Winchester Model 70 questions
 

I was at the gun shop near my house today and I saw they have a Winchester Model 70. It is a wood-stocked model, one of the old style ones with the thin white piece between the stock and the darker-coloured cap. It is chambered in .25-06 and has scope rings on it (the scope rings don't have any brand markings. The bore looks clean, as does the bolt. I tried searching on gun broker and only saw one rifle, a classic one, that was chambered in .25-06.

Now my questions:

1) Could I replace the barrel on this rifle with a .30-06 barrel? I saw some of those for sale fairly inexpensive.

2) Would a pre-1964 barrel fit on any Model 70? I saw some barrels that were marked pre-64 and am curious whether I could use those.

3) Do you think this rifle is a pre-64 version? I do not know how to tell the bolts apart since I haven't compared them. I think I saw that the serial number was 5XX,XXX but I am not entirely sure, and I saw on Wikipedia that the ones below 700,000 are pre-64.

4) Is this gun worth $450?

I appreciate your help.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

why would you want to change it from 25-06

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

1) yes
2) First part... no. Second part...yes if it is a pre64 receiver but you would have to likely set back the shoulder, rechamber, set back the breech face, and recut the extractor cut in the breech face.
3) don't know with out either the serial # or looking at it.
4) Don't know with out looking at it. But if it is, in fact, a pre 64 rifle then yes it will very likely be worth $450.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

Big bulls got 1 & 2... I'll expound on 3 & 4, not that he is wrong or anything.




3) If the serial number is under 600,000 than that shows a date of man. of 1963 or earlier. According to winchester there were no model 70 actions issued serial numbers in the 600,000s. Post 1964 action production started with serial numbers begining at 700,000. So while the wording is a bit off, wikipedia is essentially correct. As long as your memory/eyes serve you right and the serial number was in the 500Ks, it is a pre-64. Anything in the 500s will mean that is was made anytime from about 1956 or so up to 1963. Exact year depends on exact serial number. Just about any book that lists anything about date of manufacture will include Winchester model 70s... just flip to the glossary in the back.

4) As BB wrote, sight unseen there is no telling. Though I will say will almost zero excetptions that true pre-64 Winchester actions in sound working condition are worth at least $450 on their own.... nevermind the gun. So basically yes, its a decent buy.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

You would still have to do this if it was a pre-64 barrel on a pre-64 receiver? My thoughts behind getting a .30-06 barrel is it would be less expensive to shoot, and I wouldn't be wearing the original barrel out, and .25-06 is based on .30-06 so I would think if I was using a .30-06 barrel I wouldn't have to change anything beside the barrel.

If I sound stupid it probably has to do with me being 19, from an anti-gun family, and having only a .22 Savage and a Remington 870 to dabble with as of now. ;)

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

Also, I will be back there Wednesday or at the latest Thursday so I will confirm the serial number inspect it more closely. From what I saw there was only one noticeable ding on the side of the stock, maybe an inch long that looked like it struck a round pole or something.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

You could get lucky but I highly doubt it.You would still need to do all of this. Headspace is set to only a few thousandths of an inch.Tolerances between the receiver, bolt face, bolt lugs, and chamber from one rifle to another can get off by alot.

Honestly ifthe barrelwere in good condition and was a pre-64 thenI wouldn't touch it. Now, ifthe receiver is in good shape but the barrel crapped out thenI would just get a brand new barrel installed on it and make a custom rifle and keep it forever.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

Gotcha. I was mainly looking for a centerfire rifle I could shoot for fun, but I saw this and just had to look into it. If I verify it is a pre-1964 Model 70 and it's $450, I don't think I will be able to pass it up. If it isn't pre-1964, then I guess I save up in case I win a fight with my four friends over who gets to buy the M14 that we found in like new condition, with a four-digit 36XX serial number, that recently arrived at the gun shop near my house. We must have spent an hour drooling over that...

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

I should clarify.

By saying I mean, I would pay the $450 and run away as fast as I could ;)and not do any modifications to it but I would definetly shoot it and hunt with it.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

Ahh, that makes more sense to me. I think that if the barrel wasn't good, then I would without a doubt buy a .30-06 barrel and find the same model of Unertl scope that Carlos Hathcock used and make a duplicate of his rifle...

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

I agree with the advice given! I'll add that if it is a post 64 action, there would be no advantage in putting a pre 64 barrel on it! It is the pre 64 action that makes the gun more valuable. To me, I'm a Winchester man, but I think that the post 64's are just as good, except maybein the "dangerous game" catagory! The Winchester "Purists" lamented the change as inferior, and I'll admit the claw is/was great, but the Remington's and many other good brands never had a claw extractor to begin with! So, to me it was just the fact that Winchester "changed" their action in 64 that upset people,not that the change was particularly bad!

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

All the pre-64's I've ever had out of the stock had the last two digits of the year of manufacture stamped on the underside of the barrel just in front of the rfeceiver ring. This keeps you from having to search a serial number list to find out when it was made. I don't know if the post-64's were so marked or not-I just could never get much interested in the cheapie version of the "Model 70".

Even using a barrel from the same version of the Model 70, one MIGHT have to cut it back one thread and rechamber, just toget the headspace correct. But going from a .25/'06 to any other round having the same head size keeps you from having to alter the bolt face or extractor hook.... you could go to .270 Win,280 Rem., .30/'06, 6mm Rem, 250 Savage,257 Roberts, 7X57mm, etc. etc. and use the bolt as-is.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

I'll give ya an Amen JagMag! I'm not going to dive into the benefits a controlled round feed has over a push-feed action, but I will say that just because a Winchester is a pre-64 doesn't make it great.... and just because it maybe a post-64 doesn't make it of any less "worth" (maybe financial worth, but they are still good rifles). I've shot a few pre-64s that were real dogs, and a number of post-64s that were tack drivers.

RE: Winchester Model 70 questions
 

I must have remembered the serial number from another gun... this one is G1080XXX... 1972 gun. :( At the very least it seems to be in good shape... looks like this one but I don't think it had the iron sights: