Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Early pre 1964 Model 70 in 300 Win mag?

I recently inherited my grandfathers Model 70 in 300 Win mag. The manufacturing date says 1962 from the SN 554132. I was always fed the story from my grandfather that this gun was part of an initial release of the first 10 guns in 300 win mag. These 10 guns were sent out top the ten top performing retailers in the country as a promotion to sell. My grandfathers friend bought the gun and soon after my grandfather bought it from him when he needed money (for $200 about 30 years ago). For the last few years I have been using it as my hunting rifle, and man is it a sweet gun.
So that's the story, but i have no idea if it is plausible or true. Has anyone ever heard of an early release or promotion like this? from what I can find, most 300's were not sold until 1963 which seemed to give the story some weight so i decided to try to find out. Is there any other resource I can use to get more information. Winchester was less than helpful as I guess most of there records are lost. I just don't know where to look. I have some pictures and info on marking. There doesn't seem to be anything special about it but I am a novice when it comes to gun knowledge. Any help is appreciated.

You have come to the right place. There are many knowledgeable people on this site. You are wasting your time talking to the company itself when they are all a bunch of Harvard MBA's sitting in white shirts trading futures on the stock market. They don't even know what a gun is.

Someone here is bound to know something...

Yep, someone who lived it in 1962 will likely be along shortly with the facts you seek.

I can tell you 554xxx does in fact date to 1962.

Welcome to the 'fire.

Hi JBaack , Post some photos, my 300win mag Westerner was a late one, receiver proof mark was on top of receiver , Fwt bottom metal , factory vent pad.. great shooter but kicked worse than a 264 win mag or 338 , sharp rap. I'm in SE USA and really only hunted it a few times. The 300 win mag was a very hot item 10-15 years ago in the mod 70 /pre 64 world. very best winpoor edit, the first 10 gun story could very well be true, having a good Winchester sales rep could and did go a long way.

here are what i have right now for images. I don't really know what to take pictures of.

The 300 Winchester Magnum shared the same receiver as the other Winchester short magnum cartridges (the 264 Win Mag which was first catalogued in 1960 and the 338 Win Mag which was first catalogued in 1959). As the 300 Winchester Mag was not catalogued until 1963, I suspect that the gun in question simply has a Winchester short magnum receiver that was serialized in Aug. ‘62.
My sense is that while the gun may very well be an early 300 Win Mag the story that it was part of an initial release of 10 guns is a stretch that would be impossible to prove.
The date stamp on the barrel may answer your question.

Pull that thing out of the stock and let us see the underside markings on the barrel and the 458 on the recoil lug. As far as I know that barrel marking is a red flag for a 300 Win Mag. The word trademark was not on 300 Win Mags, the circled R for registered trademark should be on 300 Win Mags. But and it is a big but, if this truly was a one of 10, more or less a prototype, that marking well be valid, as it is early. That serial number predates adoption of the 300 Win Mag by about a month, and could indeed be what it is. I would like to see or at least know about the underside markings.

Asked a friend who studies M70’s for his thoughts on the gun. He indicated that, “it’s legit”.

Btw, I misspoke as Winchester stopped dating M70 barrels after 1955.

I lean to it being legit as well, but if it has the wrong underside markings and no 458 on the lug that would change that. If the markings on the underside of the barrel are correct or absent and it has the 458 on the lug, I will say that it very well may be the one of ten. The receiver being made one month before the official adoption of the cartridge just fits the story.

Interesting rifle, and good to see some of the knowledgeable "gurus" commenting. That gun has seen some love. Were it mine, I'd give the stock some TLC, if for no other reason to protect what is currently unprotected wood. Not a criticism, but FYI I don't believe the sling swivels are original. If I'm wrong about that, the gurus will correct me.

Finally, I think it is cool as can be that you are using your Grandfather's rifle as your main hunting rifle. Good on you!

Wow, Thanks for all the great info. I am excited to hear that it predates the 300 win mag by just a month. Ill be getting the other pictures hopefully this evening when I have time.
Is there any documentation I could have stating that it was one month before the 300wm? I want to start collecting some paperwork to keep with it so someone else doesn't have to deal what I'm dealing with in the future. My dad passed recently and I don't want my kids to have to deal with what I am. So most important is the 458 on the recoil lug and possibly some other markings on the barrel. Ill will let you know.
Also what do you recommend treating the stock with. hopefully some day my grandkids can hunt with it too.

One more thing does the "FP" or possibly "EP" stamped near the trigger mean anything. I was hoping it was for "first production" or maybe "Engineering Prototype". Ill attach another picture.

No real info to push to you but that is one cool darned rifle. I hope you get it where you want it and continue hunting it. It’s too good of a hunting rifle to not be used.

Have D’Arcy order you up a Legend and hunt the heck out of it ... cool story and nice rifle.

That’s what I was thinking myself!

The letters stamped on the trigger guard identified the trigger guard machinist.

Serial # 552857 was made 5/10/62 #554452 was made 7/26/62 #554947 was made 8/1/62 300 Win mag authorized 9/12/62 So I guess your's was made probably early July 1962. Roger Rule pulled approx one serial number per month from Winchester production records.

OP did you ever pull that out of the stock? What did you find?

Pocono, you are slipping. Generally you won't find a date stamp on rifles made after 1956.. You know better than this.. The gun looks legit and the cartridge was designed in '62 and rifles were being built in late '62. It could have been one of the first to get to premier retailers. I don't doubt the story at all.. I've heard similar stories about 338wm rifles that were sent to certain stores and know a guy here locally that received one of the first 338's in the state...

May I join the party a bit late? I believe you have two matters here in which you express interest in resolving. First is the probability of a seemingly early receiver serial number being legitimate for the 300 Win Mag chambering. Ample answers here suggesting quite possible. I do agree. Only wishing to add that throughout most of the Pre '64 Model 70 production, it was not unusual for the factory not to take receivers in serial order. Some inexplicably a year or more between serial suggestion and actual production date. The serials were applied to the receivers without proximity to FIFO (first in - first out) utilization at time of barreling. The lore and probably true has it that with the 1968 Gun Control Act mandating differing serial systems, Winchester won a one year exemption because many receivers were already serialed under the 'old system', still unassembled. Here not just referring to the Model 70 but a variety of Winchester rifles with the same pre-serialized syndrome. Whenever the 'short mag generic' receiver was mated with specific chambered short mag barrels, might be off by months and that accounting for variations from such as Roger Rule SN/production date 'norms' as in tables. In other words, interesting but 'no big deal'.
The second matter is the dealer recognition pre-production group of ten 300 Win Mag Model 70 rifles allegedly conferred. Two elements here. First the provenance supporting. Something needed simply to overcome the proposition if not such, essentially "never happened". Yet the second element, the "so what" factor. What 'value-added' with such assertion documented. I can't answer that. Likely some, but if the rifle of reference is not itself in 'high condition', probably not much.
I do note that your barrel 'chambering nomenclature' a shade different that my firmly 1963 production centered, excellent plus, rifle.
Just my take

^^^^^^^

iskra,

As always, a thoughtful and informative post. However, I don't understand how the rules Winchester did or did not have to follow after the 1968 act have much to do with a pre '64 rifle?