Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles M70 Featherweight

I bought a new model 70 feather weight when they first started making them again after the original Winchester went out of business. I think mine was made by FN. It's a beautiful rifle. It's a 22-250. I probably only have less than a 100 rounds out of it. i wish the twist was not 1/14 but it shoots 50 gr. bullets in the same hole.

I sent JES a 243 Weatherby Vanguard a while back. He turned it into a dandy 358. Same three groove rifling and it shoots like a million bucks. One in a Model 70 Featherweight would be a plus!

I've been looking for a .270 SS Classic FWT for a few years now. I have always been late to the party for the reasonably priced rifles in the classifieds. I've ran some up on GB higher than I thought they should be, and still lost out.

Last one I took to $1800 on GB over a year ago, which was $300 more than I was wanting to pay. I still lost it, I've considered buying a new one but I want a SS classic and really don't want to compromise. Now that Winchester has discontinued the SS M70 FWT, any SS FWT rifle will probably be sold at a premium.

Never said they were heavy but 6.6 is far from what I would call featherweight.

10. given the time it was. JOCs rifles weighted 8.5 if I remember. Lots of rifles from that time were up to 10.5. I know cause I have lots of them. It is only with the plastic stocks that rifles are lighter. For my part I want nothing to do with them.

I agree given the time but today, not so much.

Kimber did a pretty good job going sub 6# in SA and even the LA is just a claimed 2 ounces over 6#. Walnut stocked.

That's a great point.
I had a JOC tribute, handled great, shot great, probably 8 pounds up with a leupold 3.5-10 on it. I guess in 1950, that would have been an ideal "sheep rifle". For me, if I got a pack on, and there is a load of meat involved, my wheels always start turning about how to make my rifle lighter lol. I think, for the long hauls and 10 hour days in elevation, a rifle that was 7 pounds loaded and was nails to 400, is perfect. All a guy needs.

I know where one is pristine in a pawn shop $995

They still chamber it in 264 WM. Also 6.5 Creedmoor and PRC.

XTR FWT 25-06

I'm in the middle of a remodel, and building a M670 into a fast twist .270 Win. If this wasn't going on, I'd be sending you a PM.

Taylor, I thought you had one?

I have one, in 264 wm fwt . It looks fwt but sized & weighs like sporter magnum. Not a bad thing at all, shoots 127 lrx handloads awesome

Crazy how far ahead of the curve Husqvarna was. The 1640 was released around 1950, my carbine model weighs 7.5 lbs scoped and loaded... and for whatever reason JOC didnt seem think much of them.

the old M70 FWT is my all time favorite in it's pre 64 factory form or customized in a good synthetic stock.

I have a couple of the XTR Featherweights, a ,257 Roberts and a 7x57 Mauser. I'm still tring to find a load the .257 likes but the 7x57 is a tack driver.

I have a few more M70 push feeds, a .308 Youth ranger that now shots in a Ramline stock. The ugly kluncky piece of hardwood that the rifle came with is gone and can shoot it with the Ramline which at least fits me rather well. I have since picked up a short acton Featherweight stock so the .308 will at least be a Featherweight clone.

Another is chambered to the .243, a post 64 pre 68 with the Winchester long action. I have a long action Featherweight stock waiting to go on it as well.

Last but not least is another XTR in ,270 Win. with a Featherweight style stock that appears to be from McMillan Pad on the butt says Winchester. When I picked it up at a gun show I thought it was a Featherweight someone had restocked it with that stock. Neat as I can tell it came from the factory that way including the 24" barrel. Not the lightest rifle I own by any means but is very accurate. I k ow an antelope that definitely had no complaints when I shot it.

I do like the style of the Winchester Featherweight stock so that's what I'm going with
PJ

With the exception of the stock I’d go out in a limb and say it’s better than the others. There I said it.

Nothing at all wrong with any of the fwt stocks. From pre 64 to XTR's, they are all damn useable, Unless you have some weird physical condition. There, "I said it"..

You can unwad your panties. The new stocks are chunky as hell compared to the classics and the XTR's.

Back in the 1980's the Winchester catalog showed lightweight's with 20" barrels vs. 22" for the featherweight