Re 6.8 Westerner/270WSM Chamber Safety Issue

[mauser284]

Forum Boss: Save 20 minutes of your life listening to this slow-talking guy who does not know how to get to the point.
The issue described is: 1. Vendors selling .270 WSM ammo for 6.8 Western Rifles (won't fit).
And 2. Vice-versa, people trying to chamber 6.8 Western ammo in .270 WSM rifles mislabeled as 6.8 Western (excessive headspace).

Lesson -- check your chamber, buy the right ammo.

They cartridges have the SAME 0.277" bullet diameter.

Summary: Winchester and Browning have introduced the new 6.8 Western, a new .277-caliber cartridge designed for long-range hunting. The new 6.8 Western is a high-capacity cartridge with a modern 35-degree shoulder, optimized for a conventional short action. The 6.8 Western is VERY similar to the existing .270 WSM. It shares the same 0.535″ rim diameter, and the same 0.277″ bullet diameter, however the 6.8 Western’s case length is slightly shorter. The .270 WSM has a 2.100″ case length, while the new 6.8 Western has a 2.020″ length. That’s just 80 thousandths shorter. Both cartridges, the 6.8 Western and .270 WSM, share a 35° shoulder, so in fact, the 6.8 Western is VERY close to the existing .270 WSM, just .080″ short. With a 1:8″ twist, the 6.8 Western should be able to shoot bullets up to 175 grains.

Here's further info with lots of diagrams: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2021/01/sunday-gunday-6-8-western-new-cartridge-new-rifles/

 

[potatojudge]

That was the longest, most painful way to hear that the 6.8 Westerner will chamber and fire in a 270 WSM but with excessive headspace.

270 WSM shoulder datum line 1.73
6.8 Westerner shoulder datum line 1.65