Winchester m70 30 06

[BillBro]

Stopped into a gunshop near me and saw a Winchester m70 for a decent (I guess) price. Definitely not an order gun but were they decent firearms? Serial starts with a "G" followed by 15757586. Can anyone tell me anything about it? Is it junk? The metal and wood both are in really decent shape by I havent seen the bore yet.

[Valmet]

Sounds like an early-mid 80s production gun judging from SN.

[CMYSIX]

I don't know much, but I have a 1940 .30-06 I have talked to a collector buyer, if it has a drilled reciever that really decreases value, the same if the stock is altered in any way, butt pad , extra holes, the .30-06 is the majority of guns produced, if the reciever has not been drilled and the stock not altered grab it! if you just want a shooter you can't go wrong

[alwslate]

The G prefix means it is a post 1964 push feed action, not the classic pre 64 controlled feed action. Probably a good solid rifle but worth quite a bit less than the pre 64 models.

[much ado]

I have a 70 Fwt with G160 prefix that I got in 81 I believe. The beginning of USRA. The butt pad should be red with USRA stamped in it. If it says Winchester it was one of the earliest after the takeover by USRA and they used up the last of the older butt pads.

[jdlii]

As alwslate stated, a post 64' push feed action. They are top notch rifles and if the price is right, my suggestion is that you buy it ASAP!

They are accurate and a true Winchester made rifle. You will not regret the purchase!

[BillBro]

This most definitely is no collector grade gun. The wood is sound but very plain. No gouges or cracks that I see
No red butpad, its just black elastomer of some type. It has super cheapo tasco-looking see-thru rings and an old scope thats probably seen its last target.
I was under no delusion of scoring a collector type, I jist thought it would be a nice rifle to have if the m70 action is a sound one no matter the vintage. The action felt great and when I saw the pricetag of $350 it just got me to thinking. Still though, Ill have to see the bore first. But if tou folks feel that even a later vintage m70 is a decent action and that theyre capable of decent accuracy I might offer them $300.

[mauser9]

Wonder if it could be the XTR Model Winchester came out with in the late 70s? Was suppose to have better bluing and finish than my new Model 70 I bought in 1974. My gun had just so-so bluing and plain walnut. Accurate but trigger pull kind of heavy. Recall mine cost around $225 new back then but that was a long time ago. Love to see a pic if ya get it.

[pantannojack]

I have a few Pre 64 m70's and will consider more if not shot out. I will not consider any other m70. I like the feeling of chambering a round with out the clip extractor climbing the cartridge rim like the Remington 700 or any non Mauser type extractor. This is important in NM High Power Rifle X Course rapid fire strings. Not so much for speed, there is plenty of time, but for the rhythm of the stroke. The spring loaded ejector I do not like. A downside seems to be trouble for G smiths to chuck a Win receiver to true the threads for a custom rebuild, but I am not sure.

[diyj98]

Originally Posted by CMYSIX

I have talked to a collector buyer, if it has a drilled reciever that really decreases value, the same if the stock is altered in any way, butt pad , extra holes, the .30-06 is the majority of guns produced, if the reciever has not been drilled and the stock not altered grab it! if you just want a shooter you can't go wrong

His 1980's Model 70 came from the factory with holes drilled in the receiver.

The push feed Model 70's were good rifles and if you're looking for a hunting rifle, it should do just fine.

[30-30remchester]

Being a devout Winchester fan, the pre 64's are all I collect. That being said, post 64 are still Winchesters and are still superb quality and construction.

[DWalt]

The early M70s, until 1947-48, had undrilled and untapped rear receiver bridges. Unfortunately, I have a high condition pre-war (1937) M70 in .270, but a previous owner had the rear receiver bridge drilled and tapped. It doesn't bother me. I also have a 1953 M70 Featherweight in .308, which has a drilled and tapped rear receiver bridge which was done at the factory. But it has an aftermarket rubber butt pad instead of the factory aluminum buttplate.Oh well. I think I have less than $500 invested in both combined. Any good early M70 barreled action alone will bring somewhat more than $500 today.

[Drm50]

The post 64 model 70s had a terrible reputation. I don’t know the date they were made decent again, don’t care because it ain’t a pre 64 I ain’t least bit interested.

[DWalt]

Originally Posted by Drm50

The post 64 model 70s had a terrible reputation. I don’t know the date they were made decent again, don’t care because it ain’t a pre 64 I ain’t least bit interested.

From my personal experience, the only point of criticism for the post-64 M70s is the stock design. No figure in the wood, clubby and fat, with pressed checkering. Not nearly as cosmetically attractive as the early M70s stocks. The one post-64 I had in .270 was a very excellent shooting rifle. No way from my experience was it terrible. Much has been made of the supposed superiority of the early M70 controlled feed design (claw extractor) vs. the post-64 push feed, but I do not buy any of that garbage for a second. The fact that the military M24 and M40 sniper rifles used push feed Remington 700 actions puts the lie to that. The early M70 and later XTR designs just look more refined and elegant and that's all there is to that story.

[Drm50]

I bought one new m70 / 270 in 1969. I had no functional trouble with it but it wouldn’t group for squat. My buddy bought identical rifle at same time and it was a twin as far as groups. We didn’t keep them more than a month before we offed them. At this time not being a Remington fan I bought a
Ruger 77 / 270, that I have still. I have never considered a Winchester since of any flavor. There weren’t any “Real” Winchesters built after 1963.
The guns Winchester subs out to Japan are superior to anything they made
since. There were a lot of rifles on the market from Europe in 60s & 70s in same price range that were better than Wins and Rem 700s. Most on 98 Mauser actions. When I get a gun that is junk I don’t care what brand it is
It’s going down the road.

[2152hq]

Maybe you have one too many numbers in the ser#?
Or they have made a whole lot of M70's .

I'd guess Mid-1980's with one of the 5 or 7's left out.

Decent rifles. Will do anything you need them to in the woods. Go bang, deer fall down.
$300 would be a nice price for a good sturdy hunting rifle IMO.
You plan on re-scoping it anyway so that part of the price is already taken into consideration.
The recoil pad will be appreciated even with a 30-06. If you don't like the style or color or it reminds you of an X -Wife,, They are simple and cheap to replace with a more adorable looking one.
Not like an X Wife.

You could go for a classic (Win, Mauser, early Rem, Mannlicher) but pay a lot more money.

Unless there's a lot of angry Rhino and Lions in the MD woods, I wouldn't put too much painful thought into whether or not you really need CRF...
or not.

I've only ever had one pre-64 Win 70.
That was a rare one. A pre-War .300 Savage carbine.
Looked unfired but who knows, I left it that way and sold it off to a 'safe collector'.

Lots of nice bread and butter bolt rifles around in common boring calibers.
Ruger 77's, Savage 110, Remington 700's, etc.

[TheTinMan]

I completely understand the focus on pre-64 Model 70s from a collector point of view. However, Winchester returned to the Mauser-style controlled round feed action in 1992. Here is a good essay on the history of the Model 70.

The Winchester Model 70, Pre-64 to Current Production - Revivaler

This is a fairly recent production Model 70 Super Grade in 308 Winchester. If you admire the Mauser ‘98 action and bolt action rifles in general like I do, there’s nothing wrong with this one:








Is a pre-64 in my permanent wish list? Of course… but I can shoot this one and enjoy every moment. Especially since I bought it used for just over $1,200.

[pantannojack]

Originally Posted by DWalt

From my personal experience, the only point of criticism for the post-64 M70s is the stock design. No figure in the wood, clubby and fat, with pressed checkering. Not nearly as cosmetically attractive as the early M70s stocks. The one I had in .270 was a very excellent shooting rifle. No way from my experience was it terrible. Much has been made of the supposed superiority of the early M70 controlled feed design (claw extractor) vs. the post-64 push feed, but I do not buy any of that for a second. The fact that the military M24 and M40 sniper rifles used push feed Remington 700 actions puts the lie to that. The early M70 and later XTR designs just look more refined and elegant and that's all.

Who is LIEING?

[Goblin]

The new super grades are exquisite. Every time I examine one I have to fight the urge. I especially like the maple.

[TheTinMan]

Originally Posted by Goblin

The new super grades are exquisite. Every time I examine one I have to fight the urge. I especially like the maple.

The maple furniture is very nice looking!

I was scanning the bolt action rifles looking for something else entirely when the wood on the Super Grade grabbed my eye. It’s not like I needed another rifle chambered in 308 but everything is so nicely done. The jeweled bolt probably does absolutely nothing for function but it looks great IMHO. I also like the 3-position safety and where it’s mounted on the right side. (That might be a deal breaker if you’re left handed.)