Thoughts on the Winchester model 70 featherweight?

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Aabradsh

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Good evening guys

I’m looking at a used Winchester model 70 featherweight. Does anyone have experience with these rifles? This one is in very good shape and quite reasonably priced. I handled one years ago and was fairly impressed by the fit and finish. Are people getting decent accuracy out of these? Are there any odd quirks I might want to know about?

Thank you
 
I owned 3 of them years ago..270 win,30-06 and 300 win mag. All of them shot under 1 inch with handloads easily and bedding the recoil lug. All were walnut stocked and push feed. The only thing I didnt like on them was the trigger as they could only be set to roughly 3 pounds or so. But all in all great rifles and I wish I had kept the 300 win mag one.
 
great rifles push feed or crf,there was also the light weight model made in the 80s that was same as feather weight except for the stock.Winchester had worked out all the flaws of the post 64 model70s by early 1970 but had a hard time getting back in the market after the 1964 cost cutting measures.
The 70 and 80 saw some real nice push feed model 70 rifles manufactured and are highly undervalued and great hunting rifles ,cant go wrong in my opinion.
 
Over the last 30 years or so, I have owned a pre 64 fwt in 308, three push feed fwt's (30-06 & 7mm mauser), and a classic fwt in 30-06. All were well made and good shooters. I don't think they should be named FEATHERweights, though, as none of them were very light.
 
I have one in .30/06, a fairly recent Portugal made/assembled one.

The Good:
Decent trigger.
Accurate
Action is very smooth.
Light & nicely balanced with the scope mounted.
Fits me ok, ( I'm 6' ) though the grip could be a little more open.

The Bad:
Nothing really.

The Ugly:
Most of my complaints are cosmetic.
Plastic grip cap. Really?
Stock is kind of plain, appears to be stained a reddish colour.
3-position safety. After having tried a couple of them, I've concluded that I don't really like the M70 style safety. Personal choice.
Not a fan of Schnabel forends either.
Free floated barrel is generously free floated.


Overall it's very good for current production factory rifle.
 
huntingfamily said:
Good rifles, push feed or crf
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My experience as well. The push feeds are undervalued, quite accurate, and run smoother than the CRF versions. My last FWT was a new "pre-'64" model in 6.5x55mm that I let go to buy an engagement ring. I'm glad she's "the one", because that one stung. Nice wood, well-finished, plenty accurate as a hunting rifle.

The other M70 I have is a push-feed Ranger model with Featherweight contour barrel. It's a .30-06 and kicks like a howitzer, but is astonishingly accurate. After hundreds of rounds fired, the last series of groups I fired from it with my 165 SST handloads went .646 MOA. That's the average of 5, 3-shot groups. Not bad for a 7 pound hunting rifle (sissy pad required!).
 
mikeyb said:
My experience as well. The push feeds are undervalued, quite accurate, and run smoother than the CRF versions. My last FWT was a new "pre-'64" model in 6.5x55mm that I let go to buy an engagement ring. I'm glad she's "the one", because that one stung. Nice wood, well-finished, plenty accurate as a hunting rifle.

The other M70 I have is a push-feed Ranger model with Featherweight contour barrel. It's a .30-06 and kicks like a howitzer, but is astonishingly accurate. After hundreds of rounds fired, the last series of groups I fired from it with my 165 SST handloads went .646 MOA. That's the average of 5, 3-shot groups. Not bad for a 7 pound hunting rifle (sissy pad required!).
Click to expand...



haha same experience also!

I didnt like to shoot it so sold it, but it was a very well made exquisite finish on it.
 
Funny, I never noticed the recoil of my first two, which were both 30-06's, when I was a young guy.
I sold the classic crf (5 digit serial number) 30-06 about 4 years ago because I found the recoil brutal. It was the best finished and most accurate one of them all, but I dreaded the kick.
Before anybody questions it, I have no problem shooting lighter, bigger cartridge rifles of other manufactures, so I am presuming it was something due to the stock design.
 
I've had Pre '64s, push feeds and the new BACO versions and liked every single one. No complaints other than that the rifle/stock is just a little undersized for me. My hand wants to be right where the Schnable dingus end is lol.

But they're great guns.

My personal fav is the pre '64 because its more the size/heft I want a rifle to be, even a shorter, lighter one. But wear eye pro with those things. There ain't really anything between yer peepers and the blown primer/cracked case.
 
The newer CFR rifles are nearly perfect for me, yes they could be lighter, but they are not too bad.
Only thing I would change on them is I like the old style simple trigger mechanism better.
 
Aabradsh said:
Good evening guys

I’m looking at a used Winchester model 70 featherweight. Does anyone have experience with these rifles? This one is in very good shape and quite reasonably priced. I handled one years ago and was fairly impressed by the fit and finish. Are people getting decent accuracy out of these? Are there any odd quirks I might want to know about?

Thank you
Click to expand...

what are you planning to do with the rifle and in what caliber?
 
Never had a reason to wish a Win 70 PF was a CRF, ever. They're often cheaper in comparable shape because of the value placed on the Mauser claw, too. Guess you never know when you have to deal with a feral, rabid, charging whitetail while you're hanging upside down from the tree you climbed to escape from it. Although they seem to feed and function just fine upside down lol.

That said, the pre 64 Featherweight in 308 wearing a good synthetic stock is about my ideal "do everything" rifle that can serve in just about all capacities. Wear eye pro :p A push feed sporter with the irons on it would be a dang nice second place.
 
Actually, I've had the push feed extractor on a model 70 fail on a hunt, good thing I didn't need my second shot! That said, I wouldn't use that as an excuse for not taking one on another hunt.

I've had pre 64 M-70 Featherweights and post 64 in push feed and CRF and while I liked them all the only Featherweight left in my safe is the pre-64 Featherweight in 270.
 
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