OK- I hate the posts that start off with what caliber should I buy...Having said that....

I'm thinking of having a pair of matched Pre-64 Model 70's made. One will be a .270 Win.

I need help with the other. I already have a 9.3x62 on order with Dennis Earhardt. Thus the .338-06 and .35 Whelen are eliminated.

I already have (and do not need duplicates) all of the following ; 7x57, .300WM/.300 Wby Mag, .338 WM/.375 H&H.

I am seriously considering a .280 or .30-06 even though the .280 will duplicate the .270 (although what would be a better match?). I have a synthetic .30-06, a synthetic 7mm RM and the aforementioned .300 WM.

So.... keeping in mind this is to be a matched pair and that ideally even the ballistics would be close (both will sport 23 in bbls).
Any suggestions?

Let's eleminate the .370, go .25-06 & .280. Although for me, I would go .280 & .338-06.

Two of the most esoteric & classic Mod 70 calibers are 220 Swift (my personal favorite) and 22 Hornet.

I personally think a custom pre '64 is a natural home for the 300 H&H. It doesn't quite match up to the 300 Winchester or Weatherby, but it does everything one should ask of a .30, IMO, and more gracefully than any other.

if you go hornet let me know. if I remember right one of my friends has a pre-64 hornet barrel laying around.

Red
PS
personally i'd get a 257rob. a.i. for the 2nd gun.

Gotta agree with the 300 H&H. It's a classis for the classic.

The reason that the pre 64 M70's are so desirable is that they were already "made" as they came. You can get one changed to your current taste I suppose.

As to a matched pair thats fine. A good series to get is the Westerner, Alaskan, 375 H&H and African pre 64's. The other pre 64 series that stands out are the Featherweights. Don't turn the ones down with pads that fit you LOP wise. Keep in mind that they shipped the 358's with aluminum butts.

Thanks for the input, but I'm not interested in small bores, and I already have that .300 WM so the H&H is out.

Savage-I'm ordering a matched set of custom rifles on pre-64 actions, not looking for standard rifles.

Let's see, you say the following bases are covered:

270
7X57
30-06
7mm Rem Mag
338-06
338 Win Mag
35 Whelan
375 H&H

You don't like small bores (eliminating virtually everything below 270).

You want ballistics similar to the 270, but without duplicating something you already have.

Hmmm...it might be easier to solve the puzzle of nuclear fusion.

Since you're going to the trouble and expense of building a matched-pair of custom rifles, I think you should forget about what's already in your safe. Think in terms of the ideal (for you) matched-pair configuration.

If you're hunting the lower 48, it might be a 270 and a 300. If you're hunting North America including Alaska, it might be a 270 and 338. If you're hunting North America and Africa it might be a 300 and 375. If you're hunting mostly dangerous game, and some North American game thrown in, it might be a 338 and 416.

My personal opinion is a matched-pair should cover both ends of a spectrum with some overlap in the middle. The joy of a matched-pair is having two rifles that you might take on a long duration mixed-bag big game hunt or safari. I'd build the matched-pair as if they were the only big game rifles I'd have in my safe; the fact that I have a synthetic stocked 300 laying around wouldn't factor into the equation.

I had a pair of "matching" rifles built and they're in 375H&H and 30-06. Different action lengths but I thought a 300H&H would be too much for my deer hunting here and I've never had an issue changing action lengths ie short stroking.

I'm adding to this a 257 Roberts on a MRC short action (which is pretty long for a short action, thus no COL issues) this year since even the 30-06 is more than enough for deer and since I started hunting with my 5yr old son last year. The new rifle will weigh about 7 1/4lbs including scope. Thats more than a pound lighter than the 30-06 and thats getting to be important given all the stuff I've got to hump to keep my son warm, fed...

When my son is old enough to hunt deer I plan on getting him a 257 Roberts too so we have Father and son rifles (I'm lefty, my son is righty) so when he forgets his ammo...

With these three cartridges I feel I've got the whole spectrum covered.

I go to Zimbabwe in Oct and will take the 375 and a double rifle.

FWIW,

JPK

How about a 35 Norma Magnum, to make your shoulder sore...?

With what you have already I would opt for either a .300 H&H or a .243 winchester.

A matched pair in .243 win and .270 win could be quite nice.

ForrestB- Thanks for the post. Originally I had thought along the lines of the .270 and .300 WM as you suggested. The thought of having duplicate rifles (the .300 WM) was a no go for me. That pair was ideal, however. Your post made me rethink the the .270, .338 WM pair. Ballistics aren't as closely matched as the .270 and .300, however there is some overlap as you noted. I'd like the pair to be slender through the wrist and foreend as I prefer trim rifles that do not carry excess wood. I wonder if the recoil of the .338 is a factor here. Thoughts?

I can't imagine not having a 270 and a 300 of some ilk in my safe. That combination in a matched-pair has a lot of overlap but would have the most utility (for me) of any two-cartridge set. It would cover 95% of all North American hunting opportunities and 90% of all world hunting opportunities. Such a pair would likely see a lot of hard use.

A 270 and a 338 would cover 99% of North American hunting opportunities and 95% of all world hunting opportunities. A little pick-up in breadth of utility, but the 338 would sit in my safe more than a 300 would.

For 98% of field shooting situations, a 270 and 338 would be so similar in trajectory that it wouldn't warrant a second thought before pulling the trigger. I like and use the 338 a fair amount, but honestly I can't tell any difference between a 300 and a 338 on live game (based on no small sample size). I have a 300 WM and a 338 WM that are just about as similar as two rifles can be; the 338 kicks more.

If your preference is light and trim, I'd do a 270 and a 300H&H (assuming you're a handloader). I just prefer the classics in custom guns.

I have a true matched-pair in 300 and 375 that I'll post some photos of on the Gunsmithing forum this weekend. Take a look.

I've always liked a pair of rifles in 270 Win. and 338 Win. Mag. That's an ideal setup.

Also:

300 Win. Mag. and 416 Rem. Mag.

300 H&H and 375 H&H

300 Weatherby and 416 Weatherby

Or just get a matched pair of 30-06s and go hunting!

The cartridge game is mostly a lot of fussing and fuming over nothing..........

AD

My first thought was the .06, but you already have one.

Go with a .280 or 25.06. I think the 25.06 is a neat unsung hero of a cartridge. Not as popular but one hell of a mid sized game round. If you do go to a .280, to me that is really such a small step, might as well build 2 270's and load one up with light bullets, the other with heavy.

I own 3 270's.

AD Do your .338s wear sights? I have toyed with the idea of two in the same caliber. Or .270/.30-06 (Although I've stated I don't want to repeat the '06). I just don't need a .416/.458. Still leaning toward the 270/338 though.
Thanks for all the input.

Here is my matched trio. The Westerner will out range any 270. The Super 30 trumps all mediums at the campfire and the 375 is the queen of them all. This is what I like and I shoot.



Above pre 64 M70 375 H&H and the same in 300 H&H.



On the right is the Westerner completing the matched trio.

nyrifleman, my 338s don't have open-sights, just 2.5-8x Leupolds in fixed scopemounts.

But auxillary open-sights are never a dumb idea if you're inclined in that direction.........

AD

nyrifleman, I just picked up one of Dennis's past creations, sending a 700 SA out in a week or two to be converted to a .250 Savage. He does excellent work!

How about somthing different? A 6.5-06 or 8mm-06 maybe? You seem to have your big guns covered, try somthing smaller, Good luck.

quote:

How about somthing different?

Well a few suggestions to consider

6,5X64 Brenneke, 8X64S Brenneke

6,5X64 Brenneke, 9,3X64 Brenneke

6,5X57, 8X68S

Cheers
/JOHAN