AB big game rifle

Good wood for stock material is becoming increasingly difficult to find in a factory rifle, and uber expensive in a custom. In synthetics, stay away from cheap tupperware stocks, fiberglass is what you are after. A good fiberglass stock is far from cheap, but it is far cheaper than a piece of presentation grade wood. The fit of the rifle to the shooter is more important than many realize, but you might find a factory stock almost perfect, or you might have to try many types to find the right one. Don't rush into the first thing that catches your eye, take your time, look at as many options as you can, and enjoy the experience.
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Don't get too frightened by some of the old timers on here:D

The plastic stocks on the Tikka, Sako A7 and a host of other rifles do the job just fine. They are lightweight, a real consideration for the perfect western rifle and they are durable.


Choose the scope with care as well. Leupold is the only make with a Canadian warranty center, and their turn around has always been very quick when I've had reticles changed, or new for me used scopes checked out. The advantage of the scope is that magnification is not the prime advantage, the advantage is that both the target and aiming point are in simultaneous focus. Don't get caught up into thinking that the more magnification you have the better your scope is. A variable power scope might make you rifle more versatile, but in truth a 2.5-8X is all you'll need over normal hunting ranges, even if you intend to use the rifle for coyotes now and then. Scope mounts should be strong, so avoid the cheap junk. The height of the scope above the bore is best when mounted as close to the barrel as possible, but you must be able to see through the scope when you have a good cheek weld on the stock.
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Definitely some truth here but if you are looking at a cartridge like the .270WSM, it is capable, with loads of practice, of some extended range shooting. IMHO, a scope is a must on the perfect Alberta rifle and I'd go with something in the 4.5-14 range. Magnification is king when you start pushing ranges. My A7 is set up for 800 yards and I'm very comfortable on big game at 600 yards. There is lots of opportunity in Alberta for long-range shooting if it's something tha interests you.
 
.270 Win is a find cartridge. If you are handloading, the only benefit you will see from a WSM is the shorter action and bolt throw. Ammo is available everywhere, brass is easier to find in 'middle of nowhere' shops.

The other cartridge you might want to look at is 25-06.

If you aren't concerned with ammo cost and availablity, a ruger no. 1 in 338 win mag would be a fine alberta all around hunter.
 
thebigslide said:
.270 Win is a find cartridge. If you are handloading, the only benefit you will see from a WSM is the shorter action and bolt throw. Ammo is available everywhere, brass is easier to find in 'middle of nowhere' shops.

The other cartridge you might want to look at is 25-06.

If you aren't concerned with ammo cost and availablity, a ruger no. 1 in 338 win mag would be a fine alberta all around hunter.
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While true that the 7WSM and the 300WSM don't out perform their long action magnum counterparts, the 270WSM easily outperforms the non-magnum .270 Win....handloaded or factory.
 
i think 300wsm is the best north amrerican round out there. ive seen more ot them in hunting camp the last 4 years than anything else. i would go with the 300wsm or the 7mm rem
 
sheephunter said:
With two years under my belt with the 270WSM now, I'd have to say it comes as close to being the perfect Alberta cartridge as there is. It is definitely well suited to the open country of the prairies and the rigors of the mountains and is more than capable of taking any big game animal that we can hunt here in Alberta. Nothing wrong with the .270Win.....it's just not the WSM:)

The Tikka T3 Lite and Sako A7 are great options in the .270WSM
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I'm not going to comment on the WSM vs long mag debate but I gotta question the recommendation of a short mag in a rifle (Tikka) with a single action length. You gain nothing over the 7mm Rem mag (action length is the same) and you lose magazine capacity and avalibility of bullets over the 7.
 
cam1936 said:
I'm not going to comment on the WSM vs long mag debate but I gotta question the recommendation of a short mag in a rifle (Tikka) with a single action length. You gain nothing over the 7mm Rem mag (action length is the same) and you lose magazine capacity and avalibility of bullets over the 7.
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I agree but the OP never mentioned a 7mm...he was talking 270s. Plus I also mentioned the A7....:)
 
sheephunter said:
I agree but the OP never mentioned a 7mm...he was talking 270s. Plus I also mentioned the A7....:)
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For all intents and purposes, with a difference of only .007", both .277 and .284 bullets can properly be considered 7mm. Consider a 150 gr mono-metal boat-tail spitzer bullet, the .277/150 has a SD of .279 and the .284/150 has a SD of .266. If fired at the same velocity, any difference between the two would be undetectable in the field, or for that matter on the rifle range, over normal hunting ranges.

Admittedly a TSX type bullet would probably not be chosen for extreme long range game shooting. At ranges where even very small differences of BC from one bullet to another can effect the point of impact by several inches, there would be a measureable difference between in the trajectory of .277" and .284" diameter bullets of the same style and weight even if both had the identical muzzle velocity.

Sheep, if that A-7 prints well enough to be effective on game at nearly half a mile, that speaks highly for Sako's QC. I personally wouldn't choose a small bore sporter for that type of activity, but its tough to argue with meat in the freezer.
 
Go with the 270WSM...just to be different. I hear lots of interesting comments for both sides of the story, with most of the comments having really no bearing in the field. Like the WSM does not hold as many rounds....what are you shooting at that 3-4 rounds is not enough? Find the rifle that fits you in .270 or .270WSM and have fun.
 
martinbns said:
The 270 has been overrated in both varieties since Jack O'Connor made it famous.
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stubblejumper said:
Way overrated
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Call me easily mislead if you wish, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Any hunting cartridge with a long venison-on-the-table record is worthy of respect. That includes unsophisticated, hoary antiques like the .30-30, the .32 Special, the .303 British, the .30-40 Krag, the .38-55, the .300 Savage, the .35 Remington and the 7mm Mauser.

It also includes the .270 Winchester, which has over the past 85 years racked up a mountain of big game and varmints. Hundred of thousands of hunters have gone home smiling with an 'overrated' .270 in their arms.

There's a reason that the .270 Winchester has been doing that for almost a century - it works. It does the job without huge recoil, vast expense or teeth-rattling noise. While the much-hyped, shiny-new mega-mags come and go, the .270 just keeps on satisfying generation after generation of hunters interested in practical results.

Yep - it's a bit light for polar bear. Nope - it won't reliably take down elk at 600 yards. That's OK - 'cause most of us don't do those things. Anything short of a big bear showing its head within 350 yards of a .270 Winchester is Food.

And that's all that counts.
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Within reason cartridge selection plays second fiddle to just about everything else. It's proof positive when someone argues the vast superiority of a 140 grain .284 bullet over a 130 grain .277 bullet with near identical muzzle velocity.:rolleyes:
 
chuck nelson said:
Between bullets fired from the .270 Win and .270 WSM? That's like a debate between you and your reflection.
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Only if your reflection was 8% bigger.....

It's a fact that the .270WSM offers higher muzzle velocities than the .270 Win. What that means at normal hunting ranges likely doesn't mean squat but start pushing the range and it does become a factor.
 
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