I read all the WSM posts here, and don't consider myself to be a bandwagon guy. I got the first one out of curiosity and that rifle is accurate as hell. Now I've got a 270 WSM coming in because I love the looks of the 2" longer magnum barrel on the featherweight stock. So here goes:

I shoot a Browning A-Bolt in 300 WSM with 180gr loads. The recoil doesn't really bother me much. I shot an Ithaca 37 with Lightfield high brass Hybrid slugs for 5 years straight, on top of shooting a 480 Ruger the past year, so I've been a little desensitized to recoil.

Anyway, I’ve got this M70 Featherweight 270 WSM coming in and expect to shoot 130gr pills. Just wondering if the 270 WSM is going to feel pretty light in the recoil department compared to the 300 WSM. Which stock design is most conducive to dissipate recoil? The Browning A-bolt composite stock, or the featherweight? I'm getting the featherweight with the standard red recoil pad.

If I end up needing a recoil pad, how involved is that process?

Other thoughts, I'll need to reduce the trigger pull, as per the sniper country site instructions, and really hope I don't have to fiddle with bedding the stock to get the gun to shoot well.

(Makes me wonder if I made a wise decision with getting a M70. Brownings, Tikkas, and Remingtons seem to need much less attention out of the box.)


Thanks guys.

I was in the gunshop and saw a featherweight on the rack with a piec of wood with some nice fiddleback, nicer wood on it than the supergrade just up the rack, nice quarter sawn wood layed out right, good and strong through the wrist. I had to have it. It happened to be in .270WSM. it shoots very well out of the box. I lightened the trigger but its got a bit of creep and really needs to be stoned to smooth it up. It will put five accubonds over h-4831 under an inch with many groups closer to a half inch. Most other loads I've tried hover around an inch or a bit. I haven't got a group over 2 inches with anything I've tried except for a bad batch of 130 interbonds that shot mostly between 5 and 8 inches at 100, but they did that out of two other .270's that also shoot very well so I'm blaming the bullets for that one.

Fur,
You made the right decision just MHO...I think Winchester produces the best production rifle in todays market. The featherweight is one of my favorites and looks nice with the 24" barrel. You can do the trigger yourself but a good gunsmith can put a nice 21/2 lb. pull with no creep. Just do the trigger first then try it out.

Oscar, I too have noticed really nice wood on some of the standard grade Winchesters. It pays to look at a few if your looking for nice wood. Sounds like you got a nice one. I've seen several that have better wood than some of the Supergrades...but of course some of the Supergrades have outstanding wood for the price.

Regards,
Terry

If you are recoil-desensitized to the extent that an Ithaca featherlight doesn't bother you too much, you won't even notice a .270 WSM.... It kicks a whole lot less. However, it's recoil is a bit more sudden.

Good to hear!

Got my Featherweight in today. (17 Feb)

Out of the box impressions:

Cons:

1. After I cleaned the bolt and action, the action feels like cinders rubbing against sand paper. Son of a bitch, I expected a little better than that.

2. Recoil pad isn't flush with the stock.

3. Barrel isn't floated and the barrel rides a little more to one side than the other.

4. The bolt face has a pitted ring around the firing pin hole, the exact size of a primer.

5. Appears to be a couple water mark looking patches on the butt stock. They are sealed within the finish, but looks a little...spotty. Really isn't a big deal since I'm going to put a neoprene stock guard/bullet holder on it.


Pros:

1. Looking at the surface, the stock is fitted perfectly around the action and barrel. Wood is cut to very tight tolerances, with no gap between the wood and metal.

2. Presents very nice, places the scope right in line with my cheek weld.

3. Well...surprisingly the trigger wasn't too terribly bad, a quick fix will solve any doubts.

I guess the pros and cons favor the cons. We'll see how it shoots. If it puts them sub moa I'll forget about the nit-picking.

quote:

4. The bolt face has a pitted ring around the firing pin hole, the exact size of a primer.

I'm assuming this is a much used rifle?? or one that has had a few over hot loads with loose primer pockets that had gas escaping around the primer run through it. That would set the warning lights and buzzers off for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Oscar Makonka:

quote:

4. The bolt face has a pitted ring around the firing pin hole, the exact size of a primer.

I'm assuming this is a much used rifle?? or one that has had a few over hot loads with loose primer pockets that had gas escaping around the primer run through it. That would set the warning lights and buzzers off for me.

I've talked to a few WIN owners and found the primer ring is common. Don't know why, because it shouldn't be.