Thoughts on the Winchester model 70 featherweight?

[Pat Brennan]

One is in a mcmillan compact edge stock, the other is a Pacific Research stock. (Jim Cloward design, the precursor to the Rimrock stock) Within an ounce of each other at 23-24 ounces.

 

[philthygeezer]

The only thing that’s really wrong with the Winchester Model Featherweight is that it’s really not a featherweight.

Ted

McMilllan makes the perfect peanut butter for this chocolate.

IMO the Model 70 could not have landed in better hands than FNH. Great manufacturer. If one buys new one, then one will sell all the discount factory-to-landfill stuff

 

[JIVENS]

Had a newer 300win mag with composite stock, it beat the piss outta me. Had a pre 64 270 I regret selling.

 

[NAA]

Winchester Model 70 Featherweights

Have a pre '64 in .30-06 and a post '64 push feed in 6.5x55mm.

Love 'em both.

---------
NAA.

 

[brutforc]

I have 3.
280 push feed. Restocked to Brown Precision.
270 crf. Beautiful wood from the 280 above.
300wsm crf. Plain wood. Unfired.
All guns pillar bedded. Decelerator pads.
All guns 2.5x8 Leupold. Weaver bases, Burris Zee rings.
Happy with mine.

 

[WhelanLad]

fwiw if i was too cart a wood rifle in the bush again id chose the fwt mod70 for sure, 308. boomshuckalucka.. good guns, i like em

 

[Falconflyer]

We're 1-1! The only M-70 to give me trouble on a hunt was a CRF Featherweight in 6.5 CM lol.

How do you like the Fwt in 270?

I like it a lot, but then again I've always been partial to pre-64 M70's.
I purchased the rifle for cheap as a fixer upper, it was looking pretty rough but I refinished the stock, touched up the blueing, bedded the action and tuned the trigger a bit and it looks real good now. As rough as the rifle looked at first, the bore was in nice condition and it even still had the front sight hood that is missing on so many of these rifles. I've loaded 130 grain Bergers and 130 Acubonds as well as 150 grain GameKings and it can put 3 shots inside an inch at 100 yards with all 3 bullet types.

 

[Potashminer]

I like it a lot, but then again I've always been partial to pre-64 M70's.
I purchased the rifle for cheap as a fixer upper, it was looking pretty rough but I refinished the stock, touched up the blueing, bedded the action and tuned the trigger a bit and it looks real good now. As rough as the rifle looked at first, the bore was in nice condition and it even still had the front sight hood that is missing on so many of these rifles. I've loaded 130 grain Bergers and 130 Acubonds as well as 150 grain GameKings and it can put 3 shots inside an inch at 100 yards with all 3 bullet types.

Hello - I am curious to know how you did that "touch up" - I have tried with several rifles here - various brands of cold blue - Oxpho from Brownells, Super Blue from Birchwood Casey, something with brand name "Stag" (I think) - I no longer have any of that last stuff on hand - was not worth to replace, I thought - all faded after several years - after 10 years, some look as if never were finished at all - so I am looking for "touch up" bluing ideas that last - if there is such a thing. For now, I think "cold blue" has to be re-done every year or two - but maybe I am doing it wrong (I warm up the metal with an air heat gun, then follow package directions), or have not found a good product, yet.

 

[Falconflyer]

The cold blue that I used on this rifle is called Black magic and it works as well or maybe a bit better than some others I've tried. I never had much luck with Birchwood Casey and I can't remember the others that I've used. A bottle lasts me a long long time when I'm mostly doing screw heads and such! The color of the metal after the Black Magic treatment seems to be better than Birchwood Casey.
To be clear, it doesn't cover rubbed off origional blueing completely but rather just makes the marks less noticable and the blueing on this rifle wasn't that bad in th first place. I can still see the touched up places on the barrel but you don't really notice them at a glance. I usually warm the metal too, then give a quick rub with 0000 steel wool then redo a couple more times. I did this particular rifle probably 5 years ago and the bluing hasn't really faded yet that I can tell. Definately not a showpiece after touching up but still well worth the effort.

 

[DGY]

I own a made-in-1955 M70 in 30-06. I bought new in a store a 308 Win XTR in 1976. I also have a "Sporter Magnum" - push feed in 338 Win Mag - made in 1983, I think. And a made-in-1982 Winchester Westerner in 22-250. I have not owned one of those that were made in Portugal or South Carolina. External extractors on the 1955 is spring steel - later ones are reputed to be very soft metal - can bend into an "L" with your hands. Open type triggers on the 1955 and the push feeds - enclosed in a box triggers on the newer ones. And so on. For sure, the general outline and visual, and the brand, might be similar - I guess that is what sells. But they are very different in their details - in their construction - that stuff likely does NOT sell well, as it appears many buyers do not know or care.

Perhaps I am getting jaded in old age, but the M70's, I think - are like many other products - terrific reputation based on what they made in 50's and 60's - then inflation pressure or whatever created a push to reduce production costs - most all changes than go to Marketing who convince the new buyer that the "cheaper to make" is actually "better" - is an "improvement" over what used to be. Often "modern" management is cashing in on a previous generation's hard work to create a reputation - is now being "mined" for the last nickel - then move on and acquire a next company/brand ...

Today, Weaver, Tasco, Redfield, Bushnell, Simmons and perhaps other scope brands owned by same company - not really "competitors" as in the past. FN owns Winchester arms and Browning arms - not exactly "competeing" with each other, except to benefit their owners in some way. None of those items being made by same people, same tooling, same plants as in the "old days", so past experience means about nothing regarding them. Is hard to accept that an item that has given you reliable and dependable service for 30 plus years, CAN NOT BE REPLACED. Even if the brand of the thing still exists, it is NOT the same as what you bought back then.

Something as mundane as metal files - when I apprenticed, the tradesmen insisted the Nicholson files were the "ONLY" files to work with, where we were. Made in USA - about "perfect" for what we did. So when I retired, I "splurged" and bought a Nicholson set for myself - not even all made in same country - some are stamped "Made in Mexico", some are "Made in Brazil" - wavy sides, uneven teeth - but they do have the Nicholson brand and logo on them.

Bravo!! That is a good explanation on how our manufacturing in general work! Same name, for exemple The North Face, great reputation so you think it is still the same as 30 years ago but it ain’t!!