I snapped up an early 1985 (transition year?) one several years back for $700 under a 2.5-8 Leupold VXIII. Like I needed another rifle.... Maybe 50 rounds through it, judging from the empty fired brass that came with it and the owner's recollection, along with several boxes of live rounds, a couple boxes of bullets, dies, a military ammo case, and a fancy sling, which I immediately took off in favor of a Safari sling.
I spent another $100 on a Tubbs firing spring kit, and fitted that, as the safety had not been fitted at the factory. Might be why I got it cheap. Never having done that before, I could have worked the factory one, but wanted a spare in case I flubbed it, and it was educational. The Tubb kit did nothing much to improve the accuracy, tho. The exterior stock finish was not, IMO, high quality, the wood is just OK. It had a few very minor dents and a light surface scatch or two, but was almost NIB condition.
Until I took it caribou hunting anyway.... 2 kills. The stock is a little more "hunted with" now.
. If anyone wants an almost new factory spring and striker, pm me. Sling too.
The interior stock work was initially very rough and whiskery, several pressure spots along the barrel channel and accuracy wasn't all that good ( 2MOA +) with or without the fore-end bump and the pressure points, so I full-length bedded it, with only minor improvement in accuracy. The barrel channel was well hollowed out, so it took a lot of epoxy to fill it, probably adding an ounce or two or three of weight - but where it will do the most good, at least. Accuracy (factory ammo) crept below 2MOA, barely - was good enough for one kill at 20 feet, and another at 100 or so yards, both standing offhand shots. In the fog.
It is a very well handling rifle, excellent balance and comes right into the shoulder/eye configuration. I like it. The quality of the workmanship on mine may have been due to it being (I was told) a transition year to something different in the works, mine being thrown together out of "left-over parts". Your's being several years back may have better workmanship than I found. (It looked good from the outside! )
I bought it for a tool, not a closet queen, so I'm good. I love the way it handles. Smoothing the wrinkles out just makes it more gooder/fun.
I put a few rounds (175 Fed factory) through it a few days ago after bore-coating it. After scope change /adjustments at 25 and 100, I fired the last 3 for group at 100. Two were almost touching, one was about an inch away - but I think I pulled that one a bit. That doesn't tell me much, but is encouraging. More shooting needed - and reloading.... I'd rather shoot 140's, but we'll see. IIRC, one box of bullets that came with it are Partitions.
. The rifle has fewer than 120 rounds through it, all factory loads, so it's just getting "warmed up".
That factory butt pad is going to get replaced with a Decelerator tho - it's as hard as a Ruger. Someone wants that as "factory original, it can go too. Those 175 RN had some bite on them, for a 7X57. It was 5th out of 7 fifles fired that day, doing the same thing, and right after the .338, so .....
I have 3 Remingtons, a Ruger, and a M98 in various calibers that are all more accurate at this point (and one Ruger that isn't) than the M70 to date - working on both. I've never had a problem with a push feed, so don't believe everything you read on the Innanet....
That's all I got.
Price suits you, buy it!
