Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester 70 barrel reblue

Considering having one of my Winchester 70's barrel reblued because of some moderate oxidation issues. Would like opinions from others on forum as to who to use. Would like it to look as original as possible. Any suggestions or thoughts on the topic would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I do not care for reblued or refinished guns. I admire guns that have honest wear. Given the choice I would buy a well used gun with little finish over a near mint refinished. But that just me. The one thing to remember is that once done nothing can be done to undo it.

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Prefer no blue rather than a re-blue....

Robert, google Kevin Weaver Rifles in Colorado. He specializes in restoring pre-64s, and if you don't know what you're looking at, one of his wood/blued bbl./matte receiver jobs will have you thinking you are looking at Win factory work. I have a fwt. he did and it is immaculate.
John

Griffin & Howe maybe? in New Jersey. Good luck.

I have seen mis managed guns such as very nice guns left in a gunsock or the big zip ups we like to stick em in to go to the field or hunt in next county,the owner gets sick or dies and the wife thinks things are fine, the gun sits there for 5 years and the wife finally thinks call WinPoor , mr Joe Blow says he collects these things( mod 70's) or he sold that gun to Paul 15 years ago. I un zip the thing and want to cry! OK , this was a super nice gun and mr Paul hunted it 3 times a year and wiped it down with WD 40. Is the gun junk ? Hell no BUT to me it is a canadate to a good ( BOTOX) to make nice and go back to banging whitetails! Is it a collector? Hell no ! I have no problem what so ever making it a nice looking shooter to go hammer deer again and look good! Is it a collector piece again? NO.... very best WinPoor

Winchester guys Im going to give yall a real life example, I bought a .257 Roberts Target, I bought it "right" because it had water damage with surface rust but very little pitting, the bore is GREAT, the stock has been sold and I have an extra target stock,BUT My favorite gun is on Mr Rules pp 280 and 281, a special order 257 BOB Varminter. What am I going to do? Mr Bull here sold me a nice FWT stock ,uncut with alum butplate MC nice stock, it has been bedded. The Factory stocks for Varminters were hogged out FWT stocks. Im going to have this stock hogged out and pillar bedded to fit the varmint,target barrel.
Now I was going to have it Ceracoated and the muzzel single point 'cleaned uo just to new fresh metal', My gunsmith says Im messing up that he can clean the action and blue the barrel so we are fussing about that. When I take Mr Bulls stock down and walk out in the sun with the action Im going to make my own mind up what I want to do! One thing is for damn sure I will end up with a 257 BOB varminter that I can bust varmints or head neck shoot whitetails with..... Do I give a damn about collectiability ??? dog dam NO!!! Will I be happy and end up turning big bucks down for the gun from my local pals IF it is a tack driver? you bet your azz! When its said and done I will have 1500 dollars in the rig max. ( I hope)very best WinPoor

A side note to the above story, In this deal I got a pre war, undrilled 22 hornet target, My gunsmith says he will shoot me if I ceracoat this one! I may rust blue the barrel, the rust has no pitting on the barrel and refinish the marksman stock. Is it still collectible???? I think so. Had it not been mis-managed by previous owner and or his wife I would never have been able to own a 22 hornet pre war! Do I have a problem making the gun look great again??? HELL NO ! I will never sell the gun except for what it is! In fact when Im to old to enjoy the gun I will let it sell ITSELF! very best, my point being I have several new in the box guns or they were that way till I got them, THERE IS A PLACE for EACH and EVERY one of these pre 64 mod 70's ! WinchesterPoor very best

It's not a matter of collectibility....it's a matter of character. Wouldn't buy a gun if I couldn't live with the present condition. I'll happily leave the guns that need to be refinished for someone else....

Yep but Im not going to Church Easter looking like Ive been sorting cattle when I can put on my suite and clean up! v best winpoor

I like them either way. Just like winpoor does. A pre 64 Winchester model 70 is one of the best designed hunting rifles ever made. They don't refer to them as "the rifleman's rifle" for nothing. However, I will not try to pass one off as being all original when it is not. winpoor is right, when one has been refinished or messed with in any way that renders it from going back to bone stock orignal, it is a "shooter" not a collector at that point. It takes away from the collector value, but may make it a better user friendly rifle. Keep things honest and use what makes you happy is what I say...

I'm no collector, but I understand collector value is real. It is also subject to change, so I tend not to trust it too much, but it is real.

I care about what I call the intrinsic value. A nice condition proven rifle appeals to me more than the rare, but unproven, NIB. Collector's use different criteria.

I feel an obligation to respect the history of a rifle, so future enthusiasts will have examples to appreciate. They will get a lot more out of shooting a good example than they will looking at one they may not even be allowed to pick up.

I like the patina of honest wear, but I don't see anything wrong with tasteful "refreshing." As long as you are going for originality, as opposed to a high polish blue and "bowling ball" finish one the stock, you are still, IMO, respecting the history of the rifle.

Without seeing the OP's rifle, I don't know what I would do. And since it isn't my rifle, it doesn't matter. I'm glad the OP is trying for original.

That Justin McMillian fellow in another thread sure did do some pretty work!

I can't say it better than winpoor and bsa already has. Honesty first and foremost if you're dealing with someone else on a rifle that has had work. That being said, I don't see a thing in the world wrong with rehabbing a Mod.70 for your own use if a shooter is what it's going to be. Not everyone can afford a NIB or "minty" pre-64 (I can't) and I think the NEXT best thing for someone that the looks of their equipment matters to is a full refinish and professional reblue. All 3 of my pre-64s are already spoken for when I'm gone- to my 26 yr. old nephew, his wife, and their 3 yr. old son, who I hope will inherit the love of whitetail hunting both of his parents possess. Two of the rifles look great in their original condition and that's how they will be passed down. But frankly, the gun refinished by Weaver Rifles looks better than either one of them from a purely aesthetic point of view.