About five years ago, I was in a So Cal gun shot. Yeah, I know. We still have a few left. Anyway, there was a Pre-'64 Winchester chambered in .270 Win (Jack O'Connor special) on the rack. It had a era-appropriate scope (read: needed an updated model). It was in good condition. The shop was asking a grand for the rifle. I picked it up. It was one heavy gun. I decided to stick with the 2 .270 Win rifles I have.
Pre-'64 Winchester Model 70's were hand fitted, I believe. I might be wrong. Anyway, they were the gold standard at one time. Just as gold changes hands, so do standards. Computer-aided manufacturing has taken human error out of production. Now even a promotional rifle will shoot well. In fact, I have a friend who bought a Remington promotional rifle. That darn thing didn't know it was a promotional rifle. It shot like it was custom made.
Throw the hook out for someone else...
