Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Jack O'Connor Winchester Model 70 unveiled

Winchester and the Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center have teamed up for a really special tribute rifle that will be unveiled next week at the SHOT show. The rifle will commemorate the Diamond Jubilee (75th anniversary) of the Winchester Model 70 in a fitting tribute to the man who arguably had the largest role in making it popular and the legend it is even today.

This rifle, naturally in .270 Winchester caliber, will be built in two grades and comes as close to matching Jack's famous pet "Number 2" rifle as factory production will allow.

The barrel will be a 22" Featherweight pattern, with steel floorplate (engraved with one of Jack O'Connor's sheep heads) and trigger guard with Jack signature in nickel silver. The grip cap will be steel, with light engraving as well.

The best part of the tribute rifle will be the stock, which is patterned after the Number 2 original (Al and Roger Biesen gave the permissions to use their stock design, and Bradford O'Connor actually shipped the Number 2 rifle to Winchester to make a pattern). Even the checkering pattern will closely resemble the original. Sling swivels will be of the Super Grade style; a black fore end tip will be on both grades.

The big difference in the grades will be the wood quality. The standard grade ("standard" is probably a disservice to a factory rifle of this quality) will feature figured wood with a rubber recoil pad, while the deluxe version will be dressed up with fancier wood and a Neidner-type blued steel buttplate, the same pattern as found on the pre-64 Model 70 standard rifles.

Here's an initial announcement from Winchester:



Here is some of the prototype hardware (the small rendition here doesn't do the sheep engraving justice; a larger picture of it looks great):





Pricing has yet to be made final, but expect retail to be under $1,500 for the standard grade to around $2,000 for the deluxe. The Jack O'Connor center will get a cut for each rifle sold. Winchester says the rifles should hit dealer shelves in late spring 2012.

Kudos to many folks for making this project happen, not the least of which should go to Bradford O'Connor for his personal involvement and commitment as well as Glenn Hatt of Winchester for pushing the project through the corporate end.

Bradford has contacted a number of our modern day scribes about this rifle, including our own JB, and expects lots of interest and press from the SHOT show next week.

So, Jack O'Connor fans, time to start squirrelling away the pennies for one of these rifles; they will be special.

Thanks for the info. So how does one go about reserving one of these rifles?

Thanks for the info GF1.

The project is interesting and the prices are not bad at all for someone wanting one.

Those prices, if they hold are pretty fair. Nice project.

Dammit, I know why it has to be a .270, but why does it have to be a .270? I hate the .270, but I think I need to have this rifle!

For some reason I don't think they'll be able to make enough of them at those prices...

Time to save my pennies and get in line.

That is a beautiful rifle.

Thinking the same thing.

Talk about bad luck on timing. I've just started some re-modeling of a house.

Otherwise I'd get in line today.

I'd love to have one.

I'd prefer a 24 or 26" barrel, but yes I think that will be as big a hit for them, as the John Wayne Commemorative was.

A grand rifle for sure.

An "Elmer Keith Commemorative" in .338 Winchester would make a terrific stablemate for this one.

Hey he did like 30-06 too......dammit.......

I might have missed it, but have they determined how many of each grade will be produced? No doubt they will be limited. This is when it sucks having a wine taste on a beer budget.

I'll take one if I can get the same deal Jack got.

I was in a local gun shop this morning, and was talking about these JOC rifles with one of the owners. The other owners son was listening, and he said "Who's Jack O'Connor?" He is a darn good guy, but I had to unload on him a little. Talk about a generation gap, these younger guys don't even know who JOC is! Blasphemy!!

I bet if they sold the stock alone it would be a bigger moneymaker.I'd buy one,no interest in the whole rifle tho.

My guess is that eventual production numbers will be determined by how many orders they get.

If anybody wants to look and some more photos, and is adept at posting them here in the Campfire, Bradford O'Connor e-mailed me a few yesterday. I could forward them to anybody willing.

John,

I will send you a PM with my email and be happy to post them.

Thanks,
Andy

Here are the pictures.

Andy,

Thanks very much for the offer, but Savage99 beat you to it in a PM--obviously!

GF1, Thank you for posting this --I think! Oh! the temptation!

I've read JOC since a teenager (a long time ago) and while in college spent a Christmas vacation in the university library reading old issues of Outdoor Life specifically for the articles and columns of JOC -- they had them back to the 1940s or so.

I have dreamed of having a JOC 270 before I was old enough to drive and now you bring this up!