Let's See Your Current M-70 Rifles!

[Texas Star]

Most threads here about the Winchester M-70 concentrate on the old pre-'64 examples. They are fine guns,but so are the current ones. I especially like the Featherweight Classic.

Please post photos of the current ones and tell us how you like yours. I love mine, but can't post photos Online.

Has anyone got a current .375 H&H one? How does the stock handle recoil? Which 'scope do you use on it?

 

[gregintenn]

Not quite current, as this one was made in New Haven, but I love my 280 Remington! My longest shot ever one a deer resulted in a one shot kill just north of 390 paces! I see on the Winchester websight that they now list a Featherweight in 257 Roberts. I'm probably going to need one of those.

 

[Texas Star]

Greg-

Thanks! My .270 isn't "current", either, but I guess I should have said "of the current design", which is really different from New Haven production only in the revised trigger.

I got mine about 1992. My son has a .30/06 Featherweight Classic that overlaps bullet holes at 100 yards from the bench.

 

[gregintenn]

As weird as it sounds, I also have a model 70 Ranger, 30-06, in my safe that appears to me to be in new, unfired condition. One day when I'm really bored, I'll probably drag it out and see what it'll do. I doubt you need any description of the quality and accuracy of the pre 64 model 70's.

 

[Frank237]

My circa 1998 M-70 in .375 H&H .

 

[Texas Star]

My circa 1998 M-70 in .375 H&H .

Nice Greater (?) Kudu. Where'd you hit it, at what range? One shot enough? Horn length?

How do they taste, compared to deer or beef? Moose is the closest game I've had to beef.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Frank237]

Yes a greater kudu. He was in the thick thornbrush in the backround...I hit him in the shoulder from 90 yds, with a 300 gr Swift A-Frame. I recall he was out of sight when I came out of recoil..as he was already down. Forget the horn length, but he was the best I had a chance at. Not a full curl or real trophy quality...unfortunately. I did very well on other species for trophy quality...yet in two trips over kudu and WARTHOG eluded me. And warthogs are generally a fairly easy trophy to acquire.

All in all, I think that M-70 has accounted for four of five elk, two kudu, a gemsbok, a trophy nyala, a 30" blue wildebeest, a zebra, a few impala for camp meat, and a very unlucky porcupine here in MT at about 350 yds.

I've never had any drama on big game with the .375 H&H and 300 gr A-Frames or Nosler partitions. Then again I can say the same for the .280 Rem, .300 mags and the .338-06 as well. It's ALL about PLACEMENT.

I don't really recall what the kudu tasted like...certainly not objectionable. The best over there of the game we shot seemed to be Eland. Then again they are sort of a big ox/cow sort of guy anyway.

Tastiest (to me anyway) of all of it over there was Ostrich. Those little steaks were wonderful!

FN in MT