Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles M70 Ultimate Shadow

I posted this question in the other M70 thread but it was late in the post so hasn't received much traffic. Did the US replace the Classic? They look identical as the last round of Classics and have the new trigger. Does anyone have an US and care to comment on the quality and accuracy of these guns? I hate the stock but a McM will fix that.

Thanks.

The ultimate shadows were intended to be a lower cost synthetic stock version in the model 70 line. They came in both blued and stainless steel. They are still classics since they have the Mauser style extractor.

If you go to the Winchester website and look in the discontinued model section you will see them.

Thanks. I called Winchester and the kid I talked to didnt seem to know much about the US or the Classic which why I asked here. From the lack of responses here apparently not many guys here have them.

I'd like to drop one in a McM Edge. I'm leery because I've hod both good and bad M70. Seems the earlier Classics shoot well, some of the later not so much. I had an early SS Classic and sold it for some stupid reason. Wish I had that one back......

Bill, if it has the "new" trigger, which i'm assuming you mean MOA, it is not a classic. It is a Baco and manufactured after 2008.

What's the sn if it starts with G it's a new haven model 70 if it starts with a 35 and 3 letters after the 35 it's a baco made model 70, the baco model 70's before 2013 were made in South Carolina

They stopped making the Classics in 2006 when they closed the New Haven plant. At that time Winchester sold their higher end CRF rifles as Classics. They still made push feed rifles marketed as budget rifles.

The new rifles made since 2008 when FN took over are all CRF. The US is just their budget rifle. As near as I can tell it just has a cheaper tubberware stock vs the other rifles. The new FN made rifles have a different trigger, but other than that it would be basically the same as the older Classic.

Classics can be spotty. I've had 3, still own 2 as well as one of the new rifles. All 3 of my Classics have been acceptable. They were made in 1995, 1999 and 2006. To be honest the 2006 rifle isn't as smooth and nice as the older versions, but it shoots fine. There are many, including myself, that would have preferred they kept the old style trigger. But mine is working fine.

I think for the most part the new rifles are at least as good as the early Classics. I'd not be afraid to buy one.