There is a pretty good writeup on them in January Rifle magazine..no picture of the new trigger but they show some of the changes they made to the X bolt and I think they are for the better. Based on what I saw of the X bolt Thompson Center is going to wish they never spent that R&D money on the Icon. Darn these companies keep putting out products faster and faster ..I don't know how the average Mom and Pop shop can stock even a representative number of all the new stuff that is heavily advertised these days. Wait I have the answer ....they can't.

I'm going to have to pick up that copy of the magazine. I let my subscription expire on that one

Heres to hoping the Mod 70's are a better product than the Icon...blahhhh. Those Mod 70's look like good stuff...I may have to try one.

Gotta love those Model 70's but... their MSRP are too high IMO. Time will tell though.

Good attempt at humor on your part A sharpened garden stake may be better then an Icon. This sort of thing(Icon and Kimber) are what happened when Winchester folded , there was a big vacumn and these two companies thought they would fill it with their products. I want to look over a 70 when they come out and if I like it I will buy it probably in a 300 win or something along those lines. I like the stainless model with the B&C stock shouldn't be too bad.

Heres some info on the new model 70:

Morgan, Utah – The Winchester Model 70 is one of the most respected bolt-action rifle designs in the world. Winchester Repeating Arms is excited to announce the return of the Model 70 for 2008. The All-American Model 70s will be built by American craftsmen in Columbia, South Carolina, at the same state-of-the-art factory (FN Manufacturing) as the rifles and machine guns used by America’s Armed Forces. They are made to the exact ISO 9001 standard of quality that the U.S. Government insists upon for military firearms.

For 2008 the new Model 70 has the all new M.O.A.™ Trigger System, improved fit and finish and enhanced accuracy to go along with its classic Pre-64 Controlled Round Feeding, Three-Position safety and solid, sure handling.

M.O.A. ™ Trigger System: The new Model 70 M.O.A. Trigger System is the most precise three-lever trigger system ever offered to sportsmen. Operating on a simple pivoting lever principle the trigger mechanism has been completely redesigned to exhibit zero take up, zero creep and zero overtravel. The pull weight ranges from 3 to 5 pounds and is factory-set at 3 ¾ pounds. Because of the enhanced ergonomics, wide smooth triggerpiece and 2:1 mechanical advantage created by the unique design geometry, it actually feels like half that weight.

Three-Position Safety: The improved three-position safety on the new Model 70 has proven effective and highly popular with hunters and shooters for decades. Convenient to operate with the thumb of the firing hand, the Model 70 safety lifts the firing pin away from the sear. When the safety selector is in the middle position, the action can still be operated, allowing unfired cartridges to be cycled with the safety on.
Hammer-Forged Barrel: Model 70 barrels are cold hammer-forged from a solid billet of steel for accuracy and long life. Massive rotary hammers shape the barrel steel around a mandrel to create the rifling. The barrel is threaded, target crowned and installed on the receiver. The chamber is then reamed and the bolt is headspaced. This results in 1 MOA accuracy for three-shot groups using properly managed barrel, quality match ammo and superior optics under ideal weather and range conditions.

Blade-Type Ejector: The Model 70’s blade-type ejector allows full control when ejecting a fired case. When pulling the bolt back slowly the empty case pops out gently; which is perfect for target shooters and varminters. Pulling the bolt back smartly allows the empty case to clear the port with greater force. The blade-type ejector helps to eliminate short-stroking malfunctions.|

The new Winchester Model 70 will be offered in a Super Grade, Featherweight™ Deluxe, Sporter Deluxe and Extreme Weather SS models for 2008. All will feature a thick black Pachmayr® Decelerator® pad that will help take the bite out of recoil.

The Super Grade will be offered in 30-06 Sprg. And 300 Win. Mag and will feature a fancy grade walnut stock with contrasting black fore-end tip and pistol grip cap and a sculpted shadowline cheekpiece. Suggested retail is $1,149.00.
The Featherweight Deluxe has an angled comb walnut stock with Schnabel fore-end and satin finish with elegant cut checkering. It will be offered in popular long and short action calibers, including WSM chambering. Suggested retail is $999.00 to $1,049.00.

The Sporter Deluxe features a satin finished walnut stock with cut checkering on trim fore-end and pistol grip, along with a sculpted cheekpiece. It will be available in popular long action and short action WSM calibers. Suggested retail is $999.00 to $1,049.00.

The Extreme Weather SS‘s premium Bell and Carlson composite stock features a trim, light feel with textured matte surface that gives a sure grip in any conditions. The Extreme Weather SS has a free floating, fluted stainless barrel to help minimize weight. It will be available in popular long action and short action WSM calibers. Suggested retail is $1,149.00 to $1,199.00.

Here is a link to see how the new trigger works on the 70.

http://outdoorlife.blogs.com/thegunshots/2007/10/winchester-mode.html

BugsnBows says the MSRP is too high. Like most products sold in USA, the MSRP is probably artificially inflated because we love to see the discount price next to the retail price. We think we are getting a good deal taht way but after the discounting, we are probably paying what the item is worth anyway.
Also if the gun were as nicely blued, tuned and stocked as those old model 70's, they would be alot more expensive than the current ones. Guns are really cheap now compared to the old days. A colt single action used to cost 2 months average salary on the old west. That is 4 to 5000 bucksat today's average salary. Every old gun crank ( or guitar player, or car nut) likes to sayhow cheap model 70's, stratocasters, and V8 coupes were in the old days. Butmost people forget how much more they are making a year nowcompared to to 1960. Even gasoline is still cheaper now that it was during the fuel crisis if you allow for inflation.
As an aside, I was hoping that FN would manufacture the new Model 70 in Belgium. The quality of manufacture in Belgium is much better than it is here.And the design of the Model 70 deserves that level of craftsmanship. It should not be a price point motivated product. It shoul dbe a quality motivated product. Let's face it. Winchester tried to gain market share and increase marginin1964. Look at what happened. I am not a rich man but I would pay 1500 bucks or maybe more for a new model 70 with a nice deep lustre blue, good wood and all of the features we have come to expect from the vintage model 70's. I have a savage 110 and it was cheap, is faily ugly and shoots like a dream. But sometimes you want asomething CLASSY AND CLASSIC in your hands and not just utilitarian.
Oh well, I guess I will close so you all can yell at me for saying that US manufacturing quality is not as good as Belium's is
okcmco

The new plant in SC is a very modern plant . I have not heard any problems with the FN bolt rifles that have come out of that plant. Winchester didn't spend much on technology in Connecticutexcept in the latter years when it was already too late. No one builds a Model 70 knockoff like the pre-64 was built. It took I believe 52 separate maching operations just to make a receiver out of a drop forged block of steel. No Empire, Granite,Hein,Dakota or any other modern mausers or 70 knockoff is made that way. They are all made on modern CNC machinery centers and then hand finished. Do you think for a moment that the Belgium craftsmen of today would build a Model 70 for 1500 dollars the way they built the old Browning Safari grades or the FN supreme ? Not going to happen. it would cost as much or more then our USA made boutique mausers you can count on that. I am pretty sure thatBelgiums are probably paid a higher hourly rate and have more benefits and work less hours. When you compare Apples compare it to another Apple.

No elkhunter now that you mention it, it probably would cost more than 1500 bucks. But I doubt if the belgian workers make as much as american workers. US worker (especially in fields controlled by the unions) are some of the highest paid employees in the world. Your averageauto worker makes about 23%more than your average car worker in Europe, Japan and Korea. And the autoproduct isn't any better here (and is usually worse). I ususally buy American cars but I have no illusions about GM building a better car than toyota....They do not.
But I have no problem with computer machining. And my commenton the belgian product is based on the many browning products I have owned, some from here and some from Belgium (and some made in Belgium and assembled in Portugal). The beligian pistols show a higher lever of fit and finish. The click of the controls just seem solider. And the belgian pistols have proved (at least to me) to be more dependable. I believe that Eupopean manufacturing quality is higher than it is here because they have a different attitude there than here. They don't buy a car and trade it every 2 years there. They don't redecorate with new furniture every 4 years. This is eveidenced by the fact that there is much less used stuff available there(at least in Cenral Europe, can't speak for western Europe). People in Austria, Czech Republic and Germany would rather buy onceand of high quality and use it forever (like my grandad did) We here have a much more disposable attitude. Buya cheap thing, use it for a year and when it breaks, buy another. Because of this we demand cheaper and cheaper stuff. Maybe the consumer is ultimately to blame for cheap chinese goods and outsourcing. If we were willing to pay for snapon tools, Martin Guitars, and high quality clothes and keep it for ever, companies would respond by giving us what we want. But we want cheap stuff.. OH well I ramble