Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Question for Winchester experts

Did Winchester deliver pre 64 model 70's with Whiteline recoil pads from the factory? I have a 375 H&H that I think is all original but a so called "expert" said that the Whiteline recoil pad was not an option. It has the monte carlo stock, with white spacers at the pistol grip also. I have seen quite a few Winchesters with Whiteline pads. Are they all aftermarket?
Any opinions?

Bart

In my limited experience, no, not originally, especially the spacers at the grip.

I agree with Jkob. I note that some people often will say some alteration on a rifle (such as a recoil pad), "looks factory." The reality is that of those that alter a rifle, such as mount a pad on it, there is a tremendous variability in craftsmanship. There are certainly skilled gunsmiths out there that are every bit as competent as the guys who worked in the factory. Hence it is not uncommon to run across something that is done extremely well and it will look, "right." Another reality, if you are the owner of the rifle, you will never look at it with, "fresh eyes" again.

The pre-64 M70's in .375 H&H and .458 WIN MAG that I have seen had original, solid red rubber recoil pads (no white lines) with the "WINCHESTER" name formed in the pad. I have read that a pad that is vintage to the gun, even if added after-market, but done professionally doesn't detract from the market value of a gun - personally it does detract for me.

If altering something like a recoil pad adversely affects the price of a rifle why doesn't modifying the stock by changing bedding, etc. have the same result?

Jim

Jim, I imagine it would effect the price for some collectors buying certain pieces. Some collections are built around rare pieces in perfect (unaltered) condition. As for me, I have been a Winchester "collector" since I was in my teens, but never a buyer of pristine, rare items due to the high initial cost and the lowering of collector value if the gun gets minor scratches, etc. while being used. I like old Winchesters (and other old guns) but as a user, not as a collector of perfect items, in fact an old piece with a functional alteration suits me fine - I can normally buy much cheaper that way. That doesn't mean I won't add a perfect firearm if I can find one at a reasonable price, but I don't seek them out. The nicest collections I have seen contain many unaltered and hard to find guns, but most never get used, kind of sad to me from a users perspective.

10ntarioJim: Yes altering collector Winchesters does affect their value/collectability.
This would include both glass bedding a stock and changing recoil pads.
I have never seen a collectable (original) Model 70 (pre-64) in 375 H&H Magnum with a white line spacer recoil pad.
If I recall correctly my Featherweight pre-64 Model 70's in 264 Winchester Magnum do have vented recoil pads with whiteline spacers on them.
And my rare 300 Winchester Magnum Westerner Model 70 has a vented white line spacer recoil pad.
But again the 375 and 458 pre-64's had/have solid red Winchester pads from the factory.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Perhaps has been confusion in what has been referred to? Specifically, between the, "Whiteline" (model name) of recoil pad offered by Pachmayr vs. a recoil pad that happens to have a whiteline style spacer?

It is the "Whiteline" model of recoil pad.

Bart

Never seen a .375 or .458 with a black waffle pad....Have seen a couple early .338s with black waffle whiteline pads that were original...

Had an unfired, late original .458 with a red waffle pad with a whiteline spacer...

Any alteration adversely impacts the collectible value of a pre '64 70....when I was into collecting them I always removed the stock before buying....the guns that came out of the stock hard usually had never been removed from same....there's a lot of 70s out there with glassed recoil lugs....