A friend of mine inherited a mode 70 serial #254XXX which makes it a pre 64 by a good margin. The thing is that he's a lefty & the rifle has a custom stock that has a roll-over cheek piece which makes it uncomfortable for him to shoot. He says working the bolt of a right hand action isn't a problem. It's been rechambered from .300 H&H to .300 Wby. has a hinged floorplate....Here's the questions. Can he use any of the plastic take-off stocks, or even a wood one? From post 64's? Do the pre 64's differ dimentionally from current production models? He tells me that what he's looking for is a straight stock without a rollover cheekpiece. What can he use?

The standard pre-64's had a bulge in the barrel where the rear sight was mounted so it wouldn't just be a drop in.

Hello Miner- The p64's action screws are about an 1/8 inch less on center, than current model 70's(if I recall correctly, about 7 1/2 inches for the p64 vs 7 5/8 for later models). They are not interchangeable, in my experience, unless you could do some fairly major modification to the inletting and holes in the stock which I have never tried. You can check on Gunbroker for original p64 stocks or go with a synthetic (McM or B&C, etc). Good luck..

Cut off the rollover cheek and make all of us happy. Then add a Decelerator pad to that stock and go hunting.

It was suggested that he do exactly that...wack off the cheekpiece that is. It was his fil's rifle & he doesn't really feel that would please the little woman. (his wife)

Despite current dislike of rolloever cheekpieces, they were a part of American (and even European) rifle history. Done right they are also quite comfortable to shoot and even can look all right.

He should get a syn-stock (available from more than one company for pre-'64's; I might even have one hanging around) and leave the historical stock alone.

Probably in 30 years shooters will be wondering why in hell Grandad had a maroon McSwirly on his rifle.

His brother told me that Hogue says they'll fix him up for about $160.
I'll prolly go ahead & order one for him. He's been one of the few friends I could count on over the last 40 years.

What JB said.....

My thought exactly. Most of the McSwuirely color combos look like Sunday morning vomit or really cheap bowling balls..

They also don't do a damn thing for the lines of the rifle.

IMHO, "McSwirlys" are likely to become the "Leisure suits" of the gunstock world in another 10 years..(or less)

I have put pre-64 actioned mod 70's in later model win 70 stocks.
All that was required was to elongatet the rear action screw hole a bit. Externally the tang inletting is a little longer but it isn't really noticable unless you really look, after all ilt is only about a 1/4" difference between the pre-64 and current 70 action lengths.

One of my favorite rifles is a pre-64 FW in a current run FW stock - it looks really nice, when most folks look at it they don't even realize what has been done.

drover

D'Arcy Echols' left hand version of the Legend stock will fit right or left handed actions. They can be ordered for pre-64s or current models. Would be a much more attractive option.

My 300H&H in a Rimrock.

Good one! That's funny!

Do you have pictures of this one?

Can't go there, Mcswirrely in vomit colors. Do what I did, find a cheap pre 64 stock that is not collectable. Refinish, add a recoil pad etc. Then go out hunting. Works for my 55 300H&H.

I bought a pre 64 standard in 264 Mag that had sit in a gun shop for about 3 years years. The cheap plastic stock it was in killed any potential purchase. I bought a standard MC pre 64 stock on ebay with a new replacement pad on it. I glass bedded the action and refinished the stock, it looked and shot great.

The pre 64 bottom metal is shorter in front but that can be glassed or you can install a peice of matching wood and inlet it back in..

If you use a newer Win. stock on the pre 64, you have to inlet the bottom metal out, sometimes re-drill the front hole a tad, block it and redril is the best way..then the same option on the front ring of the action, glass it or inlay it..

I did several of these a couple of years ago, it seemed all the local boys wanted those FWT schnoble stocks on there guns, and I don't blame them for that, those are nicely designed stocks. It works out nice in fit and finish unless you look really close, but on a hunting rifle who's looking.

The old Pacific Research now known as Rimrock makes the nicest composite stock on the market IMO..The design is par excellent and American classic in design, and its checkered.