I emailed this to Chris at www.nor-pac.com this evening.

Hi Chris,

I'm in the planning stage of building a new rifle.

Chris, I'd like to put together a "do it all" rifle for North America, to hunt Antelope, Mule Deer, Caribou, Elk and Whitetails in my home state of Alabama.

This is what I have in mind.
1, Caliber: I haven't quite made up my mind. I've "narrowed" it down to these. I will be handloading no matter the caliber I choose.
a, the .270 weatherby. I just like it. that and being able to drive a 130gr bullet at 3300fps.
b, the .7mm rem mag. Its more practical and I could find ammo anywhere.
c, the .284win. Again, it just appeals to me. That plus the fact if you build it on a short action you can save some weight.
d, the .270win. I think it's a little light for Elk, but I only plan to Elk hunt one or two times anyway.

2, Action: I want to use a Winchester action. Thats what I'm most familiar with and I like the 3 position safety. It can be a either a push feed or a controlled round feed.

3,Scope: I will be using a Leupold 3.5-10x40 scope which weights 13 oz.

4,Rings and Bases: I want to use Warne rings and bases. I'm not sure what they weight but I can find out if needed.

5,Stock: Depending on the caliber I will use either a Rimrock stock, 30 oz., or a McMillan Sako Classic stock, 32 oz.

6, Barrel: I prefer and would like a 24" barrel. I'm thinking of going with a stainless steel barrel. Also since I've never owned one and I like the way they look, I'd like it fluted.
As to contour thats what I'm hoping you can help me with.

7, Weight: And this maybe the problem, I'd like to keep it as close to 8 pounds as possible. No more than 8.5 and thats with 3 or 4 rounds in it.

Thanks for you help and input,

Mark

So what do think? Is 8.5 pounds possible?

Just to muddy the waters; why not the 280 Rem or the real classic, 7x64

Just a couple of thoughts Mark. If your're using a Win 70 action, you won't be saving enough weight to worry about (they are a little tubby, not quite Jenny Craig rejects, but heavy) so a short action won't accomplish much. As long as you're restricting yourself to a 24" barrel, you should avoid the 270 Wby, you really need a 26" barrel to make this cartridge work. I think a fluted barrel does look cool, and the arguments for or against are weak enough that you may as well just do what you like. So I guess I figure that a 270 or 280 on a 70 action, 24" fluted barrel, whichever stock fits you best, ditto for rings, bases and scope, ought to be a very nice rifle. I prefer the 280 to the 270 (I have both) simply because of the availability of the 280 to use heavier bullets. FWIW - Dan

I will have to agree with Dan in respect to the 24" barrel. The 270 wby would be best at 26 or 28 inches. I wouldnt sweat over your choices as they are identical in preformance. I shoot both the 270 win, and 280 and use to shoot a 7 mag. I DO NOT NOTICE A DIFFERENCE IN KILLING POWER WITHIN THESE THREE, and thus no longer shoot a 7 mag. Between the 280 and 270 I shoot my 270 the most as it is a rifle set up better than my 280.

How about a 300 H&H?