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> 6.8 Western - She Ain't Practical
6.8 Western - She Ain't Practical
@ 02:22 pm (GMT) |
Lane SalvatoOne of my friends just sent me an article on yet another short action "magnum" the 6.8 Western. At this point I'd shoot a musket if I could get powder and lead. But I digress. What we don't need is another short action magnum.The 270 could use a little more spring in its step and that's why I think we should embrace the 1:8 twist with a 165 to 175 grain bullet. By why stop there? Why not the 270 Practical? I'm sure it's been done somewhere before but why not the 175 grain 270 load in a soft bullet atop a 300 Win. Mag. case? Screaming along at Mach 17. OK, OK, I get it. My grandpappy's 270 Winchester has never failed me and is still sighted in and ready to go today. But that's not the point! We could even have Warrock Edmonds rig up a special hunting style bayonet just in case of hogs. I mean it could work. Right? |
Replies
@ 08:32 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalHi Lane. There are many statements on the Internet touting the benefits of a short action over a long action.One is that a short action is stiffer, and therefore more accurate because it’s less susceptible to deforming under the tremendous force it must endure. If you think about it, the bolt locking lugs take the brunt of the force, transfer it to the recoil lug, and thus to the stock. In most designs, the entire action isn’t absorbing all the force and transferring it to the stock, since the bolt locking lugs are at the very front of it, and the recoil lug is located below them. The Remington 788 is an exception, with its bolt locking lugs at the rear of the bolt. Anyway, Nathan debunked this myth recently on this forum, saying that a properly bedded long action is just as accurate as a short one. A second supposed benefit of a short action is bolt cycle length. The idea is, you can eject your spent case, and chamber your follow up cartridge way faster with a short action. Only the anal argue such niceties. A third reason advanced is the couple ounces of weight saved, and the half inch of overall rifle length reduction. Another issue for the anal among us. So the real question is: Is a short, fat case more efficient than a long, slender one? I think Winchester proved that point with its WSM line, and also its WSSM line. The 6.8 Western is proof they’re not giving up on the concept, despite lackluster sales of its predecessors. Other manufacturers have seen the light, too. Ruger’s RCM, Hornady’s PRC. The problem with the existing short action rifles is magazine length. For instance, the 300 PRC can only be retrofitted to older WSM rifles, not your standard 308 short-action models. |
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@ 12:25 pm (GMT) |
Lane SalvatoRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalYeah I'm just having a laugh. Sometimes I like to make posts that are a bit funny and a bit off the wall. Sometimes they are funny and sometimes I'm a bit nonsensical. But for some reason it always makes sense in my head! :-) |
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@ 08:53 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalI meant the 6.5 PRC. The 300 PRC is a long action cartridge. |
@ 06:47 pm (GMT) |
Mike DavisRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalI have mused on this one for years...folk go on and on and on and on and on about how much more awesome is a .280 AI but you never hear about anyone doing the AI on a .270....... cause good is good enough to not need fixing.also have contemplating taking 7mm mag and rebarreling to .277 barrel but again its no HUGE gain...now faster twist barrels are possibly going to be had,MAYBE one of the big firms will put faster twist on std .270 win for a factory offering....look out you fake 7mm/.294 users then..... put micrometer on projectile and you will see why I call .284 fake and the mighty .277 the true 7mm. picture if you will a 160grn Nosler Partition zapping along with more twist than usual....... maybe some heavier projectiles will come out.I still have stock of 170grn speer round nose projectiles which are my bush loads,the trajectory is rather surprising when you crunch the numbers,now if they were pointy,things would be much better still,but would be marginal in 1;10 twist. there are some .277/08s out there....just so user doesnt have to drink lattes. one thing the .277 has going for it in these trying times is the fact it isnt 6.5mm so components are to be found still as are 6mm and the even less popular quarter bores. |
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@ 07:01 am (GMT) |
Scott StruifRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalWinchester obviously is targeting diehard 270 fans with the 6.8 Western. The gun-press has been sewing the seeds of doubt for years, deploring the 270’s inability to handle bullets heavier than 150 gr.I see the 6.8 as a stroke of genius on Winchester’s part. They released it in the midst of an ammunition shortage, but 6.8 factory ammo is readily available. The rifles have the faster twist rates 270 fans have pined for. A handloader can easily download it to match typical 130 grain 270 performance. A win-win for all. |
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@ 09:01 am (GMT) |
Lane SalvatoRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalI've taken one animal in my life that couldn't have readily been taken with my 270 Winchester. I do think that a 270 Winchester with a 8-9.5 barrel twist shooting 165 to 175 grain bullets could be very interesting.I've messed around with several popular standard cartridges over the years and all of them are great. From the 25-06 to the 30-06 and all the majors in between there would not have been a single time that I couldn't have done just as well with the 270. It's so good it's boring! |
@ 08:41 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalHi Guys, yes as mentioned above, a goal with the 6.8, was the use of new heavy projectiles. This could be the start of something good for .270 fans however the new bullets do have some limitations. The core bonding of the 165gr LRAB for example, can inhibit expansion at long ranges (see Cartridges book). The new 175gr TKG is also problematic in that it uses an extra heavy jacket (heavier than the SST or ELD-X), being much like the Scirocco.The heavy .270 bullet concept is a start in the right direction. A sturdy bullet can also prove useful. Previous 150gr lead core bullets would sometimes (just occasionally) fail to penetrate Red, Tahr and Elk if the bullet hit a ball joint. Long range energy was also wanting. The LRAB and TGK offer an extra measure of insurance on larger bodied medium game. The TGK is a particularly good general all bullet concept but with some long range limitations for those who want to push way out. Will put a link to the TGK below. Note the atrocious wording and explanation of the new bullet. It will this, it will that.. The next generation of ballisticians... https://www.sierrabullets.com/product/270-caliber-175-gr-tgk/ See also my comments on the TGK during the recent webinar: https://youtu.be/_LiBSXfEtOo |
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@ 08:58 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't PracticalScott's comments should be taken into consideration. The Western and WSM's are not truly short action cartridge's and a short action is not necessarily stiffer or more accurate than a long action. A new cartridge such as this can be argued back and forth with both camps having equally valid points.Just to put a fly in the ointment, the 165, 175 and 180gr bullet weights have of course been available in the parent .30-06 cartridge for several decades now. |
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@ 09:37 pm (GMT) |
Mike DavisRe: 6.8 Western - She Ain't Practicalsome of us still use 170grn round nose Speers in the std .270 win now..... and have done for years.....be a sad day when I run out. |
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