Lets see your pre 64 model 70's
- Thread starter crazy_davey
- Start date
- Location
- Rockland, ON
Recently acquired this 1954 30-06. It is very clean. It probably deserves a nice glossy Weaver or Redfield for looks but for function the Vortex is just fine.
Updated 25/09/10: Range day, 50 yards, first three made a ragged hole. Potential! Moved the reticle some and then switched target for the final eleven shots making some small adjustments. Still at 50 yards but I think it shoots real nice. Will stretch it out next trip. Used PPU 150 grain FMJ Garand ammunition. Had one fail to fire out of 17 rounds. It fired the second try. Maybe a slightly sticky firing pin that needs a cleaning.
Updated 25/09/10: Range day, 50 yards, first three made a ragged hole. Potential! Moved the reticle some and then switched target for the final eleven shots making some small adjustments. Still at 50 yards but I think it shoots real nice. Will stretch it out next trip. Used PPU 150 grain FMJ Garand ammunition. Had one fail to fire out of 17 rounds. It fired the second try. Maybe a slightly sticky firing pin that needs a cleaning.
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That's a beautiful rifle in wonderful condition. The Pre-64 Model 70 is my all time favorite.
I just discovered this thread and I've really enjoyed reading some of the posts and the stories that go with them. I have one of my own to contribute! Last summer I inherited a family heirloom, a Pre-64 Model 70 (re)chambered in 308 Norma Magnum. Here it is:
I'm mostly a precision rifle guy and this is the only hunting rifle I currently own. It originally belonged to my grandad. I'm not sure where he got it from, but I know that him and one of my uncles went down to Montana once in a while to shop for hunting supplies and fly-tying materials. Presumably grandad bought it down there. He was an avid outdoorsman; the Grizzly print above the rifle was also his from a Ducks Unlimited auction. Before I digress, the rifle has a 4-digit serial number and I believe it was manufactured in 1937. Presumably the rifle was originally chambered in 30-06, but neither my uncle nor I know for sure - at some point it was rechambered for a more "modern" cartridge, the 308 NM. (300 Win Mag may or may not have been invented yet at the time.) I think my uncle gave it to me because he knows I love elk hunting, and two years ago I killed a bull with a 6.5 CM but I told him that next time I should pack something with a little more zest... He felt that and generously gave me an "early inheritance" (including this rifle and a bunch of reloading supplies) on the condition that I reload for his .264 Win Mag indefinitely. That was a pretty good deal for me! Here's another pic of the receiver:
I inherited this rifle with open sights, but I never really thought about the gun as a "collector's piece" because I'm a shooter and a hunter. This isn't a collector's rifle either, and I'm happy about that! The stock is kinda beat up, there's a tiny crack behind the rear tang (not visible in the photo above), and it's not in its original chambering anymore either. I intend on further degrading the condition of this rifle because I wanna use it for its intended purpose and take it out hunting with me!
The rifle came with open/iron sights and I needed a better solution for aiming to ethically harvest game to the best of my abilities. I punched out the rear V-notch sight and replaced it with a new Lyman 57 WJS sight since I couldn't stand forking out the dough for a vintage Lyman 48 sight, and I didn't have the heart to get the rear bridge of the receiver drilled & tapped for a scope mount. It's been fun to learn how to use aperture sights since I'm mostly familiar with modern optics, but it's still a bit of a handicap and I reckon my max range is only ~200 yards on elk sized game. No worries about that though since it's still a major advantage over bow hunting!
The rifle was given to me with dies, thankfully, and some factory ammo as well as reloaded ammo, but it's still a bit of a PITA to feed... I experimented with fire forming brass from 300WM with unsatisfactory results until I was fortunate enough to find factory ammo for it at a reasonable price at my LGS - shoutout to Proline Shooters in YYC! Shooting full-power 180 grain magnum loads from an 8 lb rifle still kicks my ass pretty hard, but it makes me grateful that my generation of hunters don't call each other pussies for not shooting cartridges that really punish ye olde clavicle. Nevertheless, I'm very much looking forward to surviving a family legacy and carrying this rifle with me this fall. Wish me luck!
I'm mostly a precision rifle guy and this is the only hunting rifle I currently own. It originally belonged to my grandad. I'm not sure where he got it from, but I know that him and one of my uncles went down to Montana once in a while to shop for hunting supplies and fly-tying materials. Presumably grandad bought it down there. He was an avid outdoorsman; the Grizzly print above the rifle was also his from a Ducks Unlimited auction. Before I digress, the rifle has a 4-digit serial number and I believe it was manufactured in 1937. Presumably the rifle was originally chambered in 30-06, but neither my uncle nor I know for sure - at some point it was rechambered for a more "modern" cartridge, the 308 NM. (300 Win Mag may or may not have been invented yet at the time.) I think my uncle gave it to me because he knows I love elk hunting, and two years ago I killed a bull with a 6.5 CM but I told him that next time I should pack something with a little more zest... He felt that and generously gave me an "early inheritance" (including this rifle and a bunch of reloading supplies) on the condition that I reload for his .264 Win Mag indefinitely. That was a pretty good deal for me! Here's another pic of the receiver:
I inherited this rifle with open sights, but I never really thought about the gun as a "collector's piece" because I'm a shooter and a hunter. This isn't a collector's rifle either, and I'm happy about that! The stock is kinda beat up, there's a tiny crack behind the rear tang (not visible in the photo above), and it's not in its original chambering anymore either. I intend on further degrading the condition of this rifle because I wanna use it for its intended purpose and take it out hunting with me!
The rifle came with open/iron sights and I needed a better solution for aiming to ethically harvest game to the best of my abilities. I punched out the rear V-notch sight and replaced it with a new Lyman 57 WJS sight since I couldn't stand forking out the dough for a vintage Lyman 48 sight, and I didn't have the heart to get the rear bridge of the receiver drilled & tapped for a scope mount. It's been fun to learn how to use aperture sights since I'm mostly familiar with modern optics, but it's still a bit of a handicap and I reckon my max range is only ~200 yards on elk sized game. No worries about that though since it's still a major advantage over bow hunting!
The rifle was given to me with dies, thankfully, and some factory ammo as well as reloaded ammo, but it's still a bit of a PITA to feed... I experimented with fire forming brass from 300WM with unsatisfactory results until I was fortunate enough to find factory ammo for it at a reasonable price at my LGS - shoutout to Proline Shooters in YYC! Shooting full-power 180 grain magnum loads from an 8 lb rifle still kicks my ass pretty hard, but it makes me grateful that my generation of hunters don't call each other pussies for not shooting cartridges that really punish ye olde clavicle. Nevertheless, I'm very much looking forward to surviving a family legacy and carrying this rifle with me this fall. Wish me luck!
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I have always loved these rifles in original condition. I finally got my hands on the one I wanted and have a few more in the works over the next while. I bought this one from a well known and respected CGN member, just took some convincing that he wanted to part with it.
Here is my all original 1958 Winchester 70 in 300H&H:
I recently had my paws on two pre war model 70's, one in 300H&H and one in .270. I have a feeling some serious money might be needed to pry them from the owners hands though
