Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New Winchester 70 Extreme Weather SS .308

So a new rifle came to live at my house yesterday -- a new Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather SS. Still have to mount the Talley rings/bases and my Leupold VX-III 2.5-8. It'll be Friday before I can wring it out at the range, but at present, I love it. The fit and finish are outstanding. The bolt was really smooth right out of the box, and after cleaning and oiling, it runs like a snake in a rat hole. The MOA trigger was set to a little over 4 pounds out of the box with zero creep and zero overtravel. After removing the epoxy covering the adjustment screws at the factory (presumably to keep them from working out under recoil), I adjusted it down to about 3.25 pounds, which was easy. It's now a nearly perfect trigger. Without the scope, the rifle balances at the front action screw. The muzzle diameter of the 22" barrel is pretty close to .622, leaving about .157 of steel surrounding the bore. My copy weighs pretty close to 6.8 pounds. With Talley rings and my scope it should finish pretty close to 7.6 pounds, which I think is about right for an all-around rifle. Certainly not too heavy to trudge into the mountains for elk, which is what prompted its purchase. My brother and I are planning our first elk hunt out west for next fall. All in all, the rifle seems pure perfection. If it shoots as well as it's been built, it ought to be a humdinger. If I can figure out how to posts images here (seems like it should be easier than it is), I'll add a few.

Does it speak Portuguese? Let us know how she shoots for you. Pics would be great..

Just re-read Terry Wieland's articles on the 80th anniversary of the M70. Seems the action is made somewhere in America, where not specified, the barrels are hammer-forged in SC by FN, and the stocks are made in Portugal as they were even during the New Haven days before FN took over. Only difference is where the final assembly takes place, presently Portugal.

I can remember A5s that were assembled there from Belgian parts, before everything went to Miroku. FN is a multi-national outfit and while some of their stuff looks a bit metro-sexual to my Luddite eye, I've never seen anything that was of poor quality. I'm just glad someone is still making them, even if his name is Diego. Just put an Ultimate Shadow on layaway at Whittaker, and all I know is that it was made either in SC or Portugal. Which one matters not.

Okay, here goes my attempt at adding a few pics, which largely amounts to a test of how well I follow directions. ;-)

FCF What do ya think, you might like to use for bullets?
Welcome to the Campfire.
There are a few fellas on here who have the same rifle as you. They have good reviews as far as I know.

Wish you luck on your hunt.

Did good.

Hammerdown, the initial goal will be to get it ready for deer hunting this fall. And while I will eventually work up some handloads, the initial tests later this week will be with factory ammo. I plan to test Hornady's American Whitetail 150 gr. load, Federal's 150 gr. Ballistic Tip load, Federal's 150 gr. Partition load, and Nosler's Trophy Grade 165 gr. AccuBond load. The AccuBonds would, of course, be great elk bullets. When I get around to rolling my own elk medicine, I'll likely aim at using 165 gr. AccuBonds or Partitions.

Sounds good, wish you the best.

Im glad you posted a pic if the rifle. It reminds me of one i looked at a couple months ago. The trigger guard was painted for some reason. The paint was chipped and it appeared to be steel under the paint, not stainless steel. I couldnt confirm one way way or the other, but it was definitely a turn off. One of the reasons why i question the actual overall quality of the newer Portuguese rifles. If i had a magnet, I'd be inclined to check that bottom metal. Also, from the picture, the glass bedding is pretty skimpy. If you find you are getting poor accuracy, you may consider re-bedding that rifle.

According to Wieland, some have alloy guards, some steel, but the floorplates are steel. Pretty sure the light ones are going to be alloy for light weight, like the light MRC models and original Featherweights. Nothing unusual there, and no big deal if they work properly. Better than crappy DMs.

Both my sons had SS Classics made in New Haven. Both had minor fit issues, one with the glob of hot glue that was supposed to be bedding, the other with a floorplate that kept flopping open. Easy fixes, but annoying and IMHO, inexcusable. Wieland claims these are the best ever, which may be a stretch.

I have one of these chambered in .300 WSM in route to my FFL, These rifles are a fuzz heavy for my taste but I like the new slimmer grey B&C Stock (the stock is not made in Portugal like someone posted) much better than the old blocky, chunky black B&C stock Winchester used on the first Extreme Weather models...I doubt the rifle is "Pure perfection" but I think it should make a solid, rugged hunting rifle, I just hope the it's a sub MOA shooter....Hb

OP,
Can you post a weight of the stock if you have a moment the next time you have it apart? Curious just how much lighter it is. Thank you and congrats on your acquisition!

Yes, this is an excellent question, I was told by a girl at Stockys Stocks that these only weigh 28 oz's, I would love to see someone weigh one of these on a good scale and give us an actual weight as 28 oz's seems mighty light for a B&C rifle stock.....Hb

I have the same rifle, chambered in 308, you’re gonna love it. It’s one that I’ll never sell!! It now sets in an Edge, shoots no better than it did in the B&C, but it sure feels a lot nicer in my hands. It loves Ballistic Tips and Varget, makes itty bitty groups, and deer hate it. (125 gr BT and 48 gr of Varget)

I have the same rifle, a 2008 production. The floorplate is steel, trigger guard aluminum alloy. That may have changed in 10 years. I ended up with an extra PT&G all aluminum bottom metal that I wasn't using that I put on and saved 2 oz. I wouldn't have ordered one for 2 oz, but I had it so why not use it.

My rifle is 100% USA made in SC. For a while they were making the parts here and assembling them in Portugal. I'm fairly certain that all of them made in the last few years are 100% Portugal made and assembled.

I liked the rifle a lot as it came and used it for a year before someone posted a used Edge stock here in the classifieds that I bought for it. The Edge stock reduced weight by 7 oz and just feels and looks a lot better to me.

It is one of the most consistently accurate rifles I've ever owned. It shoots everything I feed it well. I've tried 130 gr TTSX's up to 178 gr ELD-X bullets as well as various 150, 155, 165, and 168 gr bullets. Everything but the 130 TTSX's hit close enough at 100 that I don't worry about it. For some reason the 130's hit way high and right. They are accurate, but too far from zero to use without re-zeroing for just that load.

I have the same rifle, a 2008 production. The floorplate is steel, trigger guard aluminum alloy. That may have changed in 10 years. I ended up with an extra PT&G all aluminum bottom metal that I wasn't using that I put on and saved 2 oz. I wouldn't have ordered one for 2 oz, but I had it so why not use it.

My rifle is 100% USA made in SC. For a while they were making the parts here and assembling them in Portugal. I'm fairly certain that all of them made in the last few years are 100% Portugal made and assembled.


No, it's not. Read my post above. That article was in the Jan. 2017 Rifle. Yours is marked USA because most of the work was done here. Parts were sourced from the US and Portugal. Trade laws require marking the country of origin based on percentage of work done where.

I think you can check "shop for a rifle" off your list....I like it.

Yes. I’d like to see some objective data on this. I have seen people post that they are much improved; others report that according to Winchester they are unchanged! Adding to the confusion is the difference between the long and short action stocks, which has always exhisted. I often wonder if folks are comparing “new” SA to “old” LA. Subjectively , I recently handled a new Portugal production long action and could tell no difference between the older SC production.

Nice rifle. In regards to the naysayers putting down your new toy, I suspect the bedding is fine and I wouldn't have an issue with Portugal assembly. For what it's worth the bedding is way better than the New Haven guns. Go enjoy. Great rifle!

That is sure the truth!