Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester pre 64 model 70 featherweight .264 win mag questions

I have been wanting a 25/06 for a while now and went in to a local gun shop and they had a Winchester pre 64 model 70 featherweight .264 win mag in on consignment. Its about 90% and they are asking $1000 for it.

What are your thoughts? Its a cherry rifle and I think it will always be worth more than I'd pay for it.

I'm seriously considering buying it today and putting a 25/06 on the back burner. Cherry pre-64's can be tough to find

Sounds like a nice rig, most likely a 22" tube on it. While not the model perfect length for a .264 it wouldn't scare me off.

I'd stick it in a Hunters Edge and rock on.

Could alway rebarrel if you wish, sounds like a sweet deal to me.

Dober

Sounds like a good deal. I would take off the original stock and put on a McMillan though.


ddj

I was under the impression pre 64 .264s had 26" tubes, would they have cut off that much for a feather weight?

They did but on the Westerner but on the Fwt I'm darn sure they went 22".

Still wouldn't scare me, if nothing else I'd have a super action for a 7 Mashburn Super and or a 257 Wby.

Dober

I'll get pictures up by lunch time. I'll measure the barrel as well

As always, thanks guys!

If'n it's 22" Drum I wouldn't sweat it no bit. Easy to rebarrel if it's not exactly what you want.

With a Hunters Edge wrapped around it it'd be a Rock Star +P. Far as I'm concerned a pre64/with a HE wrapped around it is nirvanna.

Looking 4-ward to the pics.

Dober

I would buy it and hunt with it as is, and be really happy about the buy. One of the all time great hunting rifles. Great stock for hunting both from an aesthetics and useful configuration POV. Shorter barrels in fast stepping Magnum calibers has now been shown to not be the velocity stealing monster that we all grew up beleieving to be the case.

While I love the 25.06, I'd would likely just leave it a .264. Tain't any flies on that caliber ya' know. One other thought if you are willing to spend $1000.00 for basically just an action why not look into some other custom action options? Just a thought.

If I buy it I doubt I would change it, I'd just leave it as is and shoot it. Only thing I might do is buy a different stock and keep the original in the safe. I'm a sucker for older guns that have character.

I'll be back at home with pictures in 45 min

Only ~3,100 Featherweight Westerners were made. $1,000 sounds very fair.

huntsonora, I sure wouldn't fault you for hunting with the rifle as is. In fact, I would find great pleasure it hunting with that rifle just like it is provided it was any kind of accurate.

The FWT 264 usually go for a lot more than $1000 in nice shape. Buy it, shoot it, make a profit when you're done.

Here are the pictures and as Pal says, only 3100 of these ever made...









Any thoughts?

I am going to offer them $750 I think and see what they say. Is that an insult?

Yes, it would be an insult. That's a nice looking and rather rare FW configuration that appears to be all original and includes rings.

I deal in guns quite a lot, and often in older Winchesters. I am not offened my any offer, feeling that any real cash offer is welcome. I can accept, not accept or counter. The gun is worth the 1K with ease, but no harm in offering less if you think you can do better, so long as you are dealing with an equal in the gun trading biz or nearly so. Do buy it if you can.

Drummond..I seen enough...get a deal if you can, but..... just buy it!


I'd bolt down the screws, slap on a scope,and go hunting.

I believe I read in an old Jack O'Conner book "Rifles and Shotguns" he described the featherweight pre 64 with the 22" barrel as a "loud 270".
Me, I would get some earplugs and just dig that rifle!

Thanks bud! I think I'll be picking it up tomorrow. When I went in this evening I asked if the price was firm and they said it was because its a pre 64 so I never made an offer.

I just like older guns and I think this one is pretty damn cool

Jack O'Connor was a good writer, but 1) I am not at all sure that this quote is attributable to him 2) he did not have a chronograph 3)On this point, which most of us have read and maybe even repeated he or whomever wrote it first is just plain wrong. O'Connor or someone else, it Not a big deal, my hero PO Ackley was way off base with a lot of his reloading data and estimated velocities. Welcome to a bright new age of knowing rather than guessing.

To the OP, the rifle is well worth the 1K, still thinkin on it?