Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 1959 MODEL 70

I have had this rifle for 35 yrs. It is a .264 Mag with the 26" barrel. My question is, were all of these rifles polished and bright blued. Mine is a dull very dark blue black. The bottom metal is polished and a lighter blue and the extractor is also a polished blue which shows wear where it rides against the receiver. The muzzle is bright metal. The rifle is in very nice shape and I have never hunted it. We worked up loads for it and my son used it when we went to northern Quebec to hunt Caribou. I used my Sako Finnebear in .270. They both did a fine job. It is the only pre 64 rifle I have but I do have 3 of the Classics. Just asking the guys with the knowledge to find out what I got. TIA
Have a great day.
Jim

Assuming the "Winchester" barrel nomenclature, sounds like you have the factory stainless steel barrel configuration. Such common on early sixtyish Win production in that chambering! Finish dependent on many factors including use, conditions of storage, frequency/care in fielding. The stainless finish more subject to wear. Sounds like you're describing my couple Win era stainless! Extractor shold not be polished if original. Other, vicissitudes of time & wear
Just a casual observation without resort to further information/photos.
Be happy you have what sounds like a nice pre '64 in short mag chambering!
Best!
John

The bright muzzle indicates a Stainless barrel. On the bottom of the barrel in front of the receiver there will the letters ST or Stainless Steel written out completely. There will probably not be a year stamp. I don't remember how 264's were caliber marked marked underneath. They discontinue Stainless 264's in 1960.

The stainless steel barrels on early .264 pre-64 Model 70s were coated with iron in order to take bluing which made it a matte finish.

Sounds like we may have the same rifle, haven't looked the serial number up on mine, 474xxx, but it is indeed a coated stainless barrel as mentioned by several posters above, had it out in Savageton Wyo from Oct 4 to Oct 10 on a doe antelope and doe mule deer hunt, i used the 264 on a nice fat old doe antelope at 156 yards, the 160gr Woodleigh Weldcore done as fine a job as one could hope for, overkill? of course, but i wanted to use that rifle in the country it was specifically developed for, pre-64 Westerner all the way.

Great old rifles, hope you get yours out and get connected on some meat with it this season.

Perfect rifle for that task. I remember a few years back, my buddy EricM took out a pre 64 I sold him because it was his most accurate rifle. I don't even know if he used any of his Tikka's that year. He did shoot some nice antelope though. Sounds like you had a great hunt buddy. The OP's rifle sounds nice too. I've ran across some westerners, but not too many. I remember a guy bringing in one to my local shop and my gunsmith (who is a big time pre 64 collector) snatched it up. The stock was cut and a recoil pad added, but everything else was original. My smith was happy as hell because he said he could actually use that rifle and the LOP fit him perfectly. He examined the bore very well on that rifle, said he has seem some with burned out throats in his time, but that one had not been shot too much. My smith walked away with that rifle for $800.00 and a big smile on his face..

LOL, good stuff buddy BSA, your 'Smith is probably still smiling, my 'Smith has a fancy borescope, i had him give my 264 a good looking over after i Wipeout foamed it clean to the steel, he wasn't into it for a couple seconds and started smiling, this rifle has had an easy life, carried some, shot next to nothing, i was happy, also looked up serial, seems mine is a 1960 model rifle, i've only shot five bull elk and had two assists on a cow and another bull, used rifles from 338 to 375 cal, i for the life of me cant see why this 264 WM firing that long bonded 160gr Woodleigh at 3000 fps wouldn't make a right descent elk rifle, should bore a damn good deep hole through the vitals.

Oh hell yes gunner. That will make a dandy elk rifle. Hey, ill be packing around a tiny 7mm08 today with 140gr barnes. Ill bet if I cross paths with a bull, that little sucker will be sufficient.

You'll get it done buddy, i hope you find a bull and get the freezers loaded, Wife went to the grocer awhile back to buy some sort of meat for a ladies potluck dinner, she was shocked at the prices for store bought meat, she came home saying i'm so glad you hunt, it saves us a fortune....................i should have said, why yes honey, i think i need another rifle ; ]

Ha ha. Yeah, that would have been perfect.. I like the way you think..