Question - Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Compact 30-06?

I would recommend buying the regular featherweight and having the stock professionally shortened and a recoil pad installed. That would be your cheapest route. I've often considered doing just that. I don't have the money or the time at the present moment but maybe in 15 years when the kids move out.
 
Why not? said:
The most important thing to remember about the Winchester Featherweight rifles is that none of them are featherwights.

Ted
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True,...the M70 Featherweight was a "featherweight" in 1952 when it was introduced,....today?....not so much.

A lot of new off the rack rifles will be a full two pounds lighter than the M70 Fwt., some much lighter.
 
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I wish FN/Winchester would come out with a new stock for the Featherweight. Has been 35+ years with the current design. I like the "Featherweight/Super-Grade" stock they had on the Cabela's 50th Anniversary rifle or the Jack O'Connor edition rifles. At least get rid of that ugly schnabel tip. Swear I'm going to sand it off my 7X57 FWT one day.
 
I am with longbranch* on that one, though I do not mind the current stock.
Last fwt I got (270) was 6lb 13 ounces, IIRC. Not the lightest rifle but a very fair trade-off to get a model 70! Rifles can be too light to shoot well, for me at least. Been there, done that!
 
the 308 is a short action were the 30 06 is a long action ,I am not sure if thy did make a feather weight in a long action thy may have ,,,I would look at the ruger ultra lights if I was looking for a new rig ,,A rem model 7 is a lot lighter then the 70 FW ,,,Dutch
 
longbranch* said:
I wish FN/Winchester would come out with a new stock for the Featherweight. Has been 35+ years with the current design. I like the "Featherweight/Super-Grade" stock they had on the Cabela's 50th Anniversary rifle or the Jack O'Connor edition rifles. At least get rid of that ugly schnabel tip. Swear I'm going to sand it off my 7X57 FWT one day.
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I hear you Longbranch, I have had serious thoughts about loping the Schnabel tip off my featherweight and replacing it with a nice piece of ebony. The Jack O'Conner rifles had a good stock design but a very poor finish, at least the one a handled did. Couldn't bring myself to part with that much money for a gun I was going to have to take home and refinish.

To answer the ops question about converting the 308 to an 30-06, I think your going to have a action length issue. The 308 I believe is built on a short action and the 06 a long action.
 
dutchhunter said:
the 308 is a short action were the 30 06 is a long action ,I am not sure if thy did make a feather weight in a long action thy may have ,,,I would look at the ruger ultra lights if I was looking for a new rig ,,A rem model 7 is a lot lighter then the 70 FW ,,,Dutch
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I had a 1955 model 70 Featherweight in 30-06 cal. Nice walnut stock and no schnabel tip on the forestock.
 
dutchhunter said:
the 308 is a short action were the 30 06 is a long action ,I am not sure if thy did make a feather weight in a long action thy may have ,,,I would look at the ruger ultra lights if I was looking for a new rig ,,A rem model 7 is a lot lighter then the 70 FW ,,,Dutch
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Actually, I think Winchester only made one length of action, had a .243, magazine spacer and longer bolt retainer to limit bolt travel, I think. Been a few years. :)

Grizz
 
dutchhunter said:
the 308 is a short action were the 30 06 is a long action ,I am not sure if thy did make a feather weight in a long action thy may have ,,,I would look at the ruger ultra lights if I was looking for a new rig ,,A rem model 7 is a lot lighter then the 70 FW ,,,Dutch
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Double, sorry.
 
Well I know if I line up my M-70 243 over my M-70 30-06. The 30-06 has a longer action. That's kinda telling me a fella couldn't convert the 243 (308) to a 30-06 as you just don't have the action length and metal to that. Not unless you have an action metal stretcher!!
 
We're talking two different rifles here gentlemen. The mod 70 ftrwt COMPACT, only comes in a short action and 20" barrel and shortened stock. My boy bought one for his "significant other" in 308, and it shoots very well. The standard ftrwt comes with 22 and 24" barrels with some short and some long actions...........very oddly my 325 WSM is on a blocked LA and not a short one, which I thought was very odd as the whole point of the WSM line up was to attain LA magnum performance from a short action..........go figure. One could come close to a ftrwt compact by just shortening the stock and barrel on an '06 ftrwt, but it wouldn't truly be a compact with the long action.
Now what you could do is convert a 308 to a 300 WSM and attain '06 ballistics from a short action and 20" barrel...............and still have a real compact.........OR a 30-6.5 Rem Mag.....
 
hometownhero said:
I have a fn made fwt(30-06) and compared to my fn made supergrade (7mm-08) the fwt is lighter
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Yes, it is, but it is certainly not a Featherweight. Rembo hit it squarely on the head with his earlier post, #4 in this thread.

Rembo said:
True,...the M70 Featherweight was a "featherweight" in 1952 when it was introduced,....today?....not so much.

A lot of new off the rack rifles will be a full two pounds lighter than the M70 Fwt., some much lighter.
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Ted
 
Bought a new featherweight last fall, it is walnut/stainless 24" barrel and chambered in the .270wsm, love everything about it including its weight and Schnabel forend. Hope they don't change them if you don't like the forend buy the Super Grade, Sporter, Safari Express, Alaskan or one of the many synthetics. The weight difference is very minimal on most models. Man its accurate with factory loads can't wait to hand load for it.
 
What's wrong with the compact FWT in 308W. The question asked all most zeros in on the 308 vs 30-06 again. I have the compact in 308W and other rifles in 30-06, for Moose& deer the smaller caliber is just fine.
enjoy
 
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