Rifle Question

ealid · 06-26-2003, 12:40 AM

Hello. I have a little problem I need some help with...My grandfather gave me his rifle a few years ago. It is a Winchester Model 70 Pre-64 .30-06. However, when he bought it, he had an 18 inch barrel put on it for hunting in the Northeast (when rifles were legal). I live out west and would like to use it for two hunts I drew for this fall (elk and antlope). I shot a deer at 10 yards with it in 1999, but it is simple not accurate enough for anything over 250 yards. It drops around 30-40 inches at 300 yards. I am no expert, but everything I have read, this is not the norm. I am looking for a barrel that is around 24 inches for this gun. I bought one on E-Bay, but it ooks like it will not fit on my stock without major work or even a new stock, which I really don' t want to do because I want to keep it as close to as when my grandfather gave it to me. It is in really good condition. It has three scratches on the stock from when it was in my friends truck when it rolled off the side of the hill. (We jumped out.) Anyway, the barel on there now has approx. 1 1/2" of barrel which tapers down to the normal barrel size all the way to the end. What I need is a barrel of this shape that will easily change out with the existing one. I really appreciate any info or help anyone has. Thanks.

diyj98 · 06-26-2003, 05:07 AM

Normally installing a Model 70 barrel isn' t a do-it-yourself job unless you' ve got the tools and gunsmithing experience. Take the rifle to a decent gunsmith and he' ll be able to find and install a barrel for you.

ealid · 06-26-2003, 10:07 AM

Sorry I didn' t clarify that. I absolutely plan on taking it to a gunsmith after I find a barrel. I have taken it to a few and they don' t know where to find a barrel like the one on the gun. Thanks!

Nomercy · 06-26-2003, 11:12 PM

NEVER EVER EVER put your serials online, I could call the police right now and say I had a pre-64 stolen and give them the serials, say I know who took it and send them your way!! It' d be your word against mine then, and hard to prove your case when I have the serials to a gun and reported it stolen, you have them too, but you have the gun so you stole it and just read it then, I had it written down in my fire-safe.....

ealid · 06-26-2003, 11:19 PM

Thanks. I didn' t think of that. I deleted it from the original post. Better late than never.

8mm/06 · 06-27-2003, 12:02 AM

I' d find the smith I wanted to use and ask him/her if they could set you up with a good Winchester (or other rifle) in an elk/antelope worthy caliber. Or look for one on the open market. See if the difference in price between changing out your granddad' s rifle and buying the second firearm is do-able. My guess is that you wouldn' t spend that much more to obtain a second firearm for the cabinet,.. maybe an extra $125?... and in the meantime, you' d keep granddad' s rifle original for thicker woods hunting. It' s up to you and your pocketbook. I would think you' d be able to pick up a servicable used rifle for $275- $325. I don' t know what it would cost to swap out the correct barrel...obviously less....... but how much less? Maybe some others in the " biz" can jump in with some advice.