Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors What do you see in this Pre 64 338wm

Winchester wizards and aficionados of the campfire, what can your eyes tell me about this? I’ll post further details shortly, but wondering what the pros here can tell me.

Pre 64 338wm 01

Thanks

Replacement pad?

Stock looks to have been shortened.....

Yeah, I’m just wanting more educated eyes than mine on it. I had absolutely no intention of buying another rifle at the moment, but this one seems to be calling me. I figured you guys would spot any majorly wrong items on it. Not looking for a collectors piece, looking for a hunter. Thinking drop this into a McMillan and call it done.

What are other aftermarket stock options other than McMillan for the pre 64’s? Any? Or another source?

High tech specialties (Bansner) and brown precision.

Manners as well I believe.

I got my Alaskan with a crack at the tang for a steal and bedded it but eventually realized the finish was pretty poor for my hunting and the crack wasn’t helping accuracy, so it went into a Legend. Doubt it’ll ever change either.

A Legend would be a great choice on that .338

+1 stock shortened and non-original pad, other than that it looks right. If I were looking to put it in an aftermarket stock this would be a good candidate.

Drop it into a Micky or Brown precision and you are good to go. Ask the seller if it has ".458" stamped on the bottom of the recoil lug and what is the date of manufacture? The stock can easily be changed out. I wouldn't sweat that a bit..

Oh, yes, it's been shortened by about an inch..

This is what I’m being told about the date:
“ From a date standpoint I looked it up and I believe its a 1947. Thats interesting as 338WM came out in early 1948. Doing research on that I found a few more rifles like that and the belief is that they are some of the first 338WMs built while Winchester was still using receivers with the previous year's dates.”

I’d bet a dollar it’s not newer than 1958 if it’s a true Alaskan and has 458 stamped where BSA mentioned.

Probably somewhere around or north of a 458XXX serial as well. Could be a bit lower too, but not much.

You are wrong on the debut of the 338.

I don’t know when the debut was, sir. The dating info that’s in quotations is a copy and paste of what I’m being told.

I’m researching this subject as we speak. Thanks for the info though, it’s appreciated.

1958 338 was introduced

Thanks john.

I see that all circus hobbits should be forever castrated for hiring gunsmiths to cut the buttstocks off pre-64 Winchester model 70's.

Agreed Gunner... with dull iron as well.

The only good that comes of cutting off the butts of a pre 64 model 70 stock is you can use and enjoy them without worry of messing up said stock. Take the all original off and hunt with the one with a recoil pad added. You can find the ones that have been cut for good deals on ebay sometimes. I actually don't mind shooting them at the range with a newer recoil pad either. You can also glass bed those stocks without fear of reducing its collector value. So there are some positives to those gunsmiths cutting a butt down, as long as they don't cut it too short!!!! Here's one I put a recoil pad on recently. You guys have seen this rifle before. 30-06 featherweight I paid $475.00 for locally...:


This rifle is a little sweeter to shoot off the bench now.

Here it is in an all original stock:

It would be sacrilege if someone cut a stock like this one down. In full agreement with you there buddy...