Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Not impressed with the new Model 70's

Am I the only one that feels this way? Do gun writers like Dave Petzal really believe that this is the best Model 70 ever? The new rifles may be capable of better accuracy than the pre-64's, but weren't those rifles back than more than accurate enough? I just don't get the feeling of craftsmanship from the new Model 70's that I get from the old. The pre-64's have a solid feel that you can notice throughout the weapon. The blueing is rich and deep, and the stocks have that hand rubbed oil finish. The rifles today are all satin, the barrel channels are all off, and to top it off, they have that ugly crossbolt going through them.
How much would you pay for a model 70 or a model 12 made brand new today, identical to those made 57 years ago, or older?

Get a Tikka........

I guess I'll get the popcorn.

Nahhh, if I want a new centerfire rifle, I usually get a 700.

I would rather own a new SC over a CT or pre 64.

Yeah, I think they are a better rifle.

The pre 64 stock is configured for irons not a scope.
It's metallurgy may be better than a SC but show me
a hunter who could tell the difference.

The SC 70 rifle QC is 100x better than the CT 70.
I owned 3 CT 70's including a SG that looked like a parts rifle.
I had to send it back to the factory twice to get things fixed like being able to see light between the recoil pad and wood stock.

Here here! I hate to bash the legend, but the pre 64 is not all its cracked up to be IMHO. I laugh every time i go to the gun library at cabelas and look at pristine examples. The stocks were horrible, matte receivers were inconsistent in finish, fixed sights on the barrel, no true short action, etc...

The new SC guns are far and away better put together. Nicer wood too, and more configurations. They also seem very consistent in their quality.

crazy talk^^^

Jeffrey

Sounds like you should be buying a Dakota! There you will get your handrubbed oil finished stock.

I have both and whilst I like my pre 64 its quite a plain rifle. I think the new M70 is good value for the money and in fact the bluing on the Supergrades I have seen has been very good.

You are just not going to get a hand finished rifle for that sort of money!

I think the op is trying to stir the pot with a big stick.

Raquel Welch and Hillary Clinton are both "women";they have the same anatomical parts, all located in the same places,so they are very much the "same" in that regard....but once Raquel Welch is "gone",they will not be making another....

Similarly, the problem we encounter is that the pre 64 M70 is gone;it is not made any more and never will be,becausethe world has changed.Only through the devious manipulations of marketing have we been led to believe that the M70 Classic and the new FN rifles,despite their virtues, should be compared to a pre 64 M70.....they shouldn't.Because they are not,in the true sense, a pre 64 M70.

They are different rifles,made very differently, and even though they may share certain characteristics like Raquel and Hillary,one cannot possibly be mistaken for the other.

So when someone like the OP says the new ones do not compare, I happen to agree with him.Because they are not the same rifle,and to manufacture a rifle today the same way the pre 64 was made would cost several thousand dollars;any one doubting this should get a copy of Robert Rule's book on the M70 and read it.....then he should use a pre 64 for awhile,or several over a lifetime....he will see and feel a difference alright.

Each M70 variation should be viewed to stand on its own two feet;for every person who says new ones are more accurate,I can produce a pre 64 that says it isn't so; I have owned enough of all to know....

The pre 64 was a semi-custom rifle;put a modern stock on the barreled action,and you have a rifle fully equal in quality to about anything out there today.

The Classic? Basically good, but lacking in consistency and QC.It can be great but it takes a thorough rebuild by someone like Mark Penrod, Gene Simillion, David Miller, etc to get it here.Once one of these guys get done with a full rework,it acts,looks, and feels "different"....more like e Dakota or pre 64.If you want to know how much it would cost to make a pre 64,have one of these guys give a Classic the full treatment that a pre 64 got.

The FN? MUCH better in terms of consistency, but they should never have changed te trigger....bad move IMHO.Otherwise a really nice rifle for the money .But it is not a pre 64;again, it is a very good rifle for the money.

Looking at a pre 64 at a store,and comparing it to a newer version and declaring the new version "better", is like doing a drive-by appraisal....utterly meaningless and unless a guy has spent considerable time with a pre 64, with all due respect, he does know what he's talking about in comparing them.

Don't know why folks rave over the Pre 64...Nice solid factory rifle, sure, but nothing special. Much rather have a Sako Forester of the same vintage or a Brno for that matter..

Not seen the latest version of the M70, but if you want a solid factory rifle built the old way and the new M70 doesn't fit the bill, get a Howa or CZ550.

If your willing to spend considerably more look at something like a Sauer 90 or 202, or a Blaser if you can live with the funky bolt design...

Trump them all and get a Kimber. In my opinion, for the money, they're hard to beat.

Excellent post and right on the money - ESPECIALLY the comments on the trigger..

As we used to say in the car biz - 'there's an azz for every seat'..

Yep. Popcorn + tons of beer.. Heheheheee

Why is it that the Mod 70-no matter which generation-is always the one being compared. Very few threads have much life where the poster compares M700s of any lineage to each other with any enthusiasm with regards to quality and past history. They work well, but instill little enthusiasm for their overall beauty, function or quality. Much the same as a Chevy Chevette. You can bling them up all you want, but you still have a Chevette. How many customs use the 700 as its foundation?

I think you should have someone like Winston Churchill engrave a gold feeder on your 700 floorplate. Coooool!!!!! Forgot. Have the Honda 4 wheeler off in the distance.

The early/mid 80s featherweights with push feed were the best....



Ingwe

Nothing quite compares to those 80s PFs and a Leopard thingy on the barrel. Racy rascals they were.

So... what should a person being willing to pay for a pre-64 that has shown honest wear, and will be a shooter, not a collection piece?

And about the CZ-550, I passed on one a few years back... and am wondering what makes it "a solid factory rifle built the old way"? I ain't being a smart aleck here, i truly want to know... so i can go kick myself for passing on that CZ-550 6.5x55... I bought a Ruger M77 MkII 7x57 instead...

Dogger,

As far as price goes, all I can tell you is once you have handled enough of them, eventually one will jump out at you and you will know now is the time.

However, the reality of it all is that for each of us a particular model eventually becomes our favorite. Ruger's are great rifles along with many others.

Most of this is just bs.

I didn't know that Hillary was a woman though

Buy 2 Tikkas.