6.8 Western

[Old Rooster]

Hello Old Rooster, just read this reply about necking a 300WSM up to 35 caliber. I black bear hunt with a .358 Winchester and a 35 Whelen. With either of these two cartridges you cannot go wrong. And.....if you want a real powerhouse in .35 caliber there's the often, forever overlooked and forgotten .358 Norma magnum. If I were ever so fortunate to find myself going to Alaska on a bear hunt I would build a .358 Norma, they are easy to load for and they are tack drivers. But............for now it's going to be the .35 Whelen, and it too is a great, versatile cartridge. I was going to try the 223gr Shock Hammers in the Whelen for black bear the last season, however did not get enough range time in with them. But next year I will take one with them. For me what I have found is that if one were to compare the "new", latest and greatest, 5000 yard, anti-tank, Trex killers that just came out on the market with some of the "older" original cartridges and did a true comparison there's really not that much difference worth the fuss over!! I would be curious to find out how many there are on this forum who are/were interested in a .35 caliber cartridge who have ever looked at the ballistics of the 35 Whelen or ever looked at the ballistics of the .358 Norma magnum. And it's not different with this "new", 6.8 Western. The .270 WSM has been around for nearly 20 years, yet............now we are shortening the cartridge case, thus reducing powder capacity, changing the barrel twist, and NOW it too is the latest and greatest cartridge on earth. EVEN greater than the 6.5 Creedmoor.

I hope you get to hunt bears with your 35 Whelen.I have a 358 winchester in a Browning BLR steel receiver and have owned 2 different 35 Whelens and got in a pinch and sold both 35 Whelens and wish I could have not sold the Remington.It was a tack driver.
I shot a muley at 200 yards with the 358 Win 4 years ago at 200 yards and she dropped like a rock.That was the last doe tag I have gotten for doe mule's.
Maybe one day I will get back into the 35's and replace the 35 Whelen's I miss.

 

[big johnson]

Been thinking about getting a 6.5 reamer on this case, several grains more than the 6.5 prc and should push the 156 EOL great ,but why invent the wheel , just go 26 nosler and burn alot more unicorn pooooooo.

 

[Calvin45]

I hope you get to hunt bears with your 35 Whelen.I have a 358 winchester in a Browning BLR steel receiver and have owned 2 different 35 Whelens and got in a pinch and sold both 35 Whelens and wish I could have not sold the Remington.It was a tack driver.
I shot a muley at 200 yards with the 358 Win 4 years ago at 200 yards and she dropped like a rock.That was the last doe tag I have gotten for doe mule's.
Maybe one day I will get back into the 35's and replace the 35 Whelen's I miss.

You know it's funny, I don't know very many people that own, let alone shoot, 35 caliber rifles of any kind, but the ones that do pretty much unanimously attribute a sort of magic to their killing power, in a way I don't see attributed to the .33 and .37 bores on either side. It's probably nothing, but I find it very interesting nonetheless.

 

[Alibiiv]

You know it's funny, I don't know very many people that own, let alone shoot, 35 caliber rifles of any kind, but the ones that do pretty much unanimously attribute a sort of magic to their killing power, in a way I don't see attributed to the .33 and .37 bores on either side. It's probably nothing, but I find it very interesting nonetheless.

Right now there are three of us who hunt with 35 Whelens, there's no mystery about them they shoot, are easy to reload for and the ones we have are extremely accurate. We have been using Barnes 225gr TSX bullets, bear drop like they have been hit with lightening. I have also used the .358 Winchester on a bear a few years ago due to an issue with a rifle. Again that bear was hit broadside, behind the shoulder about five-inches, broke both shoulders, the bear ran about 30 feet and dropped; Barnes 200gr TTSX BT. The only mystery to me is that the shooting industry is more concerned about selling new rifles, in new cartridges, and ignore a round that does everything that the older cartridges have been doing for years. If you would like to see and real impressive cartridge, take a look at the .358 Norma magnum. Again another cartridge that is overlooked by the shooting industry.

 

[Calvin45]

Right now there are three of us who hunt with 35 Whelens, there's no mystery about them they shoot, are easy to reload for and the ones we have are extremely accurate. We have been using Barnes 225gr TSX bullets, bear drop like they have been hit with lightening. I have also used the .358 Winchester on a bear a few years ago due to an issue with a rifle. Again that bear was hit broadside, behind the shoulder about five-inches, broke both shoulders, the bear ran about 30 feet and dropped; Barnes 200gr TTSX BT. The only mystery to me is that the shooting industry is more concerned about selling new rifles, in new cartridges, and ignore a round that does everything that the older cartridges have been doing for years. If you would like to see and real impressive cartridge, take a look at the .358 Norma magnum. Again another cartridge that is overlooked by the shooting industry.

Oh I have…and you liked my post in this thread one page back about having long desired an old husqvarna rifle in .358 Norma haha…I have a friend who got an old husqvarna in 9.3x62 which for all intents and purposes is a European version of a .35 Whelen (actually came before the whelen but that doesn't matter)…he's pretty happy with it, hoping to use it for moose in the bush.

 

[44-40]

So the 277 Fury is supposed to launch a 140 grain low bc bullet at 3000 fps from a 16" barrel right?
I just got my 16" 6.5 saum barrel screwed on, and with a 20 rounds through the barrel I'm getting 2850 with 142s and H1000. Obviously the wrong powder for a 16" barrel..
I just worked up a few charges with RL 26 this afternoon and hit pressure at 3075!
More testing to come but its making that 277 fury seem a lot less impressive

I utilize the 277 hybrid case to reform to 6.5 Creedmoor and in a factory rifle with a 24" barrel run 140 gr Nosler RDF to over 3150 fps. So in a 16" barrel 3000 fps is possible.

 

[DavidA]

When the 170 Berger ELO's started coming out 10 years ago or so I had two 270 win's. I decided to give a fast 270 win a whirl. So I took off the oem spotter barrel and had McGowen Precision make me a 1-8 twist 26" Sendero profile barrel.

In just my first load development with RL 26 I got 2920 fps out of it. It shoots 1 MOA or less when I do my part. So that is about all there is to say. The 6.8 may get a little more velocity. It is in a short action so it's about 7/8" shorter. and it shave a few ounces but if your invested in 270 win for reloading with hundreds of rounds of brass and dies etc, it's hard to see the point.

The dear of elk or whatever you hunt has no idea or measure of the difference between what hit them. So if you have 270 win or 270 WSM it seems putting a fast twist barrel on it sort of ends the conversation . Is it better? Maybe so. But we are really splitting hairs here. We buy new rifles based upon want not need. The manufacturers create want by splitting hairs. It's marketing.

If I did not have a 270 win , maybe it would make sense. It is a broad base high performance round. Carry on.

 

[JAYgs8163]

Burp 2021

 

[Bob Milek]

What I've read and heard about it I thank it will be a good cartridge for people like me that can only afford factory rifles most of the time. and that also likes the long heavy bullets in .277 cal.i have had a number of factory 270 win and shot a few others and I never seen a factory 270 win that would shoot 150s better the moa or bigger groups.i cant speak for the 270 wsm or wby but I have been wanting to have a 270 wsm with 1:8 twist built when I am about to or a 270 ai. Any ways I do thank it will be a good choice for people that wants to purchase a factory rifle and shoot factory ammo that has a good thump on game with manageable recoil that thank the 6.5 prc isn't big enough for elk size game.that being said I do believe the 6.8 western may be just some compation for th 6.5 prc only time will tell

Some things I agree with you on- .270 Win with faster twist to stabilize heavier bullets would be great. However, the idea that 6.5 is too small for elk sized game I disagree with. Your opinion is just as valid as mine, but after seeing roughly a dozen elk taken with the 6.5 PRC, at ranges from 80 to 400 yards, I can state that it is a valid elk cartridge. That said, I still shoot them with my -06.

 

[Bob Milek]

What I've read and heard about it I thank it will be a good cartridge for people like me that can only afford factory rifles most of the time. and that also likes the long heavy bullets in .277 cal.i have had a number of factory 270 win and shot a few others and I never seen a factory 270 win that would shoot 150s better the moa or bigger groups.i cant speak for the 270 wsm or wby but I have been wanting to have a 270 wsm with 1:8 twist built when I am about to or a 270 ai. Any ways I do thank it will be a good choice for people that wants to purchase a factory rifle and shoot factory ammo that has a good thump on game with manageable recoil that thank the 6.5 prc isn't big enough for elk size game.that being said I do believe the 6.8 western may be just some compation for th 6.5 prc only time will tell

 

[Jim’s Hunt]

Just another flavor of the month. Rebarrel a 270 WSM with a 7 twist or a 7mm WSM fast twist tube or how about a 6.5-300 WSM. No need in reinventing the wheel just polish the one you have. I love my 270WSM 7.5 twist 24" barrel and 175gr Sierra TGK and MagPro and 215m primers

 

[Jim’s Hunt]

Some things I agree with you on- .270 Win with faster twist to stabilize heavier bullets would be great. However, the idea that 6.5 is too small for elk sized game I disagree with. Your opinion is just as valid as mine, but after seeing roughly a dozen elk taken with the 6.5 PRC, at ranges from 80 to 400 yards, I can state that it is a valid elk cartridge. That said, I still shoot them with my -06.

I agree a 6.5 PRC will kill an elk as well as a 30-06 or 270 win. I'm sure a few have already have harvested with the age old 264 win mag

 

[Lou270]

6.8W is nothing more or less than 270
Equiv of 6.5prc and 7prc. Just factory friendly versions of cartridges folks been doing for a long time. I have an 8 twist 270 wsm and 6.8W. I have not even loaded for the 6.8W as it shoots 165 ablr and 175 tgk factory loads sub 1/2 moa when I do my part. That is why folks like the prcs as well. It is convenient

Lou

 

[3800fps]

Like a ZOMBIE this thread popped up from the dead…if only the 6.8Western were this lucky.