Model 70 Winchester

Welcome to the Forum - and thanks for signing up. We have been drawing some lurkers out of the shadows lately and that is good.

I personally love the Winchester Model 70. It's a great action, it's solid, and it has some great, beefy features to it that make it better, in my humble opinion, to the Remington 700.

I did a side by side rifle action comparison for the forum that you can readhere if you are so inclined.

A couple things you should know about the Model 70 action is that it's a bit harder on tooling to work it over, so some 'smiths charge more for the labor if you are planning on building the gun up into something "specialized".

In Addition the action itself is going to add some weight to the overall weapon, so if you are planning on packing this in somewhere to hunt, factor that in as well.

But, the action itself is a well designed, well built piece that serve you well for many years to come.

Best of Luck!

JD

 

While I am intimately familiar with the model 70, I don't have any 1st hand experience with the newest production made in the FN FNH USA plant. From everything I've seen & heard, they're very well made so I'm sure they wouldn't be a bad choice. The Winchester model 70 is arguably the most recoginizable (read famous) commerical action in the united states, and has been around longer than all other currently made designs-mauser 98 don't count as they were originally designed for military applications. The model 70 is 1 of the best commerical adaptations of the 98 mauser (as well as the Ruger m77). I'm sure you'll have an rifle worthy of being passed down with the model 70.

 

My dad has a pre-64 Model 70 in .270 Win flavor. The bolt on it is buttery smooth, the trigger is pretty nice and it puts the bullets where you want them to go. I've never once seen it misfeed.

It was what he used to feed his family for the first 10 or 12 years of my life. With it, he never failed to drag home a nice bull elk and a few deer.

The controlled feed feature is similar to the pre-64 model 70s. I think you'll enjoy it. I do question the need for the 7mm Mag though. It's not required to drop an elk in all but the longest shots. The .270 Win is a great round and if it's used by a hunter that well versed in hunting heavy cover, even a large bull elk can be dropped with one shot.

If I were to pick up a new hunting rifle today, it would either be a controlled feed Model 70 or a Kimber 8400 Montana. The 70 Extreme Weather comes in a few hundred cheaper than the 8400 Montana though.

 

Welcome aboard.
Let's see some pics.
We all like eye candy.

cane

 

The model 70 is one of the best rifles ever made,you can't go wrong there. On the cal choice,just get a plain'o 300 WM not that 300WSM,in my opinion. Other than a few ounces of weight savings between a short & long action receiver,there is no advantage for the short magnums. If you already have a gun in that cal,then fine,but if not don't waste your money for nothing extra. And those little short magnum shells cost a whole lot more than the standard round.

 

That's a good point, the WSM and the WSSM cartridges cost more and they are harder on barrel life.

Good catch Tx - Thanks for the backup...

JD

 

I can't help but wonder why people want to go for cannon ammo when they select a hunting rifle. You're shooting big game, not helicopters. Anything larger than .308 or 30-06 is going to tear up a lot of meat if the shot is only a few inches off.

For deer and elk a .270 or .308 is perfect.

 

Eh, depends on where they hunt. Plus hunters are, well, a bit of a different breed.

We do a lot of magnum action "hunting" sticks that have to come in at 9 or 11,12 pounds ( dressed out with optics and sling ) because they plan on packing it in somewhere deep in the toolies where the "Big Ones" roam.

I know several guys who think one big round equals not having to chase down an animal that is probably in MUCH better shape than they are...LOL

I would agree with your assessment unless I was building an Alaskan Hunt weapon - then bigger is definitely warranted.

JD

 

The way was taught to hunt was through stalking and the use of open sights. It has always worked for me too. Anything greater than a 50 yard shot is desperation.

I've always hunted heavily wooded areas also. This makes anything more than a 50 yard shot really improbable. It also makes stalking a little easier as the foliage has a tendency to mask sounds and smells and makes your movements less obvious to the animal.

Because of these factors, optics and large, magnum calibers are hindrance. Good stalking skills, solid marksmanship and knowledge of the game is key.

 

Hey, you won't get an arguement from me on that - but I am not a hunter of four legged game, except the occassional coyote trip.

I was merely offering a view from around the shop....

JD

 

Long pork is a much different story. That's a dangerous animal and should be shot from the greatest distance possible, especially if they know they're being hunted. They tend to get pretty aggressive when they know the hunt is on.

Again though, .308 is all you need for all but the longest shots.

 

My first centerfire rifle purchased in 1952 was a Winchester Mdl 70 270 Win. I still have it. That old 270 has shot pronghorn, mule deer, elk, smaller game and varmints. Most with 100, 130, and 150 Gr hand loaded bullets. Over the years I have try out various brands and modlels of rifles and cartriges. Last week I inspected the new Winchester Mdl 70. If I were to get a new big game hunting rifle it would be the new Mdl 70 30-06 caliber. Id put a Leupold 3-9 X scope on it. The 06 round will take any big game in the USA , ammo can be found in about any small town store, and there are bunches of reloading supplies for the 06 round.-- I have never had a miss fire with my old 270 Win and it will still shoot under two inch 100 yard groups..

 

Tuck2 - That there is a Pre-64 TRADITIONAL Winchester action and is HIGHLY valued in the custom rifle build market. IF you were to ever think about selling it to upgrade, make sure you talk to me first.

JD

 

If I were to build a "tactical" rifle, it would be out of an old pre-64 Model 70. My dad's is a tack driver. Even with open sights, the bullet goes exactly where you point it.

 

You seen mine in the Projects section? That's a pre-64 as well. Great action. Tough on tooling though... LOL

JD

 

This appears to say Model 7000 and the picture is labeled 700 style action.

 

That's the OTHER project for a "tactical" platform that I am currently building....

This One is the one that I already built.

JD

 

The Pre-64 stye Model 70 action is the greatest action out there. If you put a Rem 700 and a win model 70 in front of me I would grab the 70 in a heart beat and that says a lot just ask Dillinger about how much of a rabid 700 fan I am.

My dad has a real pre 64 model 70 SUPER GRADE in 220 swift. That friggin rifle will not shoot anything larger that .3" 5 shot 100 yard groups. the wood is just friggin fabulous the lines and the shear beauty of the action is top notch. The trigger will make you want a Jewell because that is the only thing that is as good as a old pre 64 trigger.