Winchester 70 featherweight, 308... Distance.

S

steve-o1979

Regular
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Nova Scotia
I have a winchester 70 featherweight, in 308, with a leupold VX-3 3.5-10x50 CDS. I know the barrel on a featherweight isn't exactly best suited for long range shooting, and any gun is only as good as the person shooting it... And the longest shooting range I have been to is 100 yards, and the longest shot I have shot at a deer is 150. I'd say I'm an average shot...no sniper by any means.

The dial on the scope is custom for federal power-shok, 180 grain soft point...zeroed at 100 yards, and will turn out to 500 (which I think would be a bit of a stretch for that rifle). Just curious...in theory, of course... What distances do you think the gun would make consistently good shots on a target the size of a deer's vitals ? I know there are many factors involved...wind, etc... But let's use good conditions and a good shooter here, just for a rough estimate of what I could expect. Do I have a good 100 yard gun ?...200?...300, etc.
 
I have a friend who shoots a FWT M70 in 308 and he is now 11 animals wit a second shot on only two - one of those was not needed but he did not know it at the time ( moose didn't fall over right away!) and the second was because of a deflection on the first shot.
Furthest distance was just over 400 on a deer.
I haven't seen a FWT M70 that was not a400 yard killer if the shooter was capable, very nice rifles.
Cat
 
Very cool.
Hunting at over 100 yards isn't normal for me... But there are a couple places I'd like to hunt that are 300 yards or more...but I have been hesitant to set up stands.
I have only had the winchester a month, so I haven't used it hunting yet... But it's a pleasure to shoot at the range. Love it.
 
Its hard to find a bolt action that wouldn't make a 300 yard deer rifle with a factory load it likes. With selected loads or good handloads keeping shots in a kill zone sized target at 500 isn't much of a trick, at least as far as the mechanical accuracy of the rifle is concerned. I've got a couple featherweights (not .308s) that shoot right around the MOA mark at 500, so its unlikely that the gun will be the first part of the equation to let you down.

Your load would be down around 1500 fps at 500, under 900 foot pounds and dealing with nearly 3 feet of 10 mph wind drift. By most standards its good and done as a hunting load at that range.
 
I love me a good Win 70 FWT. I'd say you are definitely good to go out to 450 no problems. Of course, you need to have MANY rounds through the gun first to learn the trajectory and wind drift. Plus you want to have VERY GOOD , VERY CLEAR GLASS to shoot at that distance. I have taken several wolves at between 300-400 yards, but my longest shot on an "eatin" game animal has been 330 (Dall sheep) with a Rem 700 (20" barrel, .308win 165gr Speer Deep Curl over 44.5gr H4895) The gun is more than capable. Just get your skill level to a point where you are just as capable. Find some wide open, NON-GUN RANGE areas to set up some targets at unknown ranges. This will help with your range estimation skills and to learn the drop for the load you choose. Keep it consistent. Use the same ammo. Get a spotting scope/spotter friend to help. Try to shoot from several different field positions. Prone, kneeling, offhand with a support (tree to lean on, quad seat, etc) as you won't have the benefit of a bench in the field. This is one of the biggest pieces of the inaccuracy puzzle. People try to shoot animals (not saying you, just about people in general) but have NEVER shot their rifles in any position but a range bench with a lead sled. Then all of a sudden they don't know how to breathe, or keep the crosshairs steady while in the field.
 
sgt.rock said:
I love me a good Win 70 FWT. I'd say you are definitely good to go out to 450 no problems. Of course, you need to have MANY rounds through the gun first to learn the trajectory and wind drift. Plus you want to have VERY GOOD , VERY CLEAR GLASS to shoot at that distance. I have taken several wolves at between 300-400 yards, but my longest shot on an "eatin" game animal has been 330 (Dall sheep) with a Rem 700 (20" barrel, .308win 165gr Speer Deep Curl over 44.5gr H4895) The gun is more than capable. Just get your skill level to a point where you are just as capable. Find some wide open, NON-GUN RANGE areas to set up some targets at unknown ranges. This will help with your range estimation skills and to learn the drop for the load you choose. Keep it consistent. Use the same ammo. Get a spotting scope/spotter friend to help. Try to shoot from several different field positions. Prone, kneeling, offhand with a support (tree to lean on, quad seat, etc) as you won't have the benefit of a bench in the field. This is one of the biggest pieces of the inaccuracy puzzle. People try to shoot animals (not saying you, just about people in general) but have NEVER shot their rifles in any position but a range bench with a lead sled. Then all of a sudden they don't know how to breathe, or keep the crosshairs steady while in the field.
Click to expand...
That all makes sense. I'd never take a bang that far at an animal anyway, unless I was confident in the shot. I was just kinda looking for a little "heads up". I know some places I can try it out, and soon after I bought the gun, I also bought a leupold 1000i TBR rangefinder. I call the leupold VX-3 decent glass, so I think i'll be ok there. The custom dial is supposed to work pretty good, and that's what I am looking to find out. Just set the range, hold dead-on, and shoot (taking the wind into account, of course). I'm going to try it out on 4 litre water jugs, and if the CDS does it's job, and I can very consistently hit the water jugs, then, and only then would I think of shooting a deer at 250 yards plus.

Thanks for the replies fellas... Much appreciated.
 
My Model 70 Featherweight is a 6.5x55. It will easily shoot 6" groups at 400 yards. Not a tack driver but would definitely kill a deer at that range.
 
My friend had that gun in .308. I was with him once when he shot a buck at 350 yards. A perfect double lung shot. The deer ran straight towards us and he shot it again dead center in the chest and it dropped. We paced it out at 260 yards. With a good rest and a steady hand it's a very accurate rifle.
 
Again, thanks for the replies. This is the kind of things I was hoping to hear. I kinda always wanted a model 70 featherweight just for the model 70 name and the history behind it. And I love the looks of the featherweights. I was hoping I made a decent purchase.
 
I owned one in .30-06 and completely regret selling it. I needed to go all stainless/synthetic (yuck) for my hunting needs up here in the North. The conditions are just too extreme in winter to use any pretty blued metal and wooden stocks. I RUINED a rifle up here about 5 years ago (Ruger tang safety blue/wood) after a terrible 6 day hunt..............boat ran out of gas, ended up camping on a rocky island for 2 days (sleeping UNDER the boat we pulled on land and turned over) while it snowed continuously. Then I ended up walking in the snow for a day through the worst , thickest brush to get back to the truck. It looked like the gun was dragged to the hunting site behind my truck. SS/Syn just doesn't give me those problems. I cannot wait to move back down south, and get some pretty guns again. I miss wood.
 
sgt.rock said:
I owned one in .30-06 and completely regret selling it. I needed to go all stainless/synthetic (yuck) for my hunting needs up here in the North. The conditions are just too extreme in winter to use any pretty blued metal and wooden stocks. I RUINED a rifle up here about 5 years ago (Ruger tang safety blue/wood) after a terrible 6 day hunt..............boat ran out of gas, ended up camping on a rocky island for 2 days (sleeping UNDER the boat we pulled on land and turned over) while it snowed continuously. Then I ended up walking in the snow for a day through the worst , thickest brush to get back to the truck. It looked like the gun was dragged to the hunting site behind my truck. SS/Syn just doesn't give me those problems. I cannot wait to move back down south, and get some pretty guns again. I miss wood.
Click to expand...
I hear ya there... Seems like around here every deer season is when the weather turns to ####. Rains steady. I'll wrap this gun in a tarp lol... I'm used to my Thompson center venture... I drag that thing through everything.
 
sgt.rock said:
I owned one in .30-06 and completely regret selling it. I needed to go all stainless/synthetic (yuck) for my hunting needs up here in the North. The conditions are just too extreme in winter to use any pretty blued metal and wooden stocks. I RUINED a rifle up here about 5 years ago (Ruger tang safety blue/wood) after a terrible 6 day hunt..............boat ran out of gas, ended up camping on a rocky island for 2 days (sleeping UNDER the boat we pulled on land and turned over) while it snowed continuously. Then I ended up walking in the snow for a day through the worst , thickest brush to get back to the truck. It looked like the gun was dragged to the hunting site behind my truck. SS/Syn just doesn't give me those problems. I cannot wait to move back down south, and get some pretty guns again. I miss wood.
Click to expand...

Use Renaissance Wax or Johnson's Paste Wax on gun metal and stock. Cover with Boesheild on the metal and Breakfree CLP in the action and everything should be fairly well-protected except perhaps the bore.
 
Have one in 30-06 ..... Leupold 'compact' fixed 6x
A real pleasure to carry and shoot.
This little gun 'likes' a 180g Partition ...
Bought this rifle in '82 .....

Buddy has his in .308 .... Leupold 'compact' 4x
He's taken a number of moose with his ...

Both are excellent rifles .....
 
We are in the Okanagan and there is a lot of slash here due to logging pine beetle kill , the deer are wise thy don't venture to far out into the cut block early morning or evening. Up at our little Ranch I pack a winchester feather light in 270 winchester shooting 130 gr. partitions. The rifle rests in a McMillian pillar beded stock olive drab with stippling and it's got the slender feel of the feather weight and the traditional European Schnbel free floated. She shoots ok and the ranges here are 100-500 I'm zeroed for 200 cause at 100 bout an inch+1/4 200 smack on and 300 + a little hod over or cross hairs on the top of the shoulder,works good. Was a big fan of Jack O'Conner got my sheep with the 270 but after all said and done with heavier wht. Bullets it's nothing more than a necked down 30/06 did notice it ruins a little more meat almost like a 7mm must try different bullet construction. Been saying that for years lol!
 
Why even ask the question? If you want to shoot at long range, put out some targets and see what happens. You might be surprised. Choose a style of shooting that's reasonable for the type of rifle you have. If you shoot groups, shoot 3 round groups, allowing a enough time for that light contoured barrel to cool between groups. This provides a good opportunity to see how allowing the barrel to cool between shots, and shooting from a hot barrel affects the precision of your particular rifle. You might want to fire a slow 5 shot group, followed by a fast 5 shot group just to satisfy your curiosity. Sometimes experiencing things for yourself is better than making assumptions after reading an article in a gun magazine or thread on the internet. You might prefer to put out multiple targets, and engage each with a single round, giving the barrel time to cool between shots. Rather than by group size, you determine your score by the difference between your intended and your actual point of impact, which relates more to game shooting than group size does anyway .

Your rifle's precision at any given range is a poor measure for the maximum range at which game should be engaged. The maximum range that game should be engaged is the range at which you can with some measure of certainty hit. What can you do at the range on demand, with no warm up of fouling shot allows you to form a reasonable expectation of your performance in the field.

Mechanical precision and field marksmanship are two different things. Consider your field shooting position for a moment. Your best shooting scores will be those shot from prone, then as you choose the higher positions of sitting, kneeling, and off hand, they become less stable and your marksmanship suffers. Yet in typical hunting scenarios, prone is seldom used because of intervening obstacles that prevent you from seeing the target, or because the hunter doesn't want to lie in the mud and water.

Lets assume you can shoot MOA from prone, but shoot 2 MOA from sitting, 3 MOA from kneeling, and 4 MOA from off hand. Under favorable conditions, a quartering away deer at 500 yards is doable from prone, but is it an ethical shot when you have to shoot from sitting or kneeling? Environmental conditions limit your marksmanship as well, obviously if fog, rain, or snow prevent you from seeing the target you won't be able to hit it, and you don't shoot until you can identify your target. If the wind is gusting, you have two problems to solve, first is the drift of the bullet, which is no problem at all if you are being buffeted to the extent that you can't hold on target.

With respect to the multiple aiming points in your reticle, shoot to confirm they are true with your rifle, your ammunition, your location, and the climatic conditions that day. They might be bang on, they probably are, but you don't know if you don't confirm it.
 
Boomer said:
Why even ask the question? If you want to shoot at long range, put out some targets and see what happens. You might be surprised. Choose a style of shooting that's reasonable for the type of rifle you have. If you shoot groups, shoot 3 round groups, allowing a enough time for that light contoured barrel to cool between groups. This provides a good opportunity to see how allowing the barrel to cool between shots, and shooting from a hot barrel affects the precision of your particular rifle. You might want to fire a slow 5 shot group, followed by a fast 5 shot group just to satisfy your curiosity. Sometimes experiencing things for yourself is better than making assumptions after reading an article in a gun magazine or thread on the internet. You might prefer to put out multiple targets, and engage each with a single round, giving the barrel time to cool between shots. Rather than by group size, you determine your score by the difference between your intended and your actual point of impact, which relates more to game shooting than group size does anyway .

Your rifle's precision at any given range is a poor measure for the maximum range at which game should be engaged. The maximum range that game should be engaged is the range at which you can with some measure of certainty hit. What can you do at the range on demand, with no warm up of fouling shot allows you to form a reasonable expectation of your performance in the field.

Mechanical precision and field marksmanship are two different things. Consider your field shooting position for a moment. Your best shooting scores will be those shot from prone, then as you choose the higher positions of sitting, kneeling, and off hand, they become less stable and your marksmanship suffers. Yet in typical hunting scenarios, prone is seldom used because of intervening obstacles that prevent you from seeing the target, or because the hunter doesn't want to lie in the mud and water.

Lets assume you can shoot MOA from prone, but shoot 2 MOA from sitting, 3 MOA from kneeling, and 4 MOA from off hand. Under favorable conditions, a quartering away deer at 500 yards is doable from prone, but is it an ethical shot when you have to shoot from sitting or kneeling? Environmental conditions limit your marksmanship as well, obviously if fog, rain, or snow prevent you from seeing the target you won't be able to hit it, and you don't shoot until you can identify your target. If the wind is gusting, you have two problems to solve, first is the drift of the bullet, which is no problem at all if you are being buffeted to the extent that you can't hold on target.

With respect to the multiple aiming points in your reticle, shoot to confirm they are true with your rifle, your ammunition, your location, and the climatic conditions that day. They might be bang on, they probably are, but you don't know if you don't confirm it.
Click to expand...

Why ask the question ?... Because I wanted to hear others' experiences with the rifle. I plan on trying it out for myself, as I already said... And wouldn't shoot at an animal at any range unless I was confident in the shot... I don't care if it's 300 yards, or 50 yards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom