Winchester Model 70 in 225

[Masterbuck54]

I picked up this 1965 vintage gun this morning.
Heavy barrel and sling appears to be what would of come on it in 1965.
It has a Weaver 12X scope which I'm sure was put on the gun when new.
6 1/2 boxes of once used brass and 3 1/2 boxes unfired.
I had never heard of this caliber until last weekend.
I'll be taking this up to WV for some groundhog hunting and maybe deer in November..with a weight of around 12 lbs. i won't be lugging this around the woods much.
I'll be purchasing some reloading dies and bullets for my son to start reloading

Are there others here on the forum that currently have or had in the past this same type of rifle?

If so how did/does it perform?

Masterbuck54

 

[Fishinfool]

Never owned one, but the .225 Winchester was an attempt at the modernization of the .220 Swift. It never really caught on, and the .220 Swift is still more popular. The 22/250 pretty much ruled the roost of high performance .22's once it became a commercial cartridge, even though it lags slightly behind the swift balistically.

Those early post 64 push feed model 70's were not all that pretty, but they had a reputation for being shooters. Yours looks like it is in real nice shape.

Larry.

 

[Peak53]

I think it is pretty! Anything current match that? I also think it will definitely reach out there and vaporize stuff. Have fun!!

 

[Mike in Reedley]

It parallels the 22-250 in performance, it’s a semi rimmed case like the Swift. I think I’ve got dies and brass if you’re interested, PM me.

 

[diyj98]

Those early post 64 push feed model 70's were not all that pretty, but they had a reputation for being shooters.

The pressed checkering, sloppy free floating, and other cost saving features really hurt the Model 70 sales. The rifles being so cheapened along with the Remington 700 coming out in 22-250 helped kill the 225.

 

[Bakebfr480]

Very nice!

 

[2152hq]

The caliber came out when Winchester made their changes in 1964.
It's semi rimmed case so it feeds better in the bolt rifles than a full rimmed version. The semi-rim is the same dia as the common 30-06 case so it made for easy use in the M70 standard action. Same idea as the 220Swift uses with it's semi rimmed case.

Many explain it as a more modern version of the 219 Donaldson Wasp, itself a version of the older 219 Zipper. All these oldies based on the 30-30 case.

The 225Win didn't last too long,,maybe 10yrs. The 223 Remington became the darling of the rifle crowd and itwas introd as a commercial round in '64 also IIRC. I think it came out first in their 760 pump of all things.

Anyway, the 225 Win is a good cartridge like so many others that never caught on. The brass can be made from 30-30 but not without some work. The rim needs to be reduced in dia and thinned also. The case forming itself usually leaves you with a case that is short.
Some say the 30-30 brass isn't up to the high pressures that the 225 can run at,,others say nonsense.. Pick your armchair experts side and take their advice. No one says you have to push them at 60K psi either.

Original brass is hard to find,,unfired unprimed stuff usually brings a premium if no one has made a run of the stuff recently. I's been relegated to the 'once in a while we'll make a run of it' thing. But some enterprizing smaller case makers may be making it for a premium.

The caliber is generally at it's best accuracy levels with the heavier bullets, just like the Wasp was. They seem to be in vogue now anyway.

It'll reach out there and do everything it was designed to do for you.
Using the very light weight bullets in 224cal,(35, 40gr) you should be able to break the 4000fps barrier with it just like the 220S.

 

[DWalt]

The .225 got a lot of publicity when it first came out but it never caught on with the shooting public. A lot of that probably had to to with the general disfavor of the post-1964 Winchester Model 70 rifle which I think was the only factory rifle initially chambered for the .225 (Savage later offered it in their Model 340 bolt action rifle). The appearance of the .22-250 Remington at about the same time killed it, even though the .22-250 existed for a long time as a popular wildcat prior to Remington's commercialization of it. I do have a few .225 cartridges in my collection. Occasionally one might see a box of .225 ammo at a gun show. I have owned a commercial FN Mauser in .220 Swift for a long time, so I was never tempted by the .225.

 

[Hairtrigger]

When I was a kid and easily influenced my neighbor had a 225. I watched him kill a few woodchucks at +- 300 yards. I wanted one!
30 years later I bought one and now I own 2. One of my favorite woodchuck rifles

 

[Hairtrigger]

being a rimmed cartridge did not help the 225
That being said it is nice for a falling block single shot action

The .225 got a lot of publicity when it first came out but it never caught on with the shooting public. A lot of that probably had to to with the general disfavor of the post-1964 Winchester Model 70 rifle which I think was the only factory rifle initially chambered for the .225 (Savage later offered it in their Model 340 bolt action rifle). The appearance of the .22-250 Remington at about the same time killed it, even though the .22-250 existed for a long time as a popular wildcat prior to Remington's commercialization of it. I do have a few .225 cartridges in my collection. Occasionally one might see a box of .225 ammo at a gun show. I have owned a commercial FN Mauser in .220 Swift for a long time, so I was never tempted by the .225.

 

[mauser9]

Bought one back around 74 in fact. Sporter 22 inch barrel with hood for front sight and I recall a plastic cap fitted in forend that said Remove before shooting. Pressed checkering as usual for post 64 but at least real walnut. Accurate as heck but shells getting hard to find so traded it. Yep you will want to reload for sure. Hold onto that brass.

 

[CptCurl]

The .225 proved to be popular in single shot rifles. Back in the '80s I had a custom Sharps Borchardt chambered in that caliber. It was extremely accurate. In my hands it was the ruin of many groundhogs. I wish I still had it now.

I understand the brass has become difficult to find. That's too bad!

Curl

 

[Old Corp]

I had a near twin to your M70 in .225.
I was working p/t at an LGS (~1975)and the manager, who was my mentor and friend was selling his to move on to another project.
He'd bedded it and worked on the trigger. Had a good supply of brass.
I bought dies and started loading for it.
Only scope I could afford at the time was a Lyman 3-9x which did OK.

My Dad and I were making pretty frequent drives from our home in NC to visit his mother in S. Central Texas.

That M70 made many of those trips, as a local rancher a few miles from my GM's house would loan me a ranch pickup and I'd spend the day on his very large ranch shooting Prairie Dogs, Jackrabbits and the occasional skunk.
Recall touching off a round at a distant Jackrabbit and thinking I held over too far. It was a LONG ways away, but still - probably held over too far. Nope - I was amazed when it connected. I paced it off and wouldn't even wanna tell what it was. Sheer luck.
But that was an accurate rifle.

Also, being amongst the first of the Post-64 production, it was quite homely. Dull metal, a walnut stock with no figure and that horrible pressed checkering, along with the gaudy metal grip cap with the red 'W' on it.

It eventually went away on a trade, but was interesting.

 

[DWalt]

Many recite all of shortcomings of the early post-64 Model 70s. However I once owned one (in .270) and I cannot say anything bad about it. Sure, the cosmetics and wood and metal finish were not up to the standards of the earlier Model 70s, but it shot very well indeed, and I never worried about its being "push feed" rather than "controlled feed", due to its lack of the Mauser-type extractor claw. Note that the Remington 700 and the Savage 110 use a very similar push feed design and no one complains about them. Anyway, my boss at the time wanted it more than I did (I had several other .270s, one of which was a 1938 Model 70) so I sold the "new" Model 70 to him.

 

[Drm50]

I bought one new post 64 m70 about 1968-69. In 270 win I carried one spring bear season. I don't remember much about it other than it sighted
in OK or I wouldn't have carried it. I wasn't impressed with it as far as fit and finish so I traded it for a pre 64 m70 30/06. The only 225 I remember
owning were a couple Savage 340s and I don't think I ever shot one. I've got dies in case a god one comes by.

 

[6string]

The .225 proved to be popular in single shot rifles. Back in the '80s I had a custom Sharps Borchardt chambered in that caliber. It was extremely accurate. In my hands it was the ruin of many groundhogs. I wish I still had it now.

I understand the brass has become difficult to find. That's too bad!

Curl

That is a cool rifle!
The 225 is a great cartridge. Unfortunately, shooting fads can be just as trendy as women's shoes!
The rimmed case was just out of fashion then. Had it come out before WWII, it would be revered today as a classic!

That single shot, paired with a twin in 303 British would be an awesome combination! Ha!

Jim

 

[Texas Star]

The .225 proved to be popular in single shot rifles. Back in the '80s I had a custom Sharps Borchardt chambered in that caliber. It was extremely accurate. In my hands it was the ruin of many groundhogs. I wish I still had it now.

I understand the brass has become difficult to find. That's too bad!

Curl

Is that binocular the little Bushnell that I think they called the Custom Compact? A 6X25 or a 7X26?

I had the 7X26 and it was my first good binocular. Gun writers Skeeter Skelton and B.R. Hughes also liked that model.

 

[CptCurl]

Is that binocular the little Bushnell that I think they called the Custom Compact? A 6X25 or a 7X26?

I had the 7X26 and it was my first good binocular. Gun writers Skeeter Skelton and B.R. Hughes also liked that model.

Yep, that's the little Bushnell 7x26 compact binocular. I used those for several years until I scraped together the money to buy a pair of Zeiss 10x40, which I still use today.

. . .

That single shot, paired with a twin in 303 British would be an awesome combination! Ha!

Jim

You hit me in a soft spot there! I am a great fan of the .303 British and have a good number of rifles in that caliber. One of them is a splendid Fraser I bought at auction several years ago:

. . . but that's getting a bit off topic.

Curl

 

[6string]

So, you guys have my mind wandering, given the drift onto optics. I'm pondering the Bushnell.....Then, "Wow! Yeah, Zeiss 10 x 40. That's what I call an upgrade!"
But, before I can even recover, you lay your awesome 303 on me!
What a pairing of cartridge and rifle!

Going back to the 225, it's too bad Ruger hasn't made the No. 1 in 225 Winchester. While the Ruger isn't in the same class as a Sharps or Fraser, when they release a classic cartridge in the No. 1 it tends to be a real boost, with new ammo, brass and other supplies popping up on the market.

Jim

 

[Coaltminer]

Winchester 225

Bought one used years ago, HB, I mounted a Weaver 10x scope on it. Most accurate rifle I’ve ever owned. 31.5 gr 4064 with Sierra 55 gr semi pointed, first group was .473 for 4 shots, last one opened it up to about 3/4”. Sold it, but don’t let anyone tell you that post 64 Winchester ‘70’s won’t shoot. I was sighting it in and thought I was off target at 100 yds. 4 in the width of 2 bullets! Trigger was fantastic, why sold, only God and I know