Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Can I get a pre70 FWT down to 6 pounds?

Funny in that I just saw that thread.

Ok will give it a go in a couple days with the Kimber. My printer is out of paper. Will make some up at work on Friday. Although the vitals of BG are obviously bigger than the circles, it should be a fun challenge.

I already have the XTR FWT at 6.25 and a Kimber Montana short action at 5.25. Neither has a stock that I really like for ergos. I'm really just focused on what can be done with a factory pre64 as I prefer the action and will put it into a very light synthetic stock. It sounds like I can get pretty close.

It's a hoot. I was practicing with my 2008 limited edition 300 wsm with the extreme weather barrel and my pre 64 model 70 30-06 fwt. I was surprised, I was shooting the 300 wsm better in the offhand position. I shot a nice little 4 shot group with the 30-06 off of the sticks. I didn't want to post my target pictures because they weren't all in the circles

I'm sure you won't do any worse than me:









I shot 40 rounds of 7mm rem mag, 40 rounds of 300 wsm, and 35 rounds of 30-06 that day

It has taken me a while but I have come to realize that a good fitting stock and a good/great trigger are two of the most important items to have for game shooting. I've sold several really good rifles primarily because I was not happy with the stock, or the trigger.
Give me those two and most any suitable cartridge/bullet and I wouldn't feel too hard done by. Doesn't mean I don't have my favourites though!

Realized I would be Grouse hunting on the upcoming days off, and since I couldn't print the Postal Challenge targets at home, I did one the way we used to, with a cereal box.

Rifle: Kimber .300Savage with Leupold 6x42 at around 6 pounds.
130gr TTSX
Shot at the rate of: shoot, look thru spotter, shot again.

The target: 12 shots total, offhand, sitting and prone kneeling over a pack. 8 at 100 and 4 at 200.



Hard to decipher on that side, so the flip:



Wind was up and moving me some, and I wasn't hitting the trigger all that well. But six of 12 found their way into the Cheerio heart and the rest would have landed into vitals.

Wouldn't have scored all that great on the Postal, but on BG things should have went well. Some like them heavier, but I'll take them right around this weight or a little more.

What happens when you don't pay attention to a good trigger pull, and why little groups from the bench can lead to a false confidence in the field.

A good trigger goes a long way buddy. I'm wondering if the newer MOA was a benefit when I shot the other day. It just seems to break smoother with no creep as compared to the pre 64. The weight of pull is about the same, but as much as I hate to admit it, the MOA is smoother

That Kimber has a better trigger than any of my Model 70's.
Have only dry fired one of the new MOA's and it seemed ok. Those who know worry about their dependability. Time will tell.

That one group shot got away, and as it was going off, I could feel the trigger sliding on the inside of my finger. I knew it was right before I looked.

Not the best example of field position shooting. I can do better, but today that was it. Still a LW rifle kept them in the vitals out to 200 with little effort.

I hear you battue. I'm usually a MOA basher, but I have to give credit where it is due. My MOA has the lighter ernie the gunsmith spring and the pull wt is 2 3/8 pounds. It's damn near perfect for offhand shooting as far as I'm concerned..

I'll never know, because if I would buy another Model 70 it will be a pre or classic.

The new ones seem well made and from reports are consistent shooters. If Winchester ever wants to sell me another rifle all they have to do is make a real quality Featherweight by today's standards. At that time I will be sneaking up on the front of the line.

I won't buy another new model 70 (made in Portugal bs). This one is the first year FN (2008), which is better..

BSA, have you ever put a smooth and flat India stone against your Pre64 triggers? I polished mine just enough to erase the tool marks that were left behind on the Pre64 and a few Classics. Seemed to really help with everything, pull weight and any creepiness. It really doesn't take much at all and they are as smooth as my Ernie's sprung MOA trigger was.

Yes Scotty. Mine are polished out, but there's no denying the mechanical advantage the MOA has over the old trigger. Trust me, I like the old one better because of the simplicity and better reliability. I call chit how I see it. That day I had 1 of the best examples of pre 64 fwt, a 5 digit classic stainless, and a 2008 limited edition. Fired 40 rounds from each rifle (35 from 30-06). All of my triggers are polished, just one of the things I do to get better accuracy..

I've seen some newer FN MOA's that weren't anything like mine. A buddies 2013 is a prime example. Try a first production FN when you get a chance..

As we said on the reservation Bullshit!

In 2008, they actually wanted to please the consumer (Winchester model 70 aficionado). Now they want to please themselves..