Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors M70 Featherweight Pre64 30-06

Why was there only one bidder on this clean gun?

Are there problems with it others saw and the bidder did not?

What are the experts opinions of worth from the pictures?

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/658863322

Seems about right to me. It's been used some as evidenced by blue wear on bolt handle. Not an expert, but stock looks like a late production gun.

The only thing I notice is the checkering looks to be re-cut by hand. I don't really think it hurt it; in fact it improved it in my opinion! Lucky day for Buyer for sure. How was it listed - Category / search etc.

Buyer bought it at a fair price. Wood wear doesn't seen to match up with metal condition. Personally wouldn't have been willing to go much higher. There are nicer examples out there for a little more

The buyer did very well in my opinion. Very good honest example of a late manufacture (1962) pre 64 model 70 featherweight. If I were the buyer, I'd be extremely happy with that purchase...However, let's face it, the market is weak at the moment. It truly is a "buyers market" right now. The pre's are a little soft right now. Also, that one is a 30-06, the most common of the featherweights. Just not as "desirable". Just simple facts... Another thing to consider is that one is a late manufacture and they are just not as desirable. The earlier fwt's were the ones to get, but there's not a dang thing wrong with the late ones. I remember Bobin used to say those were his favorites because no one wanted them and they were generally cheap compared to the early (1955-1958) ones...

The later rifles with the small checkering panels and plastic buttplates are not as desirable as the earlier ones with the aluminum buttplate and larger checkering panels. There is nothing wrong with the later rifles other than aesthetic appearance, the buyer got a nice rifle at a favorable price. Finding a rifle as nice for less than $1K has become difficult these days.

I would have been all over that one myself. For a hunting rifle I think the buyer did really well. Earlier ones are always a little more desirable, but just the danged actions go for 750 sometimes.

I would have bought it at that price no doubt. Wish I had seen it.

I agree Scotty. Bobin was pretty damn smart. Guys like us will just pull the stock off and sell it on ebay and put the money towards a Brown or Mcmillan.

Question:

When do you guys draw the line on a rifle that you know nothing about with the exception of a handful of pictures? In this case, the seller is unknown and any past history of the rifle also.

I agree Bob was smart and probably smart enough to buy rifles that were either obviously in great condition or he knew the history. I seriously doubt Bob was putting his money up on a GunBroker rifle unless it was obviously clean enough to take a chance. Obviously conjecture, but I'm thinking Bob would have passed on that rifle without additional info. He had the patience to find the really great deals. May have paid a little more, but he would know what he was getting.

x2

Yep

https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?Keyword=winchester%2070%20pre%2064%20featherweight%2030-06

4 out of the 7 in the above link presently are asking $1,500 - $1,700

1 - There's a description of the gun.
2 - There's a A+ rating of the seller.
3 - There are email / phone communication between buyer and purchaser most of the time.

There is more than just pictures "most of the time".

When someone wants to buy old American pride items manufactured in their birth year, they don't have much choice on getting the older models.

Annnnd...when the first three digits of the serial is their old Boy Scout Troop number, Annnnd...nobody else is bidding, and the price is pretty darn good, and the stars are aligned, Annnd they've been looking for a 30-06 to replace their first deer rifle (Remington 700 BDL 30-06) they bought with their own money for Christmas back in 1978 that got stolen in 1996, and when they have always wanted a Winchester pre-64...well, sometimes the Almighty takes care of his kids and clears the street like he did on this one for that one bidder.

Good luck with the rifle.

Then again a great sporting shooter was ready to start a tournament and someone wished him good luck. His reply? "What's luck have to do with it?

You really think the Almighty worries at all about what rifle one buys? What if it turns out to be a dud? Maybe he was trying to tell you something with no one else bidding?


Good luck, it should be a good rifle.

Thanks.

He gave 3 day viewing on the auction.

“Inspection / Return Policy: Three Days from the date the item is received”

And also, the last time I looked, lying about a description is Fraud, and on the internet it includes the following charges:

1 – Wire Fraud
2 – Mail Fraud
3 – Deceptive Trade Act

All Felonies with federal prison time.

I’m not worried at all, not one single bit.

You also can sue in civil court for damages too, so when people get stupid...

Elk Slayer,

If you bought the rifle at that price- you did good.

It looks like a sligjtly used ,unaltered gun in a great ( maybe the best) caliber. You paid the cost of a current NIB Portugese made m70 FTW and in terms of history and long term value- got a LOT more rifle.

I just bought a '62 vintage m70 almost identical to that one a few months ago for the same price. Mine is a few hundred guns apart from that one in terms of serial number had a bit more metal finish but the orgional owner (who was from California) mounted an early Jap "Mayflower" Scope in Buehler mounts and installed a period Mershon ventlated pad to his 14"+ length if pull. The gun looked like it spent most of its life in a closet:)

It has now been liberated and will be used this season to terrorize bull Elk in the heavily timbered canyons of Colorado.

Right now, I have a mint Weaver K4 60B on the gun in Weaver rings( VERY 1962! ) but within 30 days, it will have a Leupold VX3 in DD mounts being installed along with a thin solid old English pad to my LOP.

Got a box of 180g Nosler Partitions to use for working up a good Elk load. So far, it puts 3 shots of cheap Federal blue box 180g Soft points into 1.5" at 100 yards on demand.

Actually, it would be pretty darned effective on Elk as it is without any further tweeks.. Such are pre 64 Midel 70s- they simply work..

That's awesome man. I am very happy the rifle went to that gut. Sounds like it was "meant to be".... Great deal too. Regardless of what batue said... .. I wouldn't take that personal though. His feeling are hurt because I was picking on his favorite 308 win. Even though he knows I'm right about the 30-06 fwt being better...

jk, that rifle sounds awesome, especially after the upgrades. Just about perfect in my opinion... The one rifle I keep in original condition is my 30-06 fwt. That rifle will be buried with me...

I would have bought it at that price.