A 1941, mod 70 target in the 22 HORNET , Im a happy camper, a 2 year project is done. Anyone want to make a guess as to how many pre war targets in HORNET were mfg ?? Rare bird , the very first Ive held, owned. very best WinPoor


gun is shiney as I had just wiped it down with marvel oil and howards feed and wax on wood.. WP

Awesome rifle. Looks great..

Very nice rifle. How many targets were made total? How many national match rifles were made? Somewhere I read there were 2706 bull rifles?

I'll make a guess, all 22 hornet target rifles were "pre war". What do I win? ...

Looks really excellent. Thanks for posting the pics.

Who did your metal finish and reblue? Seems they did a great job.

Would be a fun rifle to shoot... 100% model 70, but without the mule kick of the more common chamberings!

Well there are only 40 barrels of that style known to exist; most likely half or more were 30-06. I have seen two 257 Roberts in the first target barrel style.

The funny thing about target models is the clip slot only works with 30-06 length and longer. Winchester blocked the rear of the mags for shorter cartridges.

Nice looking old Winchester 70 there!

Good looking rifle. I do not know the numbers.

donsm70

BINGO! very best winpor

Masters of Gun ,Tallahassee FL , Mark Rains did the metal, Margret Rains did the wood, 76 years of oil soaked wood, she used some sort of clay to draw the oil out. I'm tickled, the bore cleaned up like a mirror , the barrel must have been made for a model 54 as the date on it is 1935 ! I knew I would have no problem with it being "shot out" it being a cool HORNET , I usually steer clear of projects but due to rarity I bought this Hornet and a .257 Roberts Target.. Im very happy with both, I put the Roberts in a sporter stock and it placed 3 shots after bore sighting all touching with the first box of Roberts ammo I bought, older 117 gr +P Hornady ammo. It is a fine whitetail - coyote, crow nailer.

Well, hats off to the Rains team. They did a fine job.

...and you have a .257 NM rifle as well??? I'm feeling more than a bit jealous! Your two rifles would go well with the .300 H&H bull gun project I am currently working on.

That "clay", by the way, is diatomaceous earth mixed with a solvent like acetone or isopropyl alcohol. This concoction is incredible for drawing decades of oil out of a stock. It's a well-kept gunsmithing secret, as it is very inexpensive and works worlds better than any off-the-shelf product I've ever found.

Thanks for sharing this, WP!

14,644 Targets most were 30-06, (#10), #9 was .243 at 683 mfg, # 7 was .257 Bob, # 3 was 22 HORNET.
1971 National Match were mfg. ,2706 BULL guns. very best WinPoor

The BOB Varminter- Target,( My all time favorite mod 70 is on pp 280 of Mr Rules book, he sold it for $87,000 to a Dr who hit on an oil well in OK !!) My National Match is a Transition 30-06, You have sporter transition stock I may buy to put it in to hunt, it is a tack driver!

Another beauty. I love the varmint rifles, as well as the Van Orden snipers. A special class of rifle... NM precision in a sporter stock. Pretty cool!

I recently bought a .243 varmint gun in superb condition, except they cut the stock down to about 12" LOP. Tragic.

Shoot me a note before you think about buying anything on the website. I will send you a coupon code you can use at checkout to get a discount.

Thanks again WP. Great stuff!

I hit the 'BUY NOW' on a Van Orden on Guns America many years ago thinking they worked like Gun Broker, the seller sold to the guy that called him on a Monday, I was pissed! The seller had no idea what he had, did not check his emails.... I shoot a Carlos Hatchcock, a 56' 30-06 Target in a sporter stock, my first mod 70, countless whitetails with that gun, an absolute naildriver.. it started this whole damn WinPoor, mod 70 thing!! very best winpoor
Carlos is 2nd gun from top, the other 3 are SS barreled guns..

Very nice!

Van Orden I got s#it out of, non checkered sporter stock, sat in a closet for 30 years, guy did not even clean it up to sell, prob inherited the gun... You always remember the once in a lifetime guns you miss... winpoor

That's a keeper

Question? My pre war .270 has the clip slot (std. bbl.). Is this a usual or is it an abnormal build. I know that it was not a good time for selling much of anything due to the depression.

Super nice rifle there, Winchesterpoor!

Jack

prewar std, clip slot = usual .

very best WinPoor

Hi Jack. All of the standard pre-war receivers had the clip slot. This feature was dropped after WWII on all except the Target/National Match rifles.

Nice rifle Steve congratulations. I love the Hornet and have a pre war carbine but alas these old eyes make it hard to hit anything using the irons.

-1 on SS age eyes, I love nice peep irons, my favorite are some Redfield mk 8 with all the bells and whistles, if I have the front sight I lose the target and vise versa...Even corrected . very best WinPoor

You're gonna have to duct tape your face in place to keep from grinning so hard it completely closes your eyes while trying to shoot that one, NICE!

Is that 56 foot length of pull, barrel length, or overall length?

There was a Model 70 Target in 35 Whelen at a shop south of here a few years ago.

I'm digging the Carlos rifle!

1956

'56

Didnt Winchester make a few special order M70 target rifles in 35REM?

Yep, they weren't "special" orders though. The 35Rem was made for a few years in the target model... 1941-1946 in fact... Keeping in mind most production was ceased from around the first of 1943 to around the first of 1946....

The 35 Rem is #1 ( rare ) when it comes to catalogued Target guns. I know of one Target in 30-30 or 30 WCF, it was a special order gun. with the correct change and a good Winchester sales rep if you wanted it Winchester would build it! very best WinPoor

Bull guns have clip slot

Nice rifle.

I have an early 1950s Super Grade in 300 Holland
that features a Griffin and Howe SM with a Lyman Alaskan.
Winchester is alleged to have offered that combination.

In Alaska, the Standard Model in 30-06 was preferred because of the notion by hunters and trappers that a rifle was just a tool. That changed a bit after WW II as knowledgeable hunters looked for an all around rifle, capable of stopping bears. That sometimes meant a 35 Whelen in a FW stock for easy carry. The re-bore/ re-chambering- Model 70 in 35 Whelen I own will not win affection from collectors, but at a
distance it looks and feels like a FWT M-70 Super Grade in 35 Whelen.

Very cool rifle Winpoor.. That is a beauty.