ORIGINAL: TomFromTheShade
..... This rifle is going to be strictly for whitetails, and I would imagine at distances inside 300 yards. I tried to think of a rifle that was easy to carry, easy to shoot, reliable, and not too terribly expensive. This is what I came up with. .....
The rifle will be a Winchester model 70 classic featherweight, .270 Winchester. It has a 22 inch barrel, and at a little over seven pounds it could be one of the nicest looking rifles I have ever seen. Sitting on top of this rifle will be a matte finished Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x36mm scope with a duplex reticle. The scope will be mounted with two piece Leupold bases, and a set of low profile standard Leupold rings, and .....
Heck of an outfit - I'll take one! Actually, I've been thinking along very similar lines myself. I'm considering the Featherweight Classic with stainless steel barrel/action, and chambered to 6.5x55 (I already have a
270Win.). Scope could be a Leupold VXIII 1.5-5x20mm (I have an extra one), or maybe a VXIII 1.75-6x 32mm. Two piece stainless bases, and blued rings (all Leupold, of course), and the scopes would be matte finish with Duplex reticle.
Here's a link to the stainless Featherweight (available in 270Win.);
Link:
http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=966&cat=001C
My 270Win. is the Remington 700 LSS Mtn. rifle, and has a Leupold Vari-X II, 2-7x scope mounted.
Link:
http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700mtnls.htm
You've definitly conjured up a real nice package there for your friend.