Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors What a Winchester m70 cost in Oct 1951

I thought that some might find this interesting. I was cleaning out a bunch of stuff, and came across this receipt for a M70 my Dad purchased just after he returned from serving in Korea. He's been gone 24 years now, but I still have the rifle sitting in my safe. Still has the Buehler mounts, but is wearing a plum colored Leupold 4x.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ies/18131874/what-a-m70-cost-in-oct-1951

That was a lot of scratch back then

Equivalent to ~$2500 today, depending on what calculator you use.

Wonder what caliber?

Pretty cool

That weaver for 57.50 was high dollar. Back when they probably made 10 bucks a week. Pretty cool

The rifle is in .30-06... Give me a day or so, and I'll post pictures.

Pretty remarkable really. If you bought a new BACO model 70 today and put a quality scope on which cost slightly less than half the price of the gun … you’d be at roughly $2500.

What an awesome thread! Looking forward to pictures of the rifle.

Made me think back to 1967, I bought a dreaded Win. M-70 push feed .308 with a K-4 Weaver brand new (a first for me) from Big Y Market in Medford Oregon, for about 175 bucks...right at a weeks wages. Still got it.
If you were to buy a rifle and scope package, mid quality, today...would it come roughly to a weeks working class wage?

Here are the photos of my Dad's 1951 Winchester M70.
It's an unremarkable rifle. Standard grade, .30-06.

It's been shortened and he added a recoil pad. Somewhere,
I still have the steel buttplate. He also added detachable sling swivel studs.
Also had forgotten that he engraved his drivers license number on the rear tang.

Haven't had this out of the safe in at least a dozen years...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/18154433/1951-m70

Wow. That is very cool. Thank you for sharing

I believe you would be interested to know, if you don't already, the rifle was made in early/mid 1950.

Dad and Grandad's rifles are certainly the most special, regardless of how "unremarkable". Treasure it.

Shotgunjock: Thanks for sharing that information, pictures and story with us.
How cool.
According to my extrapolations (figger'in) that Rifle was manufactured right about May 15th of 1950.
Indeed the receipt of sale is marked October 26th of 1951 - but it was manufactured about 17 months prior to it being sold (again according to my figger'in and reference from Roger Rules fine book "The Riflemans Rifle").
Enjoy that wonderful 72+ year old heirloom.
Long live the Riflemans Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Taxes in CA were only 3.5% back then.

Great looking heirloom!