My Cousin's new Long Range Rig

[Jud96]

Well its been awhile since I have posted on here and have gotten time to get back on. These past few months we have been super busy with work and then did as much shooting as we could. Practiced and messed with the pair of .308s both of my cousin's have and did some more tinkering with me and my Dad's twin Remington Varmint .243 rifles.

Now that we got both of my cousins hooked with long range hunting, the oldest (21) is planning his next rifle. He currently has a Remington 700 .308 and a Weatherby Vanguard .270 WSM. His Remington has a standard weight 24" barrel and digests 168 A-MAXs quite well and is a good all around varmint and deer rifle. He now wants a dedicated long range rig for shots ranging from 300-1000yds on deer. The .308 is great for deer out to 600yds or so but he wants more punch for those extended shots. He dropped a doe with the .308 last season at 608yds so he is ready to extend his ranges.

His plan is to rebarrel and restock his Weatherby. It has thin blueing on the barrel anyway that we were planning on reblueing but now that he wants a long range rig, the Vanguard action will make the heart for a decent long range rifle. He's trying to keep his build pretty budget so he has been looking at Shaw barrels because they are pretty affordable and their shop is about 30min away from him in PA. He wanted to stick with the .270 WSM because he already has 100+ casings and a fresh batch of 150gr SSTs for it. I'm trying to convince him to make the switch to 7mm and go with the 7WSM and launch 162gr A-MAXs at 3100+ in it. He could just neck his .270 brass up and he would be good to go. What do you guys think? I'm new to these short mags so don't know much about them but the 7WSM looks good on paper other than the high pressures. Thanks

 

[Jud96]

Well here's an update. My cousin is purchasing a .277cal Shilen Super Match blank that will become a 27" #5 contour barrel chambered for .270 WSM. He has decided to upgrade his choice and go with a Shilen instead of a Shaw. We are planning on working up a load of IMR 7828ssc with a 165gr Matrix VLD and start around 59grs and working up. This should make for a deadly long range killer!

 

[tikkat3270wsm]

also a Pa shooter. ALso building a 270wsm. #10 Brux here, Tikka action, matrix 175gr pills, starting with 59 gr retumbo, H1000, RL33. .020 of lands.

 

[Jud96]

also a Pa shooter. ALso building a 270wsm. #10 Brux here, Tikka action, matrix 175gr pills, starting with 59 gr retumbo, H1000, RL33. .020 of lands.

Sounds like it will be a great build. Is your Brux a 9 twist? He is trying to budget his build and my Uncle, his pap, is a gunsmith and can get Shilen barrels for very good prices and they are only available with a 1:10 twist. This is why the Matrix 165 will be the heaviest bullet we will shoot and why we can't take advantage of the big 175s.

 

[tikkat3270wsm]

My Brux is a 8 twist. $325 to your door. They will make any twist you want. Great company. Oh, and should only take about 4 month for your Barrel from Brux

 

[Jud96]

My Brux is a 8 twist. $325 to your door. They will make any twist you want. Great company. Oh, and should only take about 4 month for your Barrel from Brux

Wow that's a great deal! I understand that they are also cut rifled. Can you testify for their accuracy? Also, was $325 just for the blank or did that include contouring? Thanks

 

[tikkat3270wsm]

325 to your door. Any contour on their chart. Yes, cut rifled, their accuracy is as good as a shielen.

 

[Jud96]

325 to your door. Any contour on their chart. Yes, cut rifled, their accuracy is as good as a shielen.

Wow! I may have to give them a look! Thanks for the input! Is your barrel 6 groove?

 

[tikkat3270wsm]

3 groove

 

[Jud96]

3 groove

Dang I bet that is easy to clean!

 

[Shane Lindsey]

You can also look at Hart. Got my 8 twist in about 3 months.

 

[Jud96]

You can also look at Hart. Got my 8 twist in about 3 months.

Ya I'm a Hart guy personally. I have one on my .308 Norma that we are still building, just have to get around to finishing it. I think he is looking at the Shilens because they can get a stainless select match grade barrel for like $300 and my Uncle has always used them.

 

[Jud96]

For you guys shooting the Matrix 165s and 175s in any .270cal rifle, do any of you have a 1-7.5 twist? We found a barrel for sale with a 7.5 twist and just wanted some input from anyone who may shoot one. Matrix recommends a 9 twist for the 165gr and an 8 with their 175s, I figure the 7.5 would work great with the 175s but not sure about the 165s. We will be happy to shoot the 175s but just wanted to know if we could make the 165s work in the 7.5 twist. Thanks!

 

[Jud96]

Well my cousin has almost everything he needs for his build now. He got an X-Caliber 28" 1-7.5 twist barrel in .277cal, B&C Medalist stock, Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44, and his dies. All he needs now are rings, bases, and a trigger. I have a question though regarding headspace for the .270 WSM. I read that the .300 WSM headspace gauges will work, is this true? The .300 WSM and .270 WSM has slightly different shoulder dimensions and I don't see how you could use the .300 WSM gauges. If anyone has any input it would be much appreciated, thanks! Merry Christmas you all!