Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Need some insight on an interesting Model 70.

Stumbled across this rifle a few weeks ago at a well known gun shop. The tag on the rifle said "Custom Pre-64 Model 70, .300 Winchester Magnum. I asked the sales associate what he knew about the rifle... he read the tag and repeated what it stated. I asked him what he knew about Winchester Model 70's... he said "Good Rifles"...300 Win Mag would be a great shooter. I told him that the SN was 83,XXX and that the rifle was clearly a 300 HH based on the barrel stamp 300 Magnum. Well I asked him what his best price would be and he brought out his manager... we negotiated and I bought the rifle.

Interesting rifle... There are no sights on the 26" stainless steel barrel. No front sight, and no rear sight boss that is all too familiar on a Model 70 barrel. The rear bridge is not drilled. The proof mark on the barrel is nearly on top of the barrel. There is a 4 digit number stamped under the barrel, in addition to 300M 48. The stock clearly is a custom job.

Any ideas on what this might be? Possible special order rifle? Re-stocked? Turned down barrel?

One of my favorite calibers. Have you shot it yet?

Well it's a very nice rifle. Looks as if it was customized. I would definitely see if a .300 Win. Mag. will chamber as it could have been rechambered from the original .300 H&H. Thanks...Bill.

The S/N makes it an early 1948 model.. But the proof mark near the top of the barrel suggests to me that it might have been removed, possibly set back and/or rechambered.. Normally, those proof marks are directly across from each other on the LH side of the receiver.. With this one placed on top, I'd be very suspicious of the chambering.

The .300 WM wasn't manufactured until '63. IIWY, I would NOT fire that rifle until I had someone do a chamber cast to see what it really is..

Nice looking rifle though, for sure.. ..

It could be a custom chamber...do a chamber cast.

That is a unique piece for sure. The receiver is proper for a 48 transitional H&H; some were undrilled, some had one hole and some had 2 holes D&T on the rear bridge.

I have seen numerous M70 barrels with 5 characters (1 letter and 4 numerals) in addition to the standard marking for special orders and return repairs/rebarrels etc. 300M 48 is how a 1948 300 H&H is marked.

The proof mark is the big mystery. Is it a PW or a P? The P is a mail order replacement barrel.

The receiver has been reblued or it appears that way due to digicam images of gunmetal.

It would help to see the under barrel marking to see if it is original or redone. Look hard at the breech end and see if there is evidence on a 2d extractor cut (possibly filled) at 6 O'clock.

Also did you try and chamber 300 H&H in it? Many times smiths just rechambered the 300 H&H to 300 Win Mag without setting the barrel back.

Let me know what you find as far as my questions.

Very true.. My only caveat is the tag and the sales clerk said it was a .300 Winchester magnum. Which is a different animal (obviously) than the .300 Magnum which, at the time, referenced the .300H&H as you stated..

Or the .300 Wby..

Yeah, me too..

He also said it was a stainless barrel...

ETA; It also looks from the pic that the bolt is fluted???

This sounds right to me...likely a 300H&H with barrel set back and rechambered for the "new" (at the time)300 Win Mag.Hence the proof mark wound up toward the top.

Recontour removed the rear sight boss and front sight ramp.

What throws me is the 1948 serial number with a SS barrel....not sure but I don't think Winchester made SS barrels for the 300H&H until much later, if at all, but I could be wrong.This leads me to think the barrel came off another rifle.

I can't tell from the pictures....is the action a H&H length M70? Or a standard 30/06 length action?

If a 30/06 length(which will fit the 300 Win Mag),it has been mated up with a 300 H&H barrel that was set back and rechambered.

One thing for sure, it ain't original, or a special order custom shop rifle.I'd do like redneck says, cast the chamber and if all is safe, go enjoy it!

The front sight on this rifle would have been integral to the barrel. The rear sight boss does not exist, yet the barrel markings, stamping and proof mark are all strong. The barrel finish is consistent with the other stainless Winchester barrel. What would a smith have to do to remove an integral sight and remove the rear sight boss?

BobinNH,



























The barrel stamping is where it should be. Winchester made SS barrels for the 300 HH at that time. I have another M 70 SN 88,XXX with a SS barrel. The action is an HH magnum action.

They did indeed use stainless barrels during manufacture.. Thanks for the pic showing where the stamping lines up..

IF that barrel is a true '48 and untouched, that stamping refers to the .300 H&H cartridge.. It's the proof mark on top that's throwin' me off a little. I checked three of my other pre-64s and the proof stamp is on the LH side, right across from the receiver stamping.

Still, to be absolutely certain, please do a chamber cast..

Could it be a Classic barrel screwed on? That would explain the proof mark location and no sights. It wouldn;t be set back with the proof mark on top unless you have one heck of a big exctractor cut.

Also the '300 MAGNUM' stamping doesn;t quite look correct. It looks stamped rather than rolled. the Caliber markings I thought were the exact same font and size as the MODEL 70 - that precedes it

Could the integral front sight and the rear sight boss have been removed on a stainless barrel and re finished without leaving any signs of having been done?

I will have the chamber cast to be certain.

Well, that's an H&H barrel alright....and H&H action...pre 64....I dunno...

Could someone have gotten an M70 barrel with no boss? Interesting.

Part of the pre 64 mystique is dwelling on this stuff....

I agree with the mystique.... I have been trying to figure this rifle out for several weeks. I have collected a bunch of M70's over the years, but have never come across one like this. Usually you find a unique M70 that someone is trying to pass off as an original, for financial gain. This rifle on the other hand was not. I could double my money by selling the unmolested magnum action. I don't know the vintage of the B&L Balvar scope, but it looks like it could have been at least a 50's scope. If the rifle was an original special order rifle from Winchester, at least the scope seems to fit the period of manufacture. I dunno... just interesting to me.. Then I ask myself who was the dip chit who possibly dumped the factory stock and had a custom stock made for the rifle.

lots of 300 H&H rifles were rechambered to 300 weatherby over the years and some by weatherby himself-chamber cast is the way to find out for sure-let us know what you find out-thanks-whsk

What is the weight of that barrel.... no Dounut on the barrel.... (unless I am mistaken the only standard models without the dounut should eb the 375 & 458) Is it a taget barrel wieght... That could be a traget gun that someone replaced the stock on..... Their are expamples of proof marks not being in the correct place on guns in Roger Rules book but they are more common in later guns than that one.