Montana Rifle Company vs Model 70. Help me choose.

Lucas269

Lucas269

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I'm looking for a general purpose hunting rifle in SS and synthetic stock. I'm thinking in either a .270 win or .280 rem. Either one works for me. I've owned 2 different .270s and am very comfortable with that cartridge. I normally don't like plastic stocks due to the bendy feel they normally have in the forends and the poor finishing they usually have but I've heard good things about some of the composites like bell and carlson, hs precision, and mcmillian make. I want to go synthetic for this rifle though because I feel I would cry to much scratching up and soaking a nice wood stock. I've also never owned a SS syn stocked rifle but do really like the look and practicality. This rifle will probably go with me on every hunt and I want it to be one that I do not sell or trade. I have really liked the model 70's I've handled and shot in the past and for some reason am really drawn to them. I handled a stainless M70 featherweight at wholesale sports a year and a half ago and it fit just about perfect. If I had the cash at the time I would have scooped it up then but now they are nowhere to be found. If I ever see one again I might not be so frugal.

My local dealer can get me a model 70 ultimate shadow for $1100 in .270. I hate the ultimate shadow stocks but was thinking I could drop it in a m70 patern mcmillan stock. If I do this I will have a really good rig but will be pushing $2000 all said and done. The old take off ult. shadow stock would be a hard sell after too so I don't think I could make any money back from that. I came across the Montana Rifle Company X2 on Prophet River's website and looked into them a little bit more. They are around the same price point and look like an M70/mauser clone but with a cast reciever, one piece bolt, and old style Winchester trigger. It seems to have better gas venting in case of a rupture although I'm sure the m70 is plenty safe anyway. One forum I read said the magazine box is longer than on the M70 which is a potential bonus for handloading if true. I couldn't find any actual measurements on the Winchester though. MRC's website says the stock is made from "the finest Carbon Fiber material with Kevlar Reinforcing in the aluminum pillars, swivel stud attachments and all strength areas and then finished with glass bedding. Painted in a matte black hardened epoxy paint with grey highlights." Which sounds pretty good. The Mcmillan stock if I go that route with the M70 is already very well reviewed and proven. One nice thing about the X2 though is I shouldn't have to mess with anything out of the box.

Does anyone have any experience with both of these rifles who could chime in or if anyone else has other suggestions to muddle up my decision? Mainly about the X2 rifle because there is very little real world information or reviews on these to go off of (I don't feel gun magazines and manufacturer websites count).

Also to the guy who's going to say just get a rem700. They just don't excite me at all but m70s and mausers seem to for the past few years. I think it is a trend that will continue.
 
you have a good way of thinking, as long as you find the montana has the accuracy you want then its a goer in my book, although an older model 70 stainless or even a Rem mountain ti..... I know u said u don't like Rems... but


let us know what u do....

I went Kimber for reasons you mention

WL
 
I've only had one Kimber, a .308, and found it to be a well made and accurate rifle... I have had a couple dozen M70's and have never been unhappy with any of them... I don't think you will be either.
 
I have a Model 70 EW that sits in a Mcmillian edge . It was a 300 WSM, put a #2 270 WSM benchmark barrel on it. The smith said the new FN actions are consistently true with the ones he's worked with. The factory barrel was great to as it cleans up very well. No complaints on this rifle. It comes in at 6.5 lb with talley lightweights. I also have a Kimber Montana 84 L 280 AI that shoots and functions great to. I really like the trigger on the Montanas. I have no experience with the MRC rifles. That M70 cost around 3k.
All good choices.
RG
 
My experience with MRC rifles limited to two; mine and my friends.

Mine was horrendously over headspace, and the primers looked like hubcaps. The action hit new records for "Stainless sticky" (but much polishing got rid of much of that eventually) and it wasn't much of a shooter. It did work, despite being rough and sticky; thats worth something.

When I pulled the barrel off it had been threadlocked with something that lead to cutting and boreing the stub out. In its present form it is wearing a 26" Benchmark barrel and Accuracy Innovations stock and is still not much of a gun as a shooter. For some perverse reason I don't give up on it, although I often wish I had never seen it.

My friend's also produces hubcap sized primers, and by the time he loaded it down enough to avoid pressure the velocity of 180 grain 300 WSMs idle along at 2650. So far he has resisted the urge to throw good money after bad. He'd sell it cheap, that I know. There will never be a strike three.

By contrast FN produced M70s have done nothing but impress me. I wouldn't trade one of mine for 3 MRCs and that's the God's honest truth.
 
Dogleg said:
My experience with MRC rifles limited to two; mine and my friends.

Mine was horrendously over headspace, and the primers looked like hubcaps. The action hit new records for "Stainless sticky" (but much polishing got rid of much of that eventually) and it wasn't much of a shooter. It did work, despite being rough and sticky; thats worth something.

When I pulled the barrel off it had been threadlocked with something that lead to cutting and boreing the stub out. In its present form it is wearing a 26" Benchmark barrel and Accuracy Innovations stock and is still not much of a gun as a shooter. For some perverse reason I don't give up on it, although I often wish I had never seen it.

My friend's also produces hubcap sized primers, and by the time he loaded it down enough to avoid pressure the velocity of 180 grain 300 WSMs idle along at 2650. So far he has resisted the urge to throw good money after bad. He'd sell it cheap, that I know. There will never be a strike three.

By contrast FN produced M70s have done nothing but impress me. I wouldn't trade one of mine for 3 MRCs and that's the God's honest truth.
Click to expand...

If only someone else would make a true Magnum CRF action that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
 
I've shot a fair amount of rifles/combos from milsurps to Remingtons, Savages, Winchesters. I waited a few years to get a Pre-64 Mod70, and it's as close to a perfect fit for me as I'll find for the type of hunting I intended to do with it. I carry a Ross 1905-R for intended shots of 200m and under, and the Pre '64 for anything longer out to my personal limits. I shoot the M70 better than any of my other rifles, and the Ross is the best of my aperture sighted rifles. Basically what I'm saying is that if you really want the M70 you will not be disappointed.
 
Dogleg said:
My experience with MRC rifles limited to two; mine and my friends.

Mine was horrendously over headspace, and the primers looked like hubcaps. The action hit new records for "Stainless sticky" (but much polishing got rid of much of that eventually) and it wasn't much of a shooter. It did work, despite being rough and sticky; thats worth something.

When I pulled the barrel off it had been threadlocked with something that lead to cutting and boreing the stub out. In its present form it is wearing a 26" Benchmark barrel and Accuracy Innovations stock and is still not much of a gun as a shooter. For some perverse reason I don't give up on it, although I often wish I had never seen it.

My friend's also produces hubcap sized primers, and by the time he loaded it down enough to avoid pressure the velocity of 180 grain 300 WSMs idle along at 2650. So far he has resisted the urge to throw good money after bad. He'd sell it cheap, that I know. There will never be a strike three.

By contrast FN produced M70s have done nothing but impress me. I wouldn't trade one of mine for 3 MRCs and that's the God's honest truth.
Click to expand...

After reading this, I couldn't believe we were talking about the same rifles. Then it dawned on me that we actually weren't. I had to go look up their website to see the rifles I was talking about, and they weren't there! I was talking about 2 Montana action custom rifles and you were talking about actual rifles built by Montana.

One was a 300WSM that a fellow that used to live here had and I thought it was a very nice rifle. I shot it several times and it was nice and accurate, too. The other one belongs to a good friend of mine.

I bought a LH 300 WSM Montana for the friend a number of years ago when I saw a good deal on a good used LH rifle with a MacMillan stock, fluted barrel and some sort of duracoat and since I knew he was looking for a new rifle, I snapped it up. Action is very smooth and the rifle is very accurate. It's a good example about how a custom rifle is rarely a good investment in the monetary sense. :)

Unfortunate about your experiences, hopefully they are making good rifles now! :)
 
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My VS2 extreme in .375 is still shooting one inch three shot groups with 270's and 300's and working flawlessly, its got almost 200 rounds through it now and not a single hiccup , I mean flawless feeding , extraction and consistent accuracy.
It likes flat based bullets best but I can deal with that. Barrel is a bit fatter that I like , but I can deal with that too. Its my only MRC but I've had multiple pre 64'model 70's , FN's new model 70's cz's, rugers ..... and this rifle is just as good as any of them so far and in my opinion a whole lot better than most, lighter too.
thats my take , worth exactly what you paid for it.
 
RG79 said:
I have a Model 70 EW that sits in a Mcmillian edge . It was a 300 WSM, put a #2 270 WSM benchmark barrel on it. The smith said the new FN actions are consistently true with the ones he's worked with. The factory barrel was great to as it cleans up very well. No complaints on this rifle. It comes in at 6.5 lb with talley lightweights. I also have a Kimber Montana 84 L 280 AI that shoots and functions great to. I really like the trigger on the Montanas. I have no experience with the MRC rifles. That M70 cost around 3k.
All good choices.
RG
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I wouldn't mind seeing this rifle/stock. I have been contemplating a different stock for my EW
 
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