Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 1961 .243 model 70

Bought last week mint 1961 model 70 in 243 win. Has the original serial numbered Bausch and lombe (sp) scope . Butt plate is plastic. Non featherweight model. Does this pretty much sound stock? Plastic butt plates started late 50's? Came from factory with the receiver pre drilled for the scope mount? Ser no 509xxx
Out of town, will post photos later. Story was one owner, used for woodchuck hunting
I read under 6000 made in 243 in 1960

1st Winchester acquisition . Been wanting a 243

Sounds right as far as I can tell, congrats on your first...there will be more to come!

Thanks! Found I had a photo from the local ad where I found it

That jump from the barrel into the last part of the barrel may make your accuracy suffer some.

A std 243 is a nice find as the vast majority were featherweights.

Yeah, not sure how the armslist posting showed a out of line barrel! Funny.

Yeah,the funny thing is the seller had two 243 1961 model 70s. He and his father had a featherweight, which he wanted to keep for sentimental reasons. This standard weight was his late uncles, the three of them hunted groundhogs together with the two guns. Glad he kept the featherweight and I got the standard!(Did not know the standard weight was less common than the featherweight until I got home and looked on line)
There was what I thought was white paint all over the buttplate. Some scraping with a toothpick and then work with a toothbrush got it off. Thought I would have to replace the buttplate. The white stuff came off much easier than even latex paint would have. I am thinking it was dried out white lithium grease. The toothpick was softer than the plastic buttplate, so it appears to be clean , no damage to the buttplate.
There are 2 to 3 scratches on the left side of the stock, very narrow and shallow, parallel to each other, 2 inches long. Probably a scrape against another gun. I have an excellent gunsmith who is Churchill trained in London. He does incredible work, and can make a stock look original with steaming . He can duplicate finishes . He works on $50k shotguns. Will have him look at it. My gunsmith use to be 2 miles from my house. He lost his lease, and is now a 15 min drive on back roads. His knowledge of German guns is extensive, as he saw a lot of them in London. I have a few cape guns and drillings, just the guy to have around.

Armslist is the key to disappointment. If you can't do ftf, you better pass.

Mariodog: Your Rifle (according to the serial number!) was made right about on March 1st 1961.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Winchesters!
Indeed the pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Standard Rifles in caliber 243 Winchester are relatively rare and valuable.
I feel blessed to have two mint condition Model 70 Standard Rifles in caliber 243 Winchester in my collection as they were/are hard to come by.
Enjoy your Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The Winchester .243 was a local ftf deal. Nice guy. Bought the rifle.

In 10 years I have bought only one armlist item by mail. It was a Sig 970SHR rifle in a rare and hard to find 308 caliber, at a reasonable price. I have not tempted fate by trying another armlist item by mail. Have had a number of listing on Armslist that said they were local, but still wanted to mail me a colt python for $1200. Too busy to meet me at a local FFL's Ha!

Funny, I thought that it was a fake sale as the photo had been doctored. Congratulations.

Yeah, not quite sure what the software did to the photo. Will get some better photos posted end of the week

"There was what I thought was white paint all over the buttplate. Some scraping with a toothpick and then work with a toothbrush got it off. Thought I would have to replace the buttplate. The white stuff came off much easier than even latex paint would have. I am thinking it was dried out white lithium grease. The toothpick was softer than the plastic buttplate, so it appears to be clean , no damage to the buttplate."

That white stuff is mildew - for some reason it seems to like older hard rubber buttplates, but as you discovered doesn't seem to hurt them. I clean it off with Balistoil and an old toothbrush.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Yes, the buttplate looks fine now after a little cleaning. Might hit into up with balistoil as you suggested.

Congratulations on the purchase, and thanks! I had been following this on Armslist (it was only an hour from my home) and was very tempted to spend money that I shouldn't spend. You saved me from getting in serious trouble with my wife!

Were you the other potential buyer that the seller said asked if the original sights were there?(which they were).

I could only buy it by selling some other guns I had. Not hard to do with this kind of a find.

I asked if it was a featherweight and the seller replied that it was not. I continued to think about it and would have taken the trip to look at it if I hadn't been so busy at that time. I have owned many dozens of rifles but never a model 70. This would have been a great introduction to that classic rifle. Enjoy it!

That looks like the take-down model...

I gifted one of those azzholes with an FBI investigation.