Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 1955 Model 70..... BUMMED

I finally bucked up and bought the rifle I have been dreaming of owning for 20+ years. I have always wanted a model 70 in 300 H&H and finally bought one. Got it earlier this week and took it to the range last night. What a doll to shoot.......until I looked at the brass. The rifle had the (rare) factory stainless barrel without sights and some KNOTHEAD has rechambered it. What a let down.
I called the dealer I bought it from (on-line) and he was super and I am confident that we will work it out but I was so dissapointed!

To.....what? WBY??

I am not sure if it is Winchester or Weatherby. It has a very steep shoulder angle on the case like the WBY but I was thinking the weatherby case was quite a but longer.

I wonder if it has been "AI'd"???

Yeah, a bunch of .300 H&H Model 70's were rechambered during the 1950's and 60's, when everybody wanted all that fantastic extra velocity. Many ended up as .300 Weatherbys but others were rechambered to various "improved" wildcats.

Which is why M70 .300 H&H's usually bring a little more money these days, even though there were quite a few made. Rechambering was common enough to reduce the supply.

If you keep it you can have a 300 H&H barrel installed. It won't be the original Winchester barrel but it'll be in the caliber you want with your Model 70.

Yes, I can still shoot it with 300 H&H ammo but it sure screws up my brass! I have a couple of other 300 H&H's but I always wanted a model 70. Now the hunt for a new barrel begins!

So, out of curiousity, what did the dealer do for you? If you don't mind me asking. Your rifle will, ofcourse, be worth much less in "non original" condition. I saw you are looking for a good 300 H&H barrel in the classifieds, good luck. I've seen a few lately, you may also want to keep an eye out on fleabay and gunbroker.

Thanks for the tip. I will keep my eyes open but I REALLY hate flea-bay!

The dealer was very understanding and I believe honestly never knew it had been re-chambered. This just happened yesterday so he is trying to figure something out and come up with a plan. He was going to look around for a barrel.
The bad part is that if I have to send it back to him my dealer charges $30 each time I transfer it. If the dealer finds and sends me a barrel then I need to pay someone to fit it and headscape it.

I would think the .300 Winchester magnum chamber would be too short for .300 H&H? I've seen a ton of Winchester M70's and quite a few Remington M721's rechambered to .300 Weatherby and not a single one rechambered to .300 Win. mag. It might be all you need is a set of .300 Weatherby dies - and you are set. And the .300 H&H brass you've fired - all you've done is fireformed some brass for the rifle It has been common practice to use .300 H&H ammo in these rifles to fire form the brass. I have also heard that shooters were getting acceptable accuracy doing this as well. Having said all that, I do well understand your disappointment. I too, really admire the .300 H&H cartridge and would be deeply disappointed myself

You can still find them but it will probably be tough to find just the one you want. Guys used to take the 300 H&H barrels off and slap 375 H&H barrels on so there are still some around. Hopefully the dealer finds something for you and makes it right. Good luck with it...

I sure hope I can find one. I love the rifle but if I can't make it a 300 H&H then the love affair will be over.

Send it back! You wanted a 300 H&H, you didn't get it, don't settle for anything less, send it back and keep looking, they are out there...

Regrettably, that may be his best option....

I agree - sending it back is the best option. There are other .300 H&H's out there and some are for sale. Many times I have kept a gun similar to this situation with the plan to make it right again - this is usually more difficult than one originally envisioned (and trust me, this is the voice of experience - many times over). Based on that experience (frustration) I wouldn't think twice about the $30 transfer fee to send it back.

That sucks even worse. I love the rifle and it fits like a glove but it isn't exactly what I wanted. I will see what the dealer has to say. If only I could find a barrel............

+1....I've seen 300 H&H barrels on ebay go for $300.00 to $400.00 and after all of your efforts it would not be an original gun.

$300-400 for the barrel? Wow! I had figured $150-175 for a clean used one. You guys are scaring me.

If you end up keeping the rifle you may want to pm this guy and see if he ever sold his barrel:

http://24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/6339954/Re_Pre_64_Model_70_300_H_amp_H

I know it is a long shot but I sent him a PM. Looks like my best bet is to just return the rifle. Dang!