .300 WBY Accumark (known to my friends as the "Daisy"). Yes I know its a little big for a 115 lb lope. Aaaah with a 180gr TBBC through the lungs I wont waste any meat. I just feel good with the stock tucked in my shoulder and finger on the trigger.
I am not sure what Pa is taking. More than likely his .243 WIN or .257 WBY.

Hey, I'd never laugh at a man with a rifle that he shoots well.

[pipes]

I am a sheep hunting addict. I shoot a 270WSM Win. Model 70 featherweight. Thing is heavy and has incured some good scars, but shoots like a dream.
However, I have used my friend's Browning A-bolt stainless stalker and love it. I have put approximately 100 rounds through this gun. This particular gun is as accurate as any I have used, feels very comfortable (for me personally) and just an all-round "bullet-proof" (pardon the pun) gun for sheep hunting. It is a bit over your required weight, so maybe have to sacrifice a couple of meals.
As strictly a backpack sheep hunter, I will either be buying this gun or a pack horse....probably the gun.

Good luck on the Dalls and nice choice of calibre for a sheep gun (strictly biased opinion).

[Rockymtnx]

Ok now all this talk of new guns has got me a wee bit interested in something for my wife (in around about way me )
My wife is smaller and the Model 700's are a little too big for her. While looking up these other guns this morning I came across the Remington Model Seven XCR.
I have never had the chance to shoot a .270 WSM. Overall how does the .270 WSM hit you? I know that the amount a gun kicks you has to do a lot with the gun. My thoughts are this maybe a little too much gun for her.

[cmfic1]

a .270WSM is comparable to a 7mm Rem. Mag. in similar Rifles. The 7 may hit a little harder, but likely not that much different. I've shot only two WSM's and they were both comparable to their big brother counterparts.

If this is too much for her, I would highly suggest the 7mm-08 or maybe a 260 Rem.

I bought the Wife a Rem LSS Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08. Its an awesome little gun, and in the right hands is sufficient for anything we have here in Alberta.

My experience withe .270 wsm is that it packs a puch, to the shooter that is. Have you considered a .30-06? Can't think of a more all-round catridge that delivers only moderate recoil with lighter bullets.

pipe... a rifle is one of those awkward loads that no matter how much weight you leave out of your pack it never seems to counteract the rifle weight. I can actually keep things to about 45-50 pounds (excluding rifle) for a 10 day trip with no problem and that means eating well but that darned rifle always seems so heavy, even when strapped to the pack. I strap mine in the centre of the pack so it is more evenly distributed so that helps but man it's a lot of weight no matter what. A couple pounds seems to make a huge difference. My STW weighs in right at 9 pounds dressed and I'm hoping to lose a couple pounds off that. Three years ago I did pack around a 12 pound muzzleloader for sheep though so not sure why I'm so worried...lol

[harv3589]

Well go with a Remington, drop it in a McMillian Edge stock with talley and a smaller Leupold. No really a custom just a stock swap. I had that stock on a Remington 7mm mag, it was very light and a nice stock to boot.

[lazy ike]

]

Comes in @ 6(six) lbs but you'll have to shoot 270 wthby mag

That's just way too pretty to beat the crap out of in the mountains. Synthetic/stainless is pretty much a must on this one.

[lazy ike]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

That's just way too pretty to beat the crap out of in the mountains. Synthetic/stainless is pretty much a must on this one.

No problemo..