Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors M70 Classic Featherweight Stainless

Just a question to see if anyone knows the dates that the M70 Classic Featherweight in Stainless/Synthetic were made? I bought one new (270 WCF) sometime around 92, but had to give it up in my divorce. I've spent over 15 years looking for another one and finally found one here for sale on the fire. It is almost new and in .270 to boot. I seem to recall hearing they were only made from 92-94 or something like that but would like confirmation. Thanks for the help.

False on the 92-94 bit ... Produced from the re intro up to and into the BACO years

That rifle was called the "All Terrain" and was manufactured from '96-'98. Others here like Mudstud would have a better idea on exact manufacture dates, but that's what I remember. They are pretty rare and desirable...

My bad, skipped over the "synthetic" part! BSA is correct.

Thanks for the info BSA! Now that I think about it, the first one I bought would have been in the '96 time frame, not '92 like I originally said, so your '96-'98 makes sense.

There is a stainless synthetic 270 featherweight on gunbroker right now.

It has a boss, which I consider unfortunate, but you may not. It says 24" barrel, if that's the case, you could probably pop off the boss and still have enough barrel, if you wanted. Maybe 24" with boss though.

Definitely 24" w/BOSS... Full removal and recrown leaves about a 21" barrel - a tad short IMHO for a 270, unless it'll be used mostly in moderately heavy woods/forest conditions...(ala NW WI where shots are typically under 100 yds.. )


I get a couple in every year with the owners wanting those GONE..

I didn't realize that Winchester ever put a BOSS on a featherweight. Not something I would wish on my worst enemy! The one that I originally bought and this new to me one that I just purchased were/are both Featherweights with the standard Featherweight barrel contour and 22" barrel.

Congratulations on your new rifle, I hope you enjoy it!

I have one and love it. Yes, the BOSS is ugly but it works! Mine is a 280 FWT that I got from a LGS for $400 when Winchester was closing them out. It drives tacks with 120 BTips. Good for the grandkids as recoil is nothing. Just make sure they are wearing hearing protection! If I want to hunt with it, I screw on the BOSS conventional recoil. Different strokes...

FWIW, I prefer to keep the conventional recoil weight on at all times, but that's just me.
As for the device, you can either tune the load to the barrel's vibration pattern/frequency, or you can tune the barrel to the load. You can get accuracy either way.
The advantage of the BOSS is you can load the bullet you like to the the velocity you want, and assuming the bullet is well enough made, you can tune the barrel to that load.
The disadvantage of the BOSS is you give up about 2 inches of bore as far as velocity.
So, depending on the velocity that happens to tune the load to the barrel (no BOSS, longer barrel), assuming a combination of velocity and accuracy is your goal, and assuming you can eventually get equal accuracy out of both, it is hard to say which will end up giving you more velocity.
The BOSS is especially useful for the man who, for whatever reason, wants to shoot a specific factory load.
The BOSS helps protect the muzzle crown, but it also acts a bit like a "funnel" with the rifle is vertical.
No, they are not pretty. But I have seen much uglier things on rifles.

Interestingly, the short action Classic Stainless Synthetics that Winchester was building in the late '90's had 22" Featherweight contour barrels, even though they came in sporter stocks.

Yep, that is correct.
They were first cataloged in '94 in 223, 22-250, 243, and 308. The 223 was dropped from the catalog in '95 and the last year they were cataloged was '98.
Also, the sporter synthetic stock they used had the same ejection cutout as the long actions, so the ejection cutout did not match the actual ejection port. This was not the case on the walnut stocked stainless featherweights, which did have the appropriate length cutout.

Here is an example that shows this cutout (and the fw barrel profile) currently on GB from a proud seller.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/667571801

That looks horrible! I have several stainless classics and they are among my favorites, but nothing that looks like that. If I saw that, prior to reading this, I'd swear the gun wasn't original to the stock. Guess we know how that and other similar decisions worked out.

Speaking of stainless Fwts, search "winchester" on this page and you'll see one incorrectly described as an XTR.......open the pics and tell me if this is a "desirable" Model 70..:-)

https://gobles.ca/firearms/

IIRC the 5 digit serial #s were the most desireable. I think that one is a little optimistically priced for our market.

My thoughts exactly. At $850-900 ish I'd likely have to have it,....why?...I don't know.

But then you would quickly remember how that action felt vs a pre 64 and be disappointed in it! (the voice of experience here!)

Lol...been there too

I own both Stainless Classics and Pre '64 rifles. I am not disappointed in the way the Classic actions feel. Perhaps I am not discriminating enough and am missing something. Care to elaborate?