Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Help with Model 70 XTR Featherweight

I recently purchased a Model 70 Featherweight XTR chambered in 30-06.

The serial number is G2180XXX

On the left side of the barrel is stamped " Model 70 XTR Featherweight -30-06 Sprg-"

There is not a cursive "Featherweight" on the right side of the barrel as I have seen on older pushfeeds.

This rifle is a push feed, not CRF or CRPF

I was under the impression that serial numbers for push feed ended in 1992 with SN# 2037985, then Classics started. I also thought XTR was dropped in 1989.

Any insight on this?

It appears your impression wuz wrong...

In any case, I have no idea re: your question..

Most featherweights don't have the cursive writing. Your assumption appears to be correct about the serial # 2037985 being the last one according to Winchester. That was in 1992. How correct that is, who knows? Their records keeping was never that great. Your rifle may have been one of the last ones made in '93. Again, who really knows?????

“ I was under the impression that serial numbers for push feed ended in 1992 with SN# 2037985, then Classics started”

Nope, they continued on after that SN for the push feeds that were produced, just no records.

It is strange about the XTR lettering on the barrel. Any chance it was re-barreled?

Definitely a possibility of rebarrel, I guess.

That is a stainless pushfeed. Those were made from '92-94 I believe. Not for very long from what I can remember. It should not say "XTR" anywhere on it.. Any pics of the barrel and markings?

Correct; showing OP the PF post G203.

No xtr and scroll “featherweight” on right.

That rifle appears to have been made in the timespan of when they were scrolling "featherweight" on the barrel. 1990-1994, if I remember right. You may have to correct me on that one. If yours is a stainless pushfeed featherweight, that is a pretty rare rifle, as they didn't make many of them. I damned near bought the 338 here a while back. Both scope and rifle were well worth the asking price.. I could have sold the silver Leupold that was on it for $400+ and been into the rifle for a measly $400.00, but like I said the other day, wanted to let one of you guys score on that one. I get great deals all the time. Some, I don't even tell you about because you guys think I'm bragging or something..

Do you remember the time span of when they scrolled "featherweight" in cursive writing, on the barrel? I'm thinking early to mid 90's, roughly cutting them off around '94. The OP's is a post XTR, so XTR would probably not be stamped on the barrel.. IF it is stamped "XTR", I'd presume it was a rebarrel.. We've talked about all this before, but my memory may not be exact on some of this stuff.. 79s usually knows his Winchester model 70 history. Where is he hiding??

I don’t have an exact date on when the scroll “featherweight” started but ‘89 or ‘90 seems about right. It continued through the early classics and I’ve seen as high as G27xxx with “featherweight” in scroll.

The one above is indeed a featherweight.

Oh Johnny boy, are you over at sticks house playing hide the salami???

I have nothing to add Akwolverine pretty much covered it all. Also geography lesson from wasilla to Craig is 740 miles if their was a road between the two.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It's also wearing a Winchester Repeating Arms recoil pad. Wish I had looked this one over a little harder before bringing it home. Hopefully it will at least shoot decently..

Do you have pictures? That curiosity thing …

Stock was definitely changed out. You see these featherweight stocks on ebay frequently. The WRA ones, not so much, but original FWT stocks are on there all the time. A tell tell sign is also how the receiver fits in the stock near the barrel. It looks like it was slightly opened up at the front of the receiver. If it were mine, I'd glass bed it properly to make that union tight there. It was rebarreled. It should not be stamped "XTR", as that was dropped in '89. Your rifle was definitely produced around '94, based on serial #. Some of the pics are not super clear, but the stamping "featherweight" looks weird and the front of the receiver looks like it may have been heated up. Maybe to remove the barrel??? That may just be a poor picture though or shadow?? If this is a new to you rifle, I'd check the headspace. It's probably fine, but always a good idea to check when you aren't sure and when the barrel has been changed out. You never know who did the work. The rifle looks nice, but has been "pieced" together IMHO. Personally, when buying something like this, those are all points that need to be brought up, as they are bargaining chips, as I see it.

Could also be an employee gun; worker found some old stuff (barrel and stock) stashed in the basement in New Haven and screwed it onto an action coming off the line.
Not sure how often it happened, but it happened. I have at least one that I know for certain came to be this way; some employee laughing to himself, “this will really F with some collector some day!”

Yeah, too bad it didn't have a Browning trigger on it. With that being said, it looks like a sweet rifle. I wonder if fordisto regrets asking the question?

Hard to say BSA. It looks to be a very nice rifle to me. If an employee made it for himself, it may have been assembled with extra care. Be interesting to know if it has the standard hot glue bedding, etc. We also don’t know what he paid for it. Even with the unknowns, I would have likely given at least $700 for that rifle in that condition. The stock alone is worth $300+ on fleabay.

Yeah, --- If yer fishin', I ain't bitin'...

I don't know, looks like you nibbled a little bit. ha ha..

Exactly. Good post.. I sold a rifle to the OP 10 years ago. He's a good guy. I hope my comments did not discourage him. It might be a good idea to have the rifle checked for proper headspace before he shoots it, would be my only concern. I too wonder about the bedding, but like I said in an earlier post, the receiver does not appear to be in that stock tight, like you would expect. I kept thinking about the hot glue bedding as well. It may be gone, when they put the stock on. If a Winchester employee did fit that stock, it would probably have that nasty bedding in there. From the pictures, it does not appear to have been glass bedded by a competent person. Leaving that gap between the stock and receiver is a no no. IMHO. Someone whittled on it to get the action to fit. I was thinking about this yesterday, but the tell tell signs can not be used on this rifle to decipher how much its been used. I can't pick this one apart, like I like doing at a gunshop.. I once had a weird woman tell me to pick up certain rocks and see what kind of "vibe" I got. I told her I can't feel schidt. Just another fn Oregon sex stone to me... Rifles on the other hand..

I don't regret it at all😄.

If old rifles could talk, we wouldn't have a chance to sit around and wonder where they came from...How boring would that be?

Absolutely!
I’m glad you posted it, and I’m really glad you were able to post pictures. If it’s not too much to ask, next time you have the stock off, can you post some pictures of the bedding?

I took the recoil pad off and the initials O.F.W. were carved in it....

Great thread. I think both of us appreciate the OP posting pictures.
Oh, you don't want me to tell you what that means. ha ha..

In yer dreams...

Don't you have a Browning thread you can pick on? Ha ha ha..

Yeah, --- If yer fishin', I ain't bitin'... In yer dreams...

There was one on the 'hunting rifles' thread, but I gritted my teeth and did my best to ignore it...

Good one!