Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters An Old Mod 70 Pre64 30/06...

I would try the Nosler or Federal Premium 180 grain Nosler Partition.

Funny, it seems like the opposite now at least in Washington. The eastern part of the state is known for offering longer shots, and while you can always shoot as far as you like across a clearcut, the western side is known for blacktail hunting in the jungle where 50 yards is a long shot.

As for factory 30-06 ammo, it's all pretty good these days. I've stopped looking for good loads and started looking for bad ones. Most of them will shoot into 1.5 MOA, and I've only found one that doesn't group well (~4 MOA) in any 30-06 that I've tried.

Most factory 180-grain loads do 2,650-ish, with one or two hitting 2,700 in one or two rifles. Most 150-grain loads do ~2,850 or a bit better, with one or two hitting 2,900 in one or two rifles. I haven't messed with factory 165's much at all. For what it's worth, Federal's 180-grain Nosler Partition load runs 50-100 fps slower than you'd expect in several of my rifles, though I doubt any elk on the planet would notice.


Okie John

OJ, that is very true...Back in the 70’s deer hunting in Eastern Oregon was more “deer drives” down canyons with shale under your boots and a lot of jump shooting in the early afternoon...Morning hunts spent covering water holes and meadows.

I do remember a few times where bucks were spotted on high ridges. Dad and my two older brothers would launch their Winchester 06’s until the bucks would crest over the ridge out of sight. Never recall any of them knocking one down.

Now, with chainsaws running since George W. was in office creating massive clear cuts on the West Side. It’s easy to find a 400 yard or more shot at a decent Blacktail.

Here’s a few pictures I took yesterday of my dad’s Winchester. I didn’t realize it was a SuperGrade Featherweight until I handled it for the first time in 20 years...I checked and cleaned the rifle. It was immaculate. Bore/barrel only had a little copper fouling.

The scope isn’t a Leupold 3-9 but rather a VXII 2-7.. Glass is clear with all rings and bases solidly in place. I’m going to leave the scope on it and hunt it, as is....Last deer taken with it was a small 3 point buck I shot back in the early 80’s. Time sure flies...😎

That is a rifle to treasure. I'd love to find one myself.

Damn Beaver, you never told us it was a supergrade featherweight. That kind of info is pertinent... Leave the damn thing as it is and find a good load it likes...

Laffin...I didn’t remember that small piece of information. It had been a long time since i pulled it from the back of a safe, then removing the gun sock it’s been sitting in for 20 years.

Dad hunted it hard, but there’s not cracks or rust, just wear spots on the stock from how dad liked to carrying it one handed.

I remember it shot really good back in it’s day...I guess the idea of having it fully restored to like new condition won’t gain me much support.. Grins 😎

Your dad loved it the way it is. Just looking at it in the condition should be a constant reminder of your dad. Especially where his hand wore the finish off the stock. If it were mine, I'd leave it just like it is.... That might just be me though...

That's a good rule to follow...

Yeah, I’m happy to leave it in its current state. There’s nothing wrong with it...It’s ready to hunt with me a couple of mornings this season.

We’ll seen if the old guy helps his kid out and brings a good buck into range for me. That would be another story to tell...

Thanks for the appreciation about this old rig. Pop was a hunter and proud to have owned it. 😎

That's a fine looking rifle. Hope you get to poke some holes in something with it this fall.

-Jake

I have one my Grandfather gave me before he died about 35 years ago. It shoots about anything well but shoots 150gr Interlocks with a max load of IMR 4064 amazingly well.

Our family left us with guns that have no potential, so we have no decisions about what to do with them.

Sometimes I will have two guns that are nearly identical, with one I modify and one I do not.

But here is a pic of a 1953 M70 in 308 that I got from Randy Ketchum in 2012 [my favorite gunsmith, he has passed away].
I got it for $400 with a stock broken at the wrist and almost no metal wear.
I had also purchased a 1956 M70 in 2005, rebarreled, and put a Borden Rimrock stock on it. The old 1956 stock has been lying around. I put the 1956 stock on the 1953 rifle.

While I continue to butcher and bubba Win M70s, Rem700s, 98 Mausers, and Sav 110s every year, I am leaving Randy's M70 as stock as I can.

[quote=Beaver10 Yeah, I’m happy to leave it in its current state. There’s nothing wrong with it...It’s ready to hunt with me a couple of mornings this season.

We’ll seen if the old guy helps his kid out and brings a good buck into range for me. That would be another story to tell...

Thanks for the appreciation about this old rig. Pop was a hunter and proud to have owned it. 😎[/quote]


That's good to hear, that rifle as it sits is a treasure in more way than one. I hope you get a great deal off satisfaction carrying and owning such a family heirloom. Sometimes it's not all about the bestest and fastest but the memories and connections to the past it conjures while carrying afield. For me, the older I get, the more important that becomes.

Hey Beaver:

I too inherited a nice 'ol M70 in 30-06, a very early 4 digit gun. My uncle had passed, and we'd shot a lot together but never that gun. When I first tried it, it shot like a POS... only paper plate accuracy. I tried a few different factory rounds with no improvement.
Then I looked down the bore, and could barely see any rifling. I don't think it had ever seen a modern copper solvent, just a few Hoppes patches after shooting, and the rifling was horribly fouled with copper.
I bought a bottle of Barnes copper solvent, pulled the receiver and barrel from the stock so I wouldn't need to worry about getting solvent on the wood finish (which it will badly erode), and got to work. About three days later I had a trashcan full of blue patches, had worn out two bore brushes, and the barrel showed gleaming rifling throughout. Now it will shoot any load into 2 inches, and some of my handloads 1 MOA.
Good luck with your's.
GC

That is one sweet rig Beav, and I love the story behind it. I REALLY hope you can get it sorted out and kill a buck with it. That would be way too cool. Good luck on your project, and keep us posted if you don't mind.

I have hunted with pre'64 M/70's since buying my first prewar M/70 back in the early 1970's, never owned one that wasn't a good shooter. They have never disappointed, my current deer rifle is an early 1950's vintage Super Grade that has been rebored to .35 Whelen, back-up rifle is a '57 vintage .30-06 Featherweight. I shoot the classic Jack O'Conner load in the '06, a 165gr. bullet with IMR 4064, it is a good performer on paper and on game.

My closest friend and hunting pardner of 60 years has carried his Pre-64 Model 70 featherweight on all deer and elk hunts we went on; plus some jack rabbit and coyote shoots as well! In the earlier years he used Remington Core-Lokt ammo for his hunting needs. He favored the 150 and 165 grain ammo for deer ; and the 165 and 180 grain for elk. He always seemed to get his game with minimal effort (except for the pack-out). Once I began reloading for him, he began to use the Nosler bullets in the same weights. Again no problems taking game. He and I both like the Nosler Partitions as our go to ammo. He in his 30-06, and me in my 308 Win or 7x57 Mauser.

CJ

Brother Beav,

As you prolly know I have a soft spot for traditional rifles i.e. old junky Mousers and Pre-64 M70's. To me the tradition of the hunt these days is as important as the hunt itself. Although I do own a few synthetic stocked rifles and even a few nefangled long range type rifles, I love classics and you my friend have a very classy classic and the fact your father used it for years as his main hunting rifle is uber cool....

So I encourage you to shed your skinny jeans, trash the flat brim hat and buy a Pendleton wool jacket and a Stormy Kromer and savor the hunt....

Nope, not just you.
I couldn't picture it as Dad's if it was all "fixed" up.

Every little scratch on my Dad's Model-88 in 358 is indelibly linked to my memories.

Beautiful supergrade. I have a 257 from 1950 that I love.

Take the gun to a range and put it and the scope through their paces with some 150 coreloct and hornady white tail. In all honesty that scope is probably perfectly acceptable for deer hunting and it will actually fit the rifle.

I made the mistake of thinking I needed a big variable scope when I got out of college. Slapped a VX3 3x9 on my 270 at the time. Hunted deer and wild hogs all over Texas with that thing and basically just left it sitting at 4 for pretty much every shot I took with it. Sold the rifle and scope a few years back when I got my first pre 64.

My current hunting rifle, 1947 257, has a vintage 4 power scope of some derivation in a G&H side mount. It's a post sight and I have yet to feel the need for more magnification.


Oh, one other thing, it's a pre 64, the hand fit barrel channel that was used prior to the change over to post 64s was part of what people loved about these rifles. Please don't go bedding or free floating it, figure out what it likes and shoot it. At this stage the wood isn't going to move much unless you drastically change environments.

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