[Frederick68]

I already have a Winchester 70 featherweight in 270 WSM I bought with the specific goal of rebarreling to 6.8 Western when the barrel life expired... still sticking with that plan. I've had enough success with the rifle that wouldn't be sad staying with the original cartridge if the Western doesn't take off though.

 

[leatherneck]

It's always nice to see commonsense applied when evaluating and comparing cartridges. It's definitely a bit long winded, but most all of the information discussed is relevant.

This is pretty much the same conclusion I came to. It doesn't do all that much more than what is currently available on the market. The main advantages I see are it's heavy for caliber capability and short action length. For those that hold those qualities important for a .270 caliber cartridge, then it is a viable option.

 

[jimh406]

I guess going to 6.8 Western makes sense if you want to save money on ammo. . 6.8 Western is still not very available compared to 270 Winchester, so even if you wanted to shoot, you can't buy ammo. Also, the 6.8 Western can use slightly longer heavier bullets, but it almost impossible to find bullets of those weights.

From a functional point of view, the bolt head will need to be changed and the twist rate in the current barrel is too slow for the heavy bullets. In other words, there is no reason to to rebarrel to 6.8 Western compared to any other caliber. The 270 WSM would be more powerful and has the same bolt head as the 6.8 Western.

 

[earlytom]

I see the advantages of the 270/6.8 Caliber. Unlike Gunblue490 I also see the advantages of a Short Action. I was attracted to 270 WSM as an alternative to the bigger caliber Magnums. Never did get one because the 6.8 was coming out so I waited to fill that slot and will fill it eventually with the 6.8W.

Honestly I don't feel I have missed out on much hunting with the 308win. As time has gone on with advent of the modern bullet and using DBMs to carry purpose/situation specific bullets the 308 has become even more useful. Not to mention that range finders and balistic apps take it to a whole different level in the field. It is the #1 cartridge choice in our family, and has been for decades.

Still I 'get' the 6.8W and will eventually pull the trigger on buying at least one or two. It has its advantages, but like the 308 I suspect you will need different rifles to optimally shoot different bullets. For instance we have one 308 that likes the 180 Fusion, another 150 AB and another the 125 SST. Yes they will shoot others but they shoot those the best in factory loads.

 

[Frederick68]

6.8 Western is still not very available compared to 270 Winchester, so even if you wanted to shoot, you can't buy ammo. Also, the 6.8 Western can use slightly longer heavier bullets, but it almost impossible to find bullets of those weights.

I should have bought it all up when it was sitting alone by itself on the shelf last year when everything else was sold out and no one was buying 6.8 Western because the actual guns hadn't hit the stores yet. They were $50 a box then, can't find them for less than $80 now if you can find rounds at all.

 

[greatwhitehunter]

I thought about going with the 6.8 Western but every time I go to purchase a rifle in a different caliber, I just remind myself that it can't do anything better than my 270. That thought has saved me thousands over the years! Now if I could only get my AR builds under control.....

 

["Follow Me!"]

This new cartridge intrigues me but I'm a .270 win fan. I have a .270 win that I've personally killed 6 Maine moose with. From 60 yards to one at 400 yards not one moose has walked away. I've use 130 grains to 150 grains on them and they all ended up dead and quickly. It is way more easy to find brass for the .270 win. I'll pass on this one. If it ain't broke...

All victims of the .270 win