SmallCaliberCentral

Anyone have or used one? I was considering saving up for one in 243 or maybe 270. Since I am FINALLY done with my 204!

Last year I got a FN SPR which is built off of a Win 70 action..... and I love it. Cycles smooth, love the control round feed and extractor, and they are pretty popular so there are many aftermarket products you can buy for them. I am thinking about building my first rifle....... a .243 AI.....but I think I might be using a Savage Precision Action, that way I can do most of the smithing myself. I know I wasn't much help.....but the Model 70 is a very popular rifle and I am sure that you can't go wrong with one. =Dan

"Old Death" my .270, is a Model 70, nice rifle, kills stuff dead, hence the name.. I've had others, a 7x57 FWT, a .223 Ranger, a .22/250 Heavy Varmint, another FWT in .270, and a Classic SM in .30/06, just like Old Death. All shot very well indeed. If the FWT stocks fit me better, I'd still have them.

I have an old model 70 in 22-250 and i think it is a great rifle, My hunting partner has a new model 70 in 7MM WSM and loves it.

dannybracy wrote: ...I am thinking about building my first rifle....... a .243 AI.....but I think I might be using a Savage Precision Action, that way I can do most of the smithing myself... =Dan

All my new rifles will be built on Savage actions too! They allow swap barrels, setting your own (tight) headspace dimension, changing bolt heads to different cartridge sizes, and any caliber you want. Shilen sells ready to install barrels, as does Sharpshooter Supply. The Winchester Model 70 is a classic and classy rifle ( I had one in .264 Magnum and still have one in 7mm Mauser). My Savage Precision Action in .204 Ruger and 6mm PPC USA is the better adult toy. I'm going to pick up another action with my tax refund.

IMHO, the Model 70, especially the old ones are examples of pure "Classic Rifles" in the true sense of the word. If you ever go to to Africa or hunt Alaska, most serious riflemen there use either a M70, Mauser, or CZ, all of which are basically controlled-round feed (Mauser variant) rifles; the best for dangerous game or serious hunting when flawless feeding really counts.

I've hunted all my adult life with the M70 in various calibers, all pre-'64 rifles or the late '90's Classics with the claw extractor. The one below is one of my pets, chambered in .270 Win with her original barrel, made in 1958. She's been worked over by both McMillan and Robar, has accounted for more deer than I care to admit, and still shoots under .75 MOA with handloads. The new M70's made by FN are among the finest ever built, and can be counted on to do what a good rifle is all about. No flimsly sheet metal or spring clip extractors, plunger ejectors or "modern" trends, just time-tested traits that make them the classics they truly are.



This pre-'64 M70 below was my first centerfire rifle, given to me by my dad when I was a teenager. It was then chambered for the .30-06, now completely accurized, bedded and rebarreled to .338-06 Ackley Improved. To say it's an elk-killing machine would be an understatement.



If you decide on a M70, your best bet is one with a claw extractor for hunting, not one of the push-feed models of the post-'64 generation if you want a true hunting rifle. On a varmint rifle, the push-feed feature is not a big deal.

We have only received 3 calibers and only in the Featherweight model at work. The later ones have very nice wood on them. The earlier ones had rough actions but seem to be getting smoother. Some however do not seem to lock up very tight. You can hardly feel the bolt lock into place on some of the more recent ones. We have only had the 30-06, 270 and 300WSM. I would suggest waiting awhile for them to work out the bugs. I have not had a customer come back in after shooting one to see what kind of accuracy that they are getting.

Those are two awesome photos, Rick. There's a strong conveyance of satisfaction in the second one with the 338-06, and I really can't imagine a better elk round/gun combo.

Last night at our Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet the grand prize was a Winchester 70 in .325 WSM. It was perfectly balanced, beautiful, and as Rick said: practical. It definitely left an impression on me just getting to pick it up. Jack O'Connor certainly spoke well of the M70, that also says a lot about it. Yeah, I think you'll be happy with one.

Winchester got it right for many years with the pre-64 Model 70 action, and things went down hill from there with the post-64 action. As has been stated, the claw extractor/controlled round feature of the pre-64 Model 70 is an extremely nice feature to have in a serious hunting rifle.

USRA started off right and they introduced the Classic action with controlled round feed and two action lengths, but soon after that quality went south and the Unions finally killed off the company. I hope the new FN Model 70's are as good in the long term as they now seem to be with the early ones. A well built Model 70 is hard to beat in any way you can look at rifles.

JMO - BCB

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthread ... ost2838437



Here's a thread on the very latest NEW Model Seventy, interesting but not surprising