Winchester Model 70 .223 carbine

[otis24]

How rare is a Winchester Model 70 .223 carbine? A friend has one that belonged to his dad. He was told that not many were made in the .223 caliber. When his dad's gun dealer ordered it in and found out that they didn't make many in that caliber, he wanted to keep it for himself. It was his dad's truck gun for varmints. Not sure if they age. He said that it wasn't pristine, but knowing his dad, I'm guessing it is in very good condition.

 

[DWalt]

Back around 1984 Winchester added the .223 as a caliber for their M70 Lightweight and XTR Featherweight lines. I have no idea how many of them were sold, but I don't remember seeing one. I'd guess they weren't very popular, so production could easily be somewhat low.

 

[fyimo]

I don't have a Winchester Model 70 in 223 but I do have a Browning A Bolt in 223. I got it in a trade from local gun shop.

 

[thadheth]

Blue Book of Gun Values (37th Edition, 2016) indicates that the carbine was produced from 1984-87. Only the .222 Remington is listed as "scarce," not the .223 or other calibers.

 

[otis24]

Blue Book of Gun Values (37th Edition, 2016) indicates that the carbine was produced from 1984-87. Only the .222 Remington is listed as "scarce," not the .223 or other calibers.

Thanks! Does it give a value range for the .223?

 

[DWalt]

"Only the .222 Remington is listed as "scarce," not the .223 or other calibers."

Odd, given that the M70 was offered in .222 for a much longer time in the post-1964 period. I suppose not many were sold. Winchester was also offering the .225 Win in the M70 during that same period. Strangely it had a rimmed case and was supposed to replace the .220 Swift. It never caught on. I don't remember ever seeing a M70 in .225 Win, so I think it should be equally scarce.

 

[thadheth]

Yes.
$225 in 60% condition,
$275 in 80% condition,
$350 in 90% condition,
$475 in 98% condition, and
$550 in 100% condition.
All with a $15 addition for open sights.
Might also be a good idea to look on GunBroker for completed auctions (items that actually sold; not those just listed with high prices and/or reserves that closed, but did not sell) to get an idea of some selling prices.

 

[Jessie]

I know your angst. I have a .308 carbine and it's hard to find info on the Carbine.
I like the model myself. A short handy model 70? What's not to like?

 

[mauser9]

Had the .225 in the Model 70.Never forget the ugly pressed checkering. Came with a plastic piece that fit between barrel and stock forend. Shot great but ammo got tough to find by late 70s. My Blue Book says add 20% value for the caliber. Maybe not many sold in this caliber either

 

[gregintenn]

I don't know how rare they are, but looked for one for years. Finally gave up. I'm glad to hear one actually exists.

 

[DWalt]

People knock the earlier post-64 Model 70s, but most of that is because of cosmetics, not performance. I once had a ca. 1965 M70 in .270, and it was a sweetheart. It outshot both my pre-WW2 M70 and my Remington 7400, both in .270. The stock was clubby, it had impressed checkering, and it didn't have the external claw extractor. But so what? I sold it to my boss at the time because he wanted it, and I already had two other .270s. Incidentally, my .270 Rem 7400 shoots groups on par with the pre-WWII M70. It's difficult to find a .270 rifle which does not shoot well.

 

[mauser9]

People knock the earlier post-64 Model 70s, but most of that is because of cosmetics, not performance. I once had a ca. 1965 M70 in .270, and it was a sweetheart. It outshot both my pre-WW2 M70 and my Remington 7400, both in .270. The stock was clubby, it had impressed checkering, and it didn't have the external claw extractor. But so what? I sold it to my boss at the time because he wanted it, and I already had two other .270s. Incidentally, my .270 Rem 7400 shoots groups on par with the pre-WWII M70. It's difficult to find a .270 rifle which does not shoot well.

Glad to hear of your good groups with your 7400. Have been having very good results with my Model Four which is basically your 7400. Also in .270 Win. About 1 1/2 inches at 100 yds. They look like custom rifles compared to many of the new offerings these days. I paid $400 back in 81 for it. Think the list was $450 back then.

 

[DWalt]

I bought my 7400 used for around $250 back in the early 00s. But it looks like it just came out of its shipping box. You need one of those short flexible cleaning rods to clean the chamber through the ejection port. My son used it once for deer hunting, got two with one shot - one doe was directly behind the other and he didn't see her. I removed the barrel once just to see how it was done. You need a special wrench to do it. Not the easiest job, and I probably won't do it again unless it becomes really necessary. I also have an early Rem M740 in .308. I have worked and worked to get it to group well, but it just won't do any better than 3" 5-shot groups at 100 yards, often even a little worse. That is actually good enough for most hunting needs. But at least it is very reliable - never had a failure to feed or eject properly with any load.

 

[mauser9]

I bought my 7400 used for around $250 back in the early 00s. But it looks like it just came out of its shipping box. You need one of those short flexible cleaning rods to clean the chamber through the ejection port. My son used it once for deer hunting, got two with one shot - one doe was directly behind the other and he didn't see her. I removed the barrel once just to see how it was done. You need a special wrench to do it. Not the easiest job, and I probably won't do it again unless it becomes really necessary. I also have an early Rem M740 in .308. I have worked and worked to get it to group well, but it just won't do any better than 3" 5-shot groups at 100 yards, often even a little worse. That is actually good enough for most hunting needs. But at least it is very reliable - never had a failure to feed or eject properly with any load.

Good advice. Still got the chamber cleaning brush it came with. No failure to feed or ejection problems yet but again not too many rounds through it either.