Winchester Model 70 Manufacturer.

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1

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Looking at a CRF Model 70 for a donor action for a build and want one of the newer CRF actions. I was wondering, is there any difference in quality between the last New Haven rifles, the South Carolina mane ones, or the new Portugal made ones? I understand the Portuguese ones are supposed to be the best Model 70's made in years.

How are each make marked?

All I remember about the one I looked at was it was marked "Made in USA" on the receiver and something about Morgan Utah on the barrel.

Thanks.
 
I've owned all three. (several of the NH ones and 2 FN guns when they restarted Win production in South Carolina. ) Only one of the Portugal ones so far. In my honest opinion. It is pretty much a tie regarding the last 2 versions. (If I had to choose 1, it would be the FN versions. Just because they were IMHO the nicest I've ever held. Near perfect. ) The New Haven ones, although good, were kinda hit-n-miss, mainly due to an unruly, unreliable , troublemaking unionized plant that never really got a rhythm going regarding production. I liked the ones I owned, but saw 2 that good friends owned, and they had some issues. Can't really go wrong with any of the later guns , I.E. FN made and assembled, or FN made and Portugal assembled. I would give a score of 98% for FN , 95% for Portugal made, and 85-90% for New Haven guns. Of course, really, any of the 3 actions would be good for a donor gun.
 
I've long been a fan of M70s but they sure never made it easy to be one. Great design and crap execution for
decades. After the move to SC the quality finally caught up with the design. Even got rid of that 2 piece floor-plate at the same time. I've got 4 of them now.
 
The new Model 70's are, in many respects, the best ever with some qualifiers. I have seen some bolts where an error was made in the location of the extractor groove on the bolt head. It was too far forward which located the extractor too far from the boltface and almost eliminated primary extraction. BAACO refuses to acknowledge this. The other flaw exists only with the Super Grade models which are over polished with the polishing exceedingly poorly done. Corners are rounded off and surfaces are wavy. Apart from these things, the actions are excellent ones and I would be happy to use one (not a Super Grade) providing the bolt was properly machined. BTW, I like the trigger and consider it to be an improvement over the original.
 
I have one from 5 ish years ago. Made in the us of a. Bought a supergrade made in Portugal gf also bout a fwt made in Portugal they fit, finish, and accuracy of these blow the USA one I have out of the water. They are smoother actions, lighter triggers even after adjusting, bluing is nice and glossy. Wood is fantastic.
 
I've fallen in love with the current production (even Portugal ) made Winnies. I just sold (son needed a Remmy 700 .308) my latest FW .308 from Portugal. It was a shooter even after shooting 1 booolit in 30 minutes for a 2 hour period. All three shots were around a quarter (25 cents) and I'm happy with that for Ontario whitetail season. This FW was fondler but I had to sell it... :eek:

I just wish they made a Featherweight in a .260 Rem....

Cheers, :wave:

Barney
 
The general consensus is that South Carolina and Portugal rifles are of better quality than the New Haven ones. Columbia, South Carolina is FN's primary military firearms manufacturing facility, where they have been manufacturing everything from the M16 to the MK-19 automatic grenade launcher since the 1980's. Likewise, the Viana, Portugal plant has been around for decades. FN makes or assembles all sorts of firearms there, from the Hi-Power pistol to various Browning hunting rifles and shotguns.
 
LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1 said:
Looking at a CRF Model 70 for a donor action for a build and want one of the newer CRF actions. I was wondering, is there any difference in quality between the last New Haven rifles, the South Carolina mane ones, or the new Portugal made ones? I understand the Portuguese ones are supposed to be the best Model 70's made in years.

How are each make marked?

All I remember about the one I looked at was it was marked "Made in USA" on the receiver and something about Morgan Utah on the barrel.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I think boydds makes them, and clear your messages, can't reply lol
 
I have 2 - M70 Winchesters. One is an earlier PF Featherweight in 7x57, Not a bad little rifle, in a very desirable chambering to me.
It is a decent shooter, with 1 moa or slightly better groups the norm. One load stands out [140 AB and Reloder 17]
I also have a recent CRF model in 325 WSM. I am a Remington 700 nut, but this M70 is one of the more accurate out of box rifles I
Own, regularly turning in groups under ¾ moa, with one bullet [196 Norma Dual Core] consistently shooting well under that.
I have nothing but praise for the fit and finish of this M70. I am also happy to see they have abandoned that half-baked bedding
compound they used for years. Eagleye.
 
I owned an early 70's push feed which gave me many decades of reliable service. Sold it when the FN's came along. Have 3 FN's. 243 FW, 75th anniversary SG in 30-06, Alaskan in 375 H&H. Also have one pre 64 in 300 H&H. I would say the FN's are some of the best M-70's produced. I can not make comment on the Portugal ones as I have never seen one. From the commentary in this thread it sounds like their also of high quality.
Your request was which one would possible make the best donor action. Well I would say one aspect to look at would be which period of the model 70 actions had the best metal in them? The pre 64 or the FN's/Portugal. Also, I would suspect it would be easier to find an available pre 64 action than one of the newer production ones.
 
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