Six Eight Day

Since today is 6/8 here's a GURPS: Gun Stats comparison for some .277 cartridges!

6.8x43mm SPC lobbing an SSA 115 SMK at 2,550 fps from a 16" barrel does 6d-1 pi out to 760/3,200

6.8x51mm XM1168 sending a 113gr AP round at 3,000 fps from a 13" barrel does 4d+2(2) pi- out to 970/4,100. 

.277 Fury brass case popping a 135gr "elite match grade FMJ" at 2,750 fps from a 16" barrel does 6d+2 pi out to 1,190/5,000. 

.277 Fury hybrid case squirting a 135gr SMK at 3,000 fps from a 16" barrel does 7d+1 pi out to 1,300/5,500.

.270 Winchester Short Magnum flinging a 130gr polymer tip copper round at 3,280 fps from a 24" barrel does 8d-1(0.5) pi+ out to 1,200/5,000. 

.270 Winchester firing Federal Premium VitaShok 130gr Trophy Bonded at 3,060 fps from a 24" barrel does 7d+1(0.5) pi+ out to 1,150/4,800.  

.270 Weatherby Magnum blasting a 130gr polymer tip copper round at 3,400 fps from a 26" barrel does 8d(0.5) pi+ out to 1,250/5,300. 

Pre-64

All Winchester Model 54 rifles are pre-64 because they stopped making them in 1936.

Dear sellers, you don't need to say that they're pre-64 guns.

Something I've found interesting in the pre-64 Winchester Model 70 market is how few 30-06 guns I've seen for sale.

Bunches and bunches of .270 Win guns though.

This is the inverse of the Model 54, where .30-06 guns are the majority.

I noticed because I have a .30-06 Model 54 and I window-shop for a .270 to go with it.

The Elk Always Knew

GURPS: Gun Tech just landed.

It's the long awaited supplement that lets us gun nuts calculate gun stats from real world information.

Way back in 3e, we back of the napkin calculated that there was no game difference between .280 Remington, .270 Winchester and .30-06.

We did this because of my relaying the debate between my uncles Robert.

My mom's sister's husband insisted that .30-06 was ideal.

My step-mother's brother insisted that .280 Rem was superior.

Both agreed that .270 Win was clearly inferior.

I have official 4e stats for .30-06 and .270 Win that I have disputed because a smaller bullet going faster should carry more range.

.30-06 is 7d+1 pi, Acc 5 and Range 1,100/4,500.

.270 Win is 7d pi, Acc 5 and Range 900/3,600.

Gun Stats disagrees!

.270 Win with a 130gr bullet at 3,060 fps calculates to 7d+1 pi, Acc 5, and Range 1,140/4,800.

.280 Rem with a 120gr bullet at 3,150 fps calculates to 7d pi, Acc 5, and Range 880/5,500.

.30-06 with a 150gr bullet at 2,740 fps calculates to 7d pi, Acc 4 and Range 890/3,700.

.30-06 with a 150gr bullet at 2,920 fps calculates to 7d+1 pi, Acc 4 and Range 950/4,000. 

These are not what I was expecting at all!

This is just on an initial skim of the rules. 

100 Years

Pawpaw mentioned that the .270 Winchester round turned 100 the other day!

It would appear I am not the only disciple of Jack O'Connor! 

Heavy Enough

I worried that the Savage 110E's trigger was too light.

So I dug it out, dusted it off and rapped the buttstock against the ground.

The safety is lighter than the trigger and engages before the gun has a chance to go off.

Not a a comprehensive assurance of safety, but safed against the most common chance of an accidental bang.

Heresy Or Sacrilege?

I have learned that Criterion makes, occasionally, M1 Garand barrels in .270 Winchester.

It's not a bolt in job because the chamber will need to be finish reamed for headspace.

As a devotee of Jack O'Connor, I am fascinated by the idea.

7d Furious

7d pi is 7d pi.

I'm still not seeing the advantage of .277 Fury over .308 Win.

And I say this as someone who likes .270 Win.

My choice of .270 had a lot more to do with it remaining in stock when thirty caliber rounds became unobtanium and my uncle's endless debates over .270 v .280 v .30-06 than any tangible advantage in range or penetration.

As Predicted By GURPS

In GURPS, .270 Win does 7d pi.  .30-06 does 7d+1 pi.

Essentially identical, with a very slim edge to '06.

Prescient Jack O'Connor

FuzzyGeff remembered a reference to a book where someone predicted that, someday, hunting rifles wouldn't even have iron sights in preference to telescopic sights.

Turns out that prescient motherfucker was none other than Jack O'Connor, also known on this blog as the chief advocate for the .270 Winchester round.

Who knew?

The Home Defense Debate

The comparison in picture form.

Val is 10.7 lb. and Brenda is just 8 lb. as shown not counting the sling.

I think either will suffice for the job, with Brenda being the handier choice because she's almost three pounds lighter.

Valentine, on the other hand groups a lot better at 100 yards with that 20" barrel.

The big question really is: Can you legally justify a shot at the distance where the differences in ballistics matter between the two?

Because the law will return after the disaster ends, and you WILL have to explain the corpses.

Though, I think a great deal of leniency was granted in the wake of the really bad hits in Florida.  I wonder where I could go to check on that before it becomes a make-or-break legal problem.

I think I will go with the handier option unless the looters are systematically burning houses up and down the block.

If that becomes true...

Reach out, reach out and touch someone...

Godless .270 Win will suffice all the way down the street.

PS: Do you know the distances to the landmarks in your neighborhood?

How?

There's some things in the realm of guns that are established fact.

Gun owners break things that are difficult to break with little to no effort.

A common complaint of the Savage Axis magazine is breaking off the plastic latch-hook.

I've often wondered exactly how they did this.  Mostly so I could avoid it.  At $45+ for a magazine, I'm careful with them.

The other end of the magazine is where I expected problems to happen.

That's the front locking "lug" for the magazine and it's common to the DBM magazine on up-market versions of the gun.  Nobody complains about bending or breaking this.

Savage improved the latch for the short actions, but doesn't seem to have done so for the long actions yet.

Range Day With A Dead Battery

Took Agnes to the 100 yard range last Tuesday to try and stretch my shooting legs.

And with a dead cell phone couldn't take a picture of my triumphant group!  It acted like it took the picture as it died, but alas...

A perfect clover leaf with a flier just two bullet diameters outside it.

Wow it's so much easier to see what you're doing with a 9x scope than 5x.

A two and change pound trigger that breaks like glass is so much easier than a creepy milspec AR.

.270 in a bolt gun thumps the shoulder with a bit more authority than an AR too.

I gotta say, I'm impressed with my Savage... and it's near the bottom rung of the non-Axis lineup too.  The package series are good guns, people just need to get unsnobbed about it not being a Winchester or Remington.

People Laughed

Some laughed at me when I bought the guns, but I can still get ammo at normal prices.

.38 Super and .270 Winchester are still in stock at pre-Wu Ping Cough / pre-BLM prices.

While the lack of rounds is a bit of concern, my Gov't Model was banned from two bowling pin matches because I kept winning.

I've gotten all five rounds touching at 100 yards with the Savage.

I shoot them well, what can I say?

Always keep a brace of guns in an oddball, but still produced, caliber just in case the popular stuff gets hard to find.

Bolt Gun Obsession

One of the local pawn shops has a post-64 Winchester Model 70 in .270 Win.

I think it's an XTR Featherweight and I don't know off the top of my head how post 64 it is by looking at it.

It's at an attractive price that, with the roof, AC and torque tube...  Just out of reach.

Dammit.

Adulting sucks!

I am seriously eyeing the gun cabinet and thinking, "how many Mosins does one need, anyway?"

Maybe Too Light

Willard's Savage 110E came to him somewhat broken.

Last year I did some fixing on it, just swapping broken and worn parts for new.

Today I put a trigger scale on it.

2 lb. 12 oz.

That's light.

Almost as light as my AccuTrigger 110XP and without the safety-trigger in the center of the trigger.

Much Better!

Formerly Fugly has new bolt parts!

The new cocking piece sleeve and wavy washer front bolt bushing have definitely improved the bolt throw!

Old wavy washer front bolt bushing and new.  Not much wave left in the old one.

Old cocking piece sleeve and new.  The complete circle at both ends prevents it from spreading and fighting the cocking on open.

Huzzah!

We're still money and points ahead of sportifying a Mosin.  About the only thing a sportified Mosin has over something like a mid-80's Savage is cheap ammo.

Cheap ammo isn't always a panacea for a gun you're trying to make more accurate.

Fugly Delete

It's plain Jane, but far better than what it's replacing.

Next step is some tools to apply some checkering to it to make it less plain Jane.

Plus I've got Ol' Fugly to practice on!

Pi Equals 3 In GURPS

Clicky makey bigger.

Not that different at all, despite more than 30 years of design separation.

Thorough Cleaning

I ran some snap caps through Willard's Bear Ugly Savage 110E.

The bolt was sticky and dragged.

I took it apart and there was rusty oil inside.  Not a good sign.

The rust stained the metal, but you can't feel it with your finger.

Some Iosso polish cleaned up the stains some.

I put some LSA on it and put the bolt back together.

It's not near so smooth as my much newer 110 Trophy Hunter, but it's also about 25+ years older too, and was clearly abused.

Neither is near as sweet as the much older Winchester...

Putting The Fug In Fugly

Adorned with a Simmons Deerfield 4x32mm scope she tips the scales at 8.4 lb.

A steal for $175!

Even more if you like bears!

I think it deserves better wood and a better scope.  This is also my opportunity to begin begging for the funds to get checkering tools.  I seem like I have a lot of money showing off Willard's guns, don't I?