Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors One owner 270FW

In keeping with the trend, I bought a shooter .270 fw on GB last week. Intact and complete with what looks to be a Weaver 4x with a post. Unusual to find a plastic buttplate with the hand checkering. The only real wart on it is the guys initials inscribed in the bolt handle. Which for a shooter, I can overlook, but I did think I'd probably have them removed somehow.

When I called to pay for it, I asked the shop in Colorado which listed it if they had any history on it. He laughed and said he did. The guy who brought it in to consign it is in his 90's and bought it new, and "shot alot of elk" with it but can't hunt any more and was hoping it would go to someone who would hunt it. Stops in multiple times a week he said. I told him to tell the guy it's going elk hunting in Montana this fall.

Rifle showed up yesterday and as it sits here, I think I'll leave the initials as they are.

BKinSD: Neat Rifle there - enjoy.
I have taken just one Bull Elk with a 270 and I used extra care and patience in placing the bullet exactly where it needed to go (heart/lung) avoiding shoulder blade.
Good luck this fall here in Montana.
Is that Featherweight a "solid bolt handle" variety? It kind of looks like the latter version (or hollow bolt) but I can't tell for sure.
Again enjoy.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Many years ago I bought a beautiful Standard pre-64 Model 70 in 30/06 and someone had used a vibratory scribe to put their name and drivers license number on the metal floorplate - luckily I had a replacement floorplate.
Apparently the previous owner (the scriber!) did not realize how easily that "identifying marking" could be undone?

Thanks for the wishes, it is a hollow bolt handle. I do have an FW with a solid bolt but this one is too late for that variation.

Very nice. That’s a killer hunting gun!

nice rifle , i liked the small story ,i have a Winchester 70 30-06 made in 1952 same type of story , from my dear friend Harold this rifle was purchased new also , mine is going bear hunting this fall . > if only we knew what those rifles killed ? Pete53

Cool story and rifle. Thanks for sharing with us. Let us know how it shoots for you, and if you take an elk with it. Thanks!

Thanks I am happy with it so far. I think its just what I was looking for. I have a .270 FW now, a later gun but much higher condition. Provided it shoots, this piece I'll slip into one of my McM's and enjoy it.

I've never had a scope with a post before. Plex came into being about the time I started hunting...what's the sight picture for such a thing? Tip of the post on the target, or the wire junction just below that?

If you are going to throw it in a Mcmillan, I'd suggest upgrading the scope as well. Just my opinion. I mainly run the Burris FFII 3-9X40 with ballistic plex reticle on my hunting rifles. My most recent 270fwt wears one, as does my 1956 30-06 fwt. They are excellent for hunting and just about all I use anymore for that. Work fine on paper as well. Really hard to go wrong there. They are not real heavy (13 oz's) either and the glass is pretty good. Your steel tube weaver is a cool old scope, but be warned it may fog up on you. I had the exact set up on my first 270 fwt rifle (made in '57). I used it as is for a while, but the glass was just not as good as a modern scope. Here's what it looked like in Leupold DD's and the Mcmillan:

My first 270 fwt was immaculate ^^^ and it was a damn good shooter (sub moa). I later sold the original stock on ebay for $400.00. That was after I found the great deal on that Hunters compact.

I sold that rifle because I was not a huge 270w fan, but realized later that I should have kept it. I know there's been a lot of talk about the 270 featherweight rifles here recently, so when I found my most recent one, I snagged it!!! It's well worn, but still shoots great and has a lot of character. I'm sure your rifle will shoot lights out too. The 270's generally do. Keep us posted on how she shoots!!

Thanks for the enthusiastic wishes!

Sorry I wasn't clear. I'm not keeping the Weaver. I'll put a Burris on it, or a Conquest on it most likely. I am going to shoot it with the post first though just to try it.

Glad you got that one...I was watching it as well ,so nice to know the history behind these great rifles...enjoy!

It is pretty neat to see these old rifles still getting time in the field!

Agreed!

What’s fascinating to me is how much stock variation there was during that ‘59 - ‘60 timeframe. Louis Luttrell over on the Winchester Collector Association has documented just about every variation - aluminum with large panel, plastic with large panel, plastic with small panel, and even a couple aluminum with small panel.

A "transition" period for sure. Just about any variation is possible, as you describe.

Nice rifle! At least the original owner didn't scribe his drivers licence number into it! Knowing a little of it's history, I'd be inclined to leave it in order to take "JD" hunting. Come to think of it, that'd be a good nickname for that rifle, if you're inclined to such things.

I guess I agree with that. If I hadn't heard the story, I would probably have gotten rid of them. Now that Im in the loop on it, I just can't see hunting it any other way.

I’d leave it. If it really bothers you (doesn’t sound like it does!), throw a touch of flat black paint over it - that could be remove at a later time.

Would you spray it or brush it? I don't think I will do that but I've always rejected the idea of painting the metal on a rifle. Interesting

I slipped a new trigger spring in last night and put the works in a brown McM with a red pad. Took it to the rifle range this morning and fed it Federal factory fodder. Three shots at 100 produced two holes touching and a third flyer about an inch and a half away. Trigger needs a bit more work, its crisp but still heavy; the scope has to go.

Sounds like an awesome set up!

Thanks much its headed in the right direction. I think I'll acquire a scope for it perhaps. I have a Conquest 3-9x40 but I am thinking of going higher end with this. Maybe a Z3

Did you glass bed it? That, a little trigger adjustment and a better scope will shrink those groups. That blue box federal is good testing ammo for sure though.. I like your choice of color scheme on that mcmillan. Which Mcmillan did you go with?

Thanks its the one with the Sako palm swell.

No glass bedding yet but I sure might do that. Know anyone who knows how to do it?

lol

Sounds like a McMillan Winchester hunter.

Could be. It has a cheekpiece and a palm swell and looks like the Sako Hunter currently on the McM website. I bought it second hand here at the 'fire.

I have the rifle in it now and have mounted a Conquest and lightened the trigger for a return to the range perhaps later today.

Very nice. That Conquest will work just fine. I had to pull my Terra out and slap it on a 7 pound 300WSM the other day for one of my buddies. He's talking about wanting a lightweight 300 magnum:






That scope used to be on my first 270 fwt (1957):


I ran a Conquest on my lightweight 338wm for the longest time, but have upgraded over the last year. Most of my Zeiss scopes have gone on the chopping block... Great scopes with excellent glass, but more of a "set and forget" type of optic. I like to be able to ring them out a little more with a ballistic type reticle. The Terra has the RZ6 reticle, which gets you out to 600 yards with some cartridges. It works, but I still much prefer the Ballistic plex in the Burris..

Mighty fine rifle BK, looks like you’ve got a keeper!

💪

Thanks! I took the Conquest off. My LGS made me a deal on a Z3 that I couldn't pass up. I think I'll glass bed the original stock for it perhaps as well.

The Z3 is a nice scope. Is it the 3-9x36? Those are damn light and have very good glass in them. Still a "set and forget" scope, but should work out nicely on your fwt. You'll have to get us some pics buddy!!!

Its a 3-10x42 I guess. With the Christmas tree reticle. My LGS takes super good care of me; I take good care of them too. Made me a deal I couldn't pass up.

Yessir! All you need is a pocket full of tags and a bigger freezer. 😃

Looking good man!!

Great snag on the Fwt !