Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester Classic Featherweight Stainless Pre 64 Model 70 243

Hi all. New member looking for info on Winchester. I have a Classic Featherweight Stainless pre 64 model 70 in .243 with a serial started with a G with 6 digits number and would like to learn more about its version but have no luck with it,. Someone referred me to here as my search is at the dead end. I do hope you guy can share some info with me on this serial number G180216. I really am appreciated.

That is not a pre-64. Others more knowledgeable than I will chime in.

Pre 64 Winchesters didn’t have stainless barrels in 243 featherweight rifles or a letter prefix on the serial number…

A lot of people advertise the stainless classics which is most likely what you have as pre 64 style extractors which makes it even more confusing.

Are there any markings on the barrel? I assume you have the long extractor running down the right side of the bolt?? A picture of the bolt would be great to tell you exactly what you have.

Someone may be able to tell you for sure just from the serial number. I cannot.

Your rifle was made ~1997. It is referred to as a classic stainless featherweight. The classic designation was added when Winchester reintroduced the CRF action in the early 90s - the “classic” denotes the CRF.

Nice rifle; well thought of here.

👍

Wolverine, is your DOM official? My gestimate DOM "though only that" based on G180xxx SN would be "about 1995". I do know that Winchester plays such info "close at hand"! For official information; quoting Winchester:

"To obtain date of manufacture on a Model 70 made after 1992 please contact the Winchester Customer Service Department at 800-333-3288."

Just a hint too, that technically your rifle isn't a "pre '64 Model" 70. It's of general "pre '64 Model 70 pattern" CRF system. There are some definite differences between the original Model 70 and the newer "Classic CRF Model" introduced in '91.

There "used to be" Web estimated date of manufacture chart for Classic Model 70 production from 1991 through 2000 or so, but now seems to have disappeared.

Best!
John

There is no official; the records don’t exist and the current Winchester won’t know prior to 2008.

The “web estimated” chart may have been from poster Winchester70; it floats around here and is pretty close.

This one I’ll go 95% confidence on; the LH classic stainless was made and cataloged one year only (1997) and those start around G177xxx. Could this (G180xxx) have been made Dec ‘96 - perhaps, and that’s my wiggle.

A classic stainless chambered in 243 winchester. I'm assuming it also has the factory tupperware stock on it? That would be a very nice rifle to have in the collection. How does it shoot? As for when it was made, AK is probably right. A six digit with that serial # should have been manufactured somewhere around 1997. Hence not a pre 64, like others have already pointed out. I realize you are new here, but if you could post some pics, that would be cool. The best way to do that is with IMGUR or Postimage.

I did try to attach some pics but the files too big and I do not know how to resize it. It's still in brand new un-fires condition

AKwolverine. I was referred to here and ask for you by the gentlemen name Louis M on the other Winchester website, can I email you pictures of it then you could post them here for me if you wanted

Beautiful rifle sir.

For sure. I would take one and I need another 243 like another hole in my head.

Thank You AKwolverine. So it was made some time from Dec 1996-1997 and its Pre 64 as the manual stated or it was post 63? Does it worth to keep it un-fires? What does it worth in today market?. Thanks again.

Think about what you just said.

Things you can't unsee^^^

It is a Classic, Post 64 rifle. Pretty desirable in most circles being a SS Featherweight.

If it is worth staying unfired is a personal choice, it's a 1250-1500 dollar rifle as it sits right now. Me, I'd scope it and use it, but I don't tend to collect stuff just to look at them, well, I look at them in the woods or on a glassing point

Things you can't unsee^^^[/quote]



Thank You for opening up my eyes and my brain too. Appreciated your thoughtfulness. .

It is NOT a pre64. It has the "like pre64" CRF action. You need to get pre64 out of your head. That description does not apply here.

That said, you have a quite desirable rifle on your hands.

AK is spot-on per usual. I'd place the rifle made in 1997. You used to be able to call BACO and, while they can't tell you the exact mfg date, they can tell you when the rifle shipped from the factory. Not sure if they will still answer that question as I haven't asked in a number of years. I have two Classic Stainless FWT's (308 and 270), both G156XXX serial no's. I called BACO and the lady said they shipped from the New Haven factory in October of 1996.

Well, thanks for the kind words, Brad, but in this case, yes – and no.

I have been told by multiple sources that the records didn’t exist, and this comes from people who I trusted. In this case, I – and they – were flat ass wrong and you are 100% correct. I took the liberty to call Winchester Customer Service on this, the OP’s rifle, and the gentleman was able to search it by computer - and tell me that it left the factory on January 30, 1997.

At some point, I’ll call on some of mine that I’ve owned in the past and we can start a thread - list of partial serial numbers and dates that they shipped so that we can truly get an exact handle on this question that comes up all of the time. Pretty darn cool that they do still have the shipping records!!!

Thanks Brad and AKwolverine for going extra miles on it. Now I know for sure when it made and its pretty much of what I've been assumed for a while.

Glad to help out guys