Bigwhoop: Pardon my slow reply as I have been out to the west coast doing gunshops and gunshows etc and just returned late Monday night.
Let me add/opine in this regard - to add some certainty to whether or not a sightless smooth barreled Fetaherweight IS or IS NOT a Gopher Special - IF a Featherweight was from the particular year/era as verified by serial number production date - then it would qualify in my mind as a Gopher Special.
These sightless Featherweights from 1959 in caliber 243 Winchester, 270 Winchester or 30/06 in my mind would defintiely be worthy of the nom de plume "Gopher Special".
Receipt or no receipt.
I doubt more than ONE or TWO Rifles within the 1959 production era of the REAL Gopher Specials would have been special ordered without sights and having the smooth barrel in the claibers we are discussing?
And even if they did co-exist their values would be quite similar?
Man the NICE Model 70's are holding strong price wise out on the left coast!
I had no luck bring to bag any additions to my collectiosn.
I did sell an old and evenlya dn very lightly rusted Model 70 metal buttplate for $20.00!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
