Winchester's New 6.8 Western

Not Your Father’s “.270”

- Brian Pearce

The Browning X-Bolt Western Hunter chambered in 6.8 Western features a 1:7.5 barrel twist that is necessary for proper bullet stabilization at all ranges.

For many decades, the .270 Winchester was a top-selling sporting rifle cartridge that boasted of high velocity, flat trajectory, modest recoil, accuracy, respectable barrel life and good performance on deer-sized game. However, due to new cartridge and bullet developments that have been engineered to extend the definition of long-range, it’s popularity has begun to wane. Winchester has responded with a new cartridge known as the 6.8 Western that shares the same .277-inch diameter bullets as the .270; however, it is designed specifically to accommodate modern long-range shooting. It is truly impressive, as it can launch heavy-for-caliber bullets with especially high ballistic coefficients (BC) and low drag at the targeted velocities of just under 3,000 feet per second (fps). It is just as modern as the original .270 Winchester was 96 years ago, and demand is already high.