Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors I found a nice little rifle yesterday

I was out and about, having a key made for my new/used Honda Accord I bought to save money at the pump and stumbled across a nice pre 64 model 70 featherweight at a reasonable price. It is equipped, already, with a Mcmillan stock and older Leupold VariX III 3.5-10x40 rifle scope in Conetrol rings. Someone had it set up very nicely. I bought the rifle to tinker around with and spruce it up a bit. I'm not a fan of the painted gray stock, so it's going to get painted. Sadly enough, Mcmillan did a damn fine job installing the black 1" pachmayr pad, or I would replace it with a red pad. That may happen down the road, as I am going to paint the stock my usual brown color. Red pads go so well with a brown stock IMHO. Anyway, the bluing is in excellent condition and the bore is pristine. I don't think it's been shot much. I haven't pulled the action out of the stock yet to see what kind of glass bedding job is there. If it's not well done, I'll re-do it. My plans are to shoot it as is before I touch it and see how it does and then go from there. Wish me luck and you guys have a great Easter!!!

Caliber? Inquiring minds want to know....

Damn you find them at the hardware store. I need to move to where you are!!

Congratulations! I love the brown stock with a red pad. Happy Easter.

Nice!

Great find and way to scoop it up - I've walked on a few I shouldn't have.

Congrats on the rifle. Sounds like a good project

What's it chambered in? Sounds like a solid score.

Couple nice bonuses on that, from the sounds of it. Congrats bsa.

Nothing like leaving everyone hanging! LOL

I'm guessing 270.

Man, I was on the verge of walking too. I'm glad I bought it though. The rifle is very clean and I also know where a period correct stock is in perfect condition, if I wanted to return it back to original. Of course it will not be the original stock that the rifle came with. After cleaning it up today, I was very surprised it looks like it has not been shot very much at all. I guess it was "accurized" by a guy out of Carson City Nevada. He did a nice job fitting the Mcmillan to the barreled action. I had to slightly fine tune a few things. The rifle is chambered in 30-06. I know that's the only boring part about it. I love 30-06 though. Growing up with that cartridge as my only big game cartridge. I know what it is capable of. I'll get some before pics up in a while for you guys to check it out. I PM'd Beretzs about it yesterday. I was actually going to go and snag a different 30-06 rifle (6 digit fwt classic) that he told me I should have bought a while back, but saw this one before I hit that store and it took priority.
Unfortunately it was not. That would have been an even better score as far as value because of rarity. However, I am not a 270 win guy. I had about the most perfect 270 fwt made in '57 a while back and never shot it. I sold it to someone that appreciated it more than I did. I've always liked the 30-06, so it was still a good score for me personally.

Ha ha. Thanks buddy. I'll get some pics up so you guys can pick it apart if you want.. Where's Iskra John at? ha ha..

The couple things that stuck out at me, that I did not like:
Besides the fact that the "professional" that glass bedded it originally was messy. Look at that spill over. That's unacceptable in my book:

When that rear action screw is left long^^^^, the bolt has a tendency to drag on it. I like to keep it even or slightly below the profile of the receiver:

I had to cold blue the end of the screw to match the receiver. This is right after grinding it down though^^^^

This always bothers me when guys do this, but we all know Mcmillan has an issue with not inletting this part of the stock properly:

Whoever ground on this trigger guard should be horse whipped. Look at that crappy job^^

Generally I just go a little deeper with the inletting so you don't have to modify the $120.00 trigger guard!!!! This one was what it was, so I ground and polished it better and then baked some paint on:



My other option would have been to call Jason at pre64.com and order a nice fwt trigger guard, but that's a $120.00 I don't want to spend on it.. Paint and recontour/polish turned out alright. I think I can live with it now.

This was before I cleaned it. Typical aluminum pillars and nice bedding job:

I'll leave it as is and shoot it and see how it does. The barrel is not freefloated, so that may be an issue. We will definitely see when I take it to the range. If it is a problem, I'll freefloat it and re-shoot..

Here's a pic of the rifle after I wiped the stock down a little bit. It was a little dirty:



I've always liked the looks of Conetrol rings and bases on these model 70's, but couldn't see paying what they want for them. I'm glad they were on this rifle when I bought it. I'll use it just like it is. Even with the old Leupy. That's a friction adjust scope, so you know its an older one.

Here it is after I pulled it from the stock:

Rifle was manufactured in 1961, according to the serial #. Bolt also has matching serial #.

Now, here it is after cleaning the action and giving it a good wipe down with Rem oil:






That bolt face is in pretty good shape. The firing pin hole is nice and round and the muzzle is very clean. No wear in the bluing near the muzzle, all indicators that it has not been shot much..

The stock has 5 coats of brown paint on it now and a light dusting of texture. I didn't apply much because Mcmillan already had the texturing they use when they paint a stock and that looks great, but I wanted a little grip in the fresh paint. I'll let that dry overnight and then re-install the barreled action tomorrow. I know I like the brown color much more than that dingy gray, plus it hides some of that bedding you could see. The guy that bedded it, did a nice job, but was not as picky about what you can see as I am. I sanded some of that down before I painted, so hopefully we won't even see it now.

Nice snag Lawrence!

Thanks buddy. It's not a custom, but I think it will make a dandy shooter/hunter. I really don't have to do anything to it, that I haven't already done. I think the paint on the stock is going to make a difference. I will leave the black pachmayr on for now. Mcmillan fits them very nicely and this one is in great condition. Not really any sense in replacing it now, but the first sign of a nick or scratch on it and it's coming off and I'll install a red one. ha ha...

That’s a helluva good deal and nice job touching it up. I’d have bruised my knuckles getting my wallet out for that one at 900 bucks myself.

Thanks Scotty. I figured you and AKwolverine would like it, the way it is set up. Trigger is nice already too. Set at a very crisp 2.5 pounds. Dang guy did all the fun work that I normally do.

Very nice rifle, pretty hard to improve on that one.
Got one very similar to it that I need to take out more. Mine is a 1959 fwt 06 in a pacific research stock (great stock) that currently has a 3.5x10 vxlll on it.

Those are nice stocks pat. Sounds like yours is set up just right.

Nice!