Super Grade .270 Winchester.
I have possessed several Mod. 70's, pre-64, post-64 and Classics (Feartherweight, Supergrade, Sporter, Varminter aso.) in calibers ranging from 22-250 Rem. up to 375 H&H mag.)
When I learned that the Mod. 70 will in the future be assembled in Portugal, I decided to purchase one of the last "Made in USA" Rifleman's Rifle.
I did'nt like the closing of the New-Heaven plant in the mid 2000's.
In 2010 a 30-06 Sprfld. Model 70 Super-grade made for BACO that I'd purchased new over here showed a major flaw and had to be replaced by Browning Canada.
Nevertheless, last year I purchased a new in the box 270 Win., BACO stamped Mod. 70 in Sporter fashion, with a 24" clean barrel.
I'm 67 and Jack O'Connor was my favorite gun writer, so my last (humm, humm...) rifle had to be Jack's 270 Mod. 70.
That Browning took the decision to stamp "Made in Portugal" on a Mod. 70 is a sad thing. Not that the portuguese workers are incompetent (I'm sure they are not!), but the Mod. 70 is so much emblematic of America that it ought to be made here.
I understand Browning had a hard time to get the rifles made in the US because the plant that was sub-contracting was overbooked with other projects.
Pleased to report that my son, who's a lefty, owns one of the last New-Heaven made 375 H&H left-handed Mod. 70 sold new in the box anywhere.
Maybe even the last one.
We were living in Europe at the time New-Heaven closed, and I managed to purchase the Browning-Winchester (Europe) exibition rifle from their head-office in Belgium.
The rifle was delivered to us sometime in 2006 in the duchy of Luxembourg.
