Collectible Rifles: The Winchester Model 70
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 6 months ago
George Block at Observer-Reporter:
Perhaps the greatest collectable, if in pristine and original condition, is the pre-1964 model 70. While 580,000 of these rifles were made, they bring a good price because of the quality of manufacturing and are considered by many collectors and shooters as the finest standard production rifle ever offered to the public. There is one thing about this collectable rifle: it seems to hold value better than any other. But remember, originality and condition still enter into the picture.
There is little doubt but that the name Winchester increases the value of any rifle. There are many lever action models that have jumped in value. An 1888 in good shape is worth quite a bit as is the ugly and awkward to carry 1895. Even the most popular Winchester of all the 1894 holds its value well. The 1894 later became the model 94 that most of us have shot at some time.
In 1927, the 18 was dropped from the name. Like most rules, there are exceptions and the old Winchesters fall under that category. Most high priced collectables are those models that didn’t sell well and were dropped after a brief period.
Earlier I misstated in a reply back to Georgiaboy that Winchester Rifles are now made in Portugal. Actually, Winchester rifles were made in Japan for a number of years, and at that point the quality deteriorated to near nothing.
FN purchased the brand, and now the parts are made in Columbia, S.C., while being assembled in Portugal. It’s still difficult to get a Winchester Model 70 because FN tools their line in Columbia to make a certain gun, retools for the next one, and so on and around it goes. I question whether this is a good business model, but it’s what they do.
Few people outside FN know when a new release of gun models is going to become available. I’ve sent FN customer service notes before on other subjects only to be ignored. I also don’t know anything about the quality of the Model 70s being made today.
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On May 7, 2018 at 11:02 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “Few people outside FN know when a new release of gun models are going to become available. I’ve sent FN customer service notes before on other subjects only to be ignored.”
My knowledge, for what it is worth, stems from the local retail scene and having worked in the retail FA industry for a time, as well as what I’ve experienced personally.
The local big-box retailer – a Cabela’s – has a reasonably decent selection of new Winchester M70s in stock, alongside Winchester’s newest budget-price bolt-action, the XPR, which is designed to compete with similar products from Ruger, Savage and Mossberg, amongst others.
One of the largest independent dealers in the state (IL), also has various Winchester bolt-actions in stock, and can obtain Model 70’s via special order if requested.
There are also bargain M70’s to be found used at various independent dealers and also at Cabela’s Gun Library. In fact, the latter has available genuine pre-1964 M70s for those customers who are willing/able to pay the freight and want one of that vintage.
Re: “I also don’t know anything about the quality of the Model 70s being made today”
The new Model 70’s manufactured by FN-Herstal via its Browning and Winchester subsidiaries are excellent, even superb firearms, at least the ones I have seen/handled. Of course, caveat emptor since Winchester – like most large manufacturers of firearms – offered a variety of product lines which vary based upon features, cost and performance. The pinnacle of Winchester’s Model 70 line are its Super Grade rifles, which are made from the highest-quality woods and other materials, and feature free-floated match-grade cold-hammer forged barrels, actions bedded to the stock, and other high-end features.
Every Super Grade I have ever shot was capable of sub-moa performance if fed high-quality match-grade ammunition. The same has also been true for me with the Sporter line, which is Winchester’s next-lower grade of M70.
In short, these rifles have more accuracy potential than most of the hunters and sportsmen who own/use them – certainly enough for virtually any hunting application. Someone willing to devote the time to the project could probably turn their Winchester M70 into a competition rifle, even thought the company does not currently market such a line, like Savage Arms, for example.
A firearm is only as good – as accurate and reliable – as the ammunition being fed to it. A well-designed and manufactured bolt-action rifle can overcome some of the inaccuracy and inconsistency of poor-quality ammunition, but there are limits. The good news is that commercially-available factory ammunition has never been better – and if you feed your M70 high-quality ammunition, it will do the job and won’t let you down.
But make sure you do your homework and get ammunition manufactured by a reputable manufacturer, and don’t forget that every rifle is unique in what ammunition works best through it. If you want optimal results, you will need to put in the range time and do some testing to establish the best load for your particular set-up and intended purpose.
Even if you use only factory ammunition, a chronograph or other device for measuring muzzle velocity and other data is an invaluable tool. Having muzzle velocity and other data makes the job of mastering your trajectory that much easier.
let’s see – what else? Winchester, like a lot of modern FA companies, makes their bolt-actions in non-traditional and traditional configurations to appeal to as broad a market segment as possible. In particular, offering many of their models in synthetic stocks or with traditional wood stocks, and in different styles of stocks as well, as well as in various color schemes, camouflage paint from the factory, and so on.
Winchester has been a bit slow on the uptake in terms of adopting the latest calibers for their Model 70 line, such as the 6.5 Creedmoor, but finally at this year’s SHOT show, they had a M70 in 6.5 CM which will be rolled out this year sometime.
Winchester has always taken good care of hunters, and its M70 product line offers everything the aspiring or experienced hunter could want, from deer-hunting rifles to Model 70s for hunting bear in Alaska to models/calibers suitable for taking on an African big-game safari.
Customer service has been fine for me on those occasions when I have had to speak with the factory, but I haven’t had many dealings with them, so can’t really speak to that question. Nothing I have owned personally has ever broken or malfunctioned, and my customers have had good experiences with them as well, as far as can be known.
On May 8, 2018 at 9:17 am, Pat Hines said:
I owned a post-64 Model 70 for a time, purchased while stationed in Japan, in .30-06 caliber. Never shot anything with it and sold it off because I didn’t like the push-feed action. I’m not overly fond of Remington 700s for the same reason. I like the long extractor design by Paul Mauser and see no reason to abandon it. I think Winchester had to pay Mauser royalties in the early days of the Model 70 as did the US government for the M1903 Springfield rifle for a time.
I owned a Model 101 shotgun, also purchased in Japan in the PX/BX so cheap I’m reluctant to say the price. Sold it for money to return to college.
I currently own a Model 94 Trails End model, purchased just before Winchester stopped making firearms, before FN resumed the brand. Good quality, machined internal parts instead of the stamped ones on the late 60s. Octagon barrel, color case-hardened receiver and buttplate, .45 Long Colt caliber. Looks good, but it’s a gun safe queen, not a rifle I’d use unless all others are somehow gone.
Some folks don’t like them, but I like the Ruger Model 77 and have a number of them in various calibers, my first one being in .257 Roberts caliber, purchased while I lived in Montana, 1969-1973. I still have it. There’s little doubt that Ruger wanted to build an updated Model 70 using Bill Ruger’s advanced investment casting technology.
On May 8, 2018 at 10:07 am, ragman said:
I am fortunate enough to own a Model 70 30.06 and a Model 94 in 30WCF, both pre-64. They are very special to me, I inherited them from my dad and I fully intend for my grandson to inherit them from me. Beautiful old rifles that shoot great and are very pleasing to the eye.
On May 8, 2018 at 2:59 pm, scott s. said:
USRAC came out with a centennial I guess commemorative M1895 in 30-40 Krag. I considered picking one up at the time but didn’t. Probably would have been a good investment. There has been active collecting interest in the various M94 commemorative carbines, though for a while they were going kind of overboard in releasing new editions. Pre-WWII M1894/94 are considered the best, also the less common M55 rifle.
On May 8, 2018 at 4:02 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Pat
Re: “Some folks don’t like them, but I like the Ruger Model 77 and have a number of them in various calibers, my first one being in .257 Roberts caliber, purchased while I lived in Montana, 1969-1973. I still have it. There’s little doubt that Ruger wanted to build an updated Model 70 using Bill Ruger’s advanced investment casting technology.”
I’ve heard good things about the M77, although I have never owned one.
The ones I ran across while working in the FA retail business seemed to be well-made and a good value.
Regarding controlled feed versus push feed, you are correct that the current Model 70s use the Mauser-style controlled feed system. Winchester did experiment around with push-feed some decades ago, but abandoned it in recent years as their customers preferred the Mauser system instead.
Regarding the Mauser Brothers, yes, the U.S. government paid them royalties when it was discovered that the designers of the Springfield M1903 rifle had copied their design a little too-exactly. Some of these monies were paid during the Great War when the U.S. and Imperial Germany were formally at war. Strange world sometimes, isn’t it?
I have always regarded the M1903 as a product-improved Mauser K98k, anyway. The U.S. rifle, in my view, has superior sights, a better trigger and fires a cartridge I regard as superior to the 8mm Mauser (7.92×57) – the 30-06. Now, a Swedish Mauser in 6.5×55 or South American Mauser chambered in 7mm would be a nice set-up, but I’d take the ’06 over the 8mm Mauser any day of the week.
The 6.5-7mm projectiles have less felt recoil, and better ballistic coefficients than the heavier, less-streamlined 8mm (.32-caliber) bullets, and are thus flatter-shooting and have superior long-range performance. The ’06 bullets – while generally not as streamlined as the 6.5-7mm projectiles – still provide superior performance to the heavier and less-aerodynamic German projectile. Obviously, the 8mm was in no way a “bad” design, as its use by Germany in two world wars can attest – but my preference is for the alternatives listed.
Your mileage may vary, of course.