.276 Pedersen Experimental Frankford Arsenal Rifle - 1936

The .276 Pedersen round was developed as an experimental round for the US Military in 1923, as a possible replacement for the .30-06. The actual bore diameter was 7 mm (.284). The round was shorter and lighter than the .30-06 and the main motivator behind the Pederson was that it would be easier to build a compact autoloading rifle around the .276 Pedersen's shorter, more tapered cartridge.  US Army Chief of Staff - General Douglas MacArthur rejected the Pedersen round for military use in 1932 due to the fact all existing light infantry weapons were already standardized around the .30-06. But for some unknown reason, in 1936 Winchester built this model 70 chambered for it to fulfill an order for Frankford Arsenal - the US research facility for testing and development of experimental ammunition. The receiver of this rifle is marked with an "X" prefix in the serial number, indicating an experimental rifle. The receiver, stock, and receiver sight are all stamped "HBJ Frankford Arsenal". T