Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Your first Pre64 M70

It's interesting to see how we become enamored with these and how we started down this long and winding road.

My first pre 64 came from a client. It was her Dad's rifle and he had passed and she had no desire to keep it. It was a FWT 308 in fairly decent shape. The metal was fine but the stock finish was not good. I paid her price of $400 (this was 25+ yrs ago)and scoped it with a Leupold 2.5X8 and hunted it. Over the years the finish deteriorated more and more and I finally had the stock redone. I haven't used it in years and years and perhaps it's time to bring her back into the light. This gun started my quest for all the FWT which I now have and am working on the more obscure std chambering's.

My first firearm was Winchester 20ga shotgun that I used to get my first hare. I had several centerfire bolt action rifles including those made by: Steyr(1), Sako(1), CZ(2), Heym (1), High Standard (1), Remington (1), BSA (1), Browning (1). My last and only rifle is old Winchester. It highly unlikely I will ever buy another bolt gun.

One my friend told me I should have bought was W.W.Greener .30-06. That one was made for the Englishmen in 1930s by Mauser Werke often called Type A 'African' by collectors. It had rack of express leaf sights but no provision for scope mounting that is why I did not get it.

A mid 50's 06' M70 fwt, about 14 years ago, I got to know more hunters with them, bought the "book" and haven't looked back, it been a fun ride not likely to ever quit. I sure do like em', everything else is just a rifle.

My first one was, and is, a 30-06 with a custom stock, allegedly done by Al Biesen. Whether by Biesen or not, it is a work of art IMO.

It sat on a shelf at a LGS for months and I finally talked the guy into selling it to me for a reduced price. Many more have followed and I am still prefer "all original", but I sure do like that one.

donsm70

A transition M 70 chambered in .270 Win.

A 257 Roberts standard grade....back around 1968 or 69.

Geezz Bob, I was only a couple years old then(smile)

Pre War 1941 Hornet back in 1995 when I was 21 years old. Still have it, still shoot it, still shoots lights out. Not really sure how many ground hogs and prairie dogs have done " the 46 grain jig".

Sweet rifle.

Kids!......Geeesh

A Hornet as a first M70 how nice. I just bought my second Hornet, this one a carbine. I have sent a few prarie dogs to the heavens with mine as well. Do you reload for yours?

I've had my featherweight since 1957. Father bought it new in '55.

270 Win.

This is my first one... Someone took a rattle can of polly ? and sprayed it.. Not good,,,,But it is a real shooter, and when you close that bolt, you hear that Sound.....of a Model 70....

I had been home from my first BCFS fire Lookout, 90 days alone, no breaks, food, wood and water packed on my Trapper Nelson No. 3 for a couple of months and hung out with an older guy at a well stocked but crooked gunstore in my home town.

He was a rabid JOC fan, actually HAD a Biesen .270 Roy on a Pre-war action and was nuts about getting another .270Win. He told me of his desires and how he knew the location of an UNFIRED Alaskan .338WM in town.....

I had seen ONLY two, one at a ludicrous price at the above gunshop and one in a window of a now closed guns and electronics shop on the main drag of my town. This, was several years earlier when I was in Sea Cadets and always was late for parade due to standing in front of this window, wishing and hoping.

So, one fine day, I went to the home of the guy who had this rifle and it was the SAME one I had long lusted over as a high school kid with ZERO $$$$$. I had no money, BUT, the old chap knew my parents and we lived a few blocks away....he offered to sell me the rifle for $200.00 paying as I could.......

I was PUMPED and got it paid for in days, somehow, and then it was MINE!!!!

It is one of the nicest pieces of wood I have seen in scores of P-64s, as smooth an action as I have ever felt and it shoots VERY well.....I have it in the third synthetic stock I have used for it, the condition is VG and I now seldom use it, but, it will be with me until I die.....

I LOVE this fine,old rifle and trust it totally.

A pre-war standard model in .30-06 purchased in 1964 for $72.50. Bore wasn't so great and it became a 26" Douglas heavy-barreled wildcat .25-06 in 1965. Remains the same today.

A 1952 .308 FWT that had belonged to a friend of the family. My dad bought it from him in 1983 for $200 for me to use for deer when I was 15. I replaced the scope with a Burris signature 1.5-6x that's been on it since. Killed a bunch of deer with it, plan on handing it down someday, but not for a while.

SNAP, great story, thats the stuff pre 64 M70's are made of......

I love the sound you are talking about. I also like your rifle Brucie. Very nice, even though someone sprayed poly on the stock. Now it's more weather resistant, which wouldn't be a bad thing when hunting in some places. I really like the zeiss and steel talleys too. What size Victory is that? Some guys don't like big scopes, but I like your style. Great looking rifle there buddy!!

GSPfan: My first pre-64 Model 70 was a mint condition Standard Rifle in caliber 22 Hornet.
I paid $195.00 for it and had to borrow a twenty dollar bill from my buddy to buy it at that price!
Over the decades I have had many of my gun trading friends try to buy/trade/barter me out of it including offers of over 10 times what I originally paid for it.
Nope, its mine for the duration.
IIRC that first Model 70 acquisition was back in 1967'ish.
Early on I recognized that this was a rare and valuable Rifle and hence I have never fired this 22 Hornet Model 70.
I have fired others though.
Long live the Riflemans Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I started late in life, few years ago got a '59 vintage standard grade in 30-06 that now resides with my son. That gun loves 180 gr Partitions and accounted for his roommates first elk.

First mod 70 was an 06 Target, put it in a sporter stock. Still my favorite gun. . 'Carlos' v best winpoor