Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters jc higgins model 50 vs win model 70

Hey all, I have a love affair with my jc Higgins model 50. I have had other rifles and among them was the Winchester model 70 classic in 375 hh. Nothin' I can say wrong with the model 70 but I just cant forsake my old model 50. How do these two rifles compare to those of you with a little moss on your back and have had experience with each.
I understand that this may be a blasphemes statement but I find more attention to detail and craftsmanship in the hardware store model 50. I don't want to argue I only want your expert opinions on each.

I do not have a model 50, but I do have a commercial FN and two Browning Safaris on the small ring Mauser.

I have had several 70s over the years, and still have a pre war .270 with family history.

I like them all, but I find my Mausers a notch or more above the 70 in fit, finish and refinement. For sure, I'm not throwing rocks at the 70, and my heirs may keep or sell it as they wish. I have considered turning it into a FW SG ( it has the rear bridge drilled and is padded), maybe a 7mm.

Jack

I love them both. I got my model 50 for a donor action and made the mistake of shooting it first. Both are keepers. The wood on the Model 50 is plain with no checkering but the finish of the metal is better than my pre 64 model 70. Both shoot factory 150 grain or 165 grain loads into one inch often enough to give you confidence hunting with them.

I bought the jc Higgins as a truck gun back in '04 but after shooting and messin around with it a bit I couldn't bear to make it live behind the seat of my truck.
Thanks for the replys.

I have a JC Higgins model 50, a custom FN Mauser and a couple of Win M70s (pre and post 64). I'd agree with the others on the quality of metal work on the FNs but don't really have a preference for one over the other.

http://stevespages.com/pdf/jchiggins_50.pdf

That wasn't a mistake. I've seen Model 50 actions used as donors and I have to wonder about the wisdom of spending hundreds of dollars to get a rifle that - if you're lucky - will shoot as well that the one you started with.

I have two 50s, both in 30-06 and both are very accurate. I'd rate the metal work and accuracy superior to a Model 70. The stock is fancier on a 70, the safety is a better design and of course a pre-64 70 is considerably more collectable.

My 50 was a .270 purchased from my stepfather-in-law when he quit hunting. It would regularly group FIVE (not three) 150-grain Nosler Partitions into less than 3/4", so I didn't rebarrel it before stocking it in New Zealand walnut. Hunted with it for quite a while before the barrel eventually went south, the reason it's now a 6.5x55 with a Lilja barrel, but there certainly wasn't anything wrong with the original.

When I worked for Primedia, the company that used to own Guns & Ammo, I got to talking with Payton Miller about a JC Higgins model 50 in .270 I had just acquired. I intended to rebarrel it but he convinced me to try it out. Glad I did, it is a tack driver. Seems Payton wrote an article about a model 50 that belonged to his dad. He dug up a copy for me. http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/jc-higgins-model-50

Overall I prefer a nice FN 98 based rifle to a Model 70. But there are two things of concern on the Higgins 50: First, the trigger. With the trigger being pinned to the bottom metal if the bottom metal should become loose an AD is a real possibility. Also, the triger itself has been known to break. I used to have a pic saved of a broken Higgins trigger. Second, because of the unique trigger arrangement, it is all too common to find stocks cracked behind the rear tang. Because of the cracked stocks I have been able to acquire a ton for use as the basis of customs rifles.

Still, I have about half a dozen 50's & 51's. If you find a nice one they are an incredible value.

I have had one of each. They were both nice but I traded the Model 70 off and kept the Model 50 in .270. I put a tapered reticle 4X Leupold on it. It was my go to deer rifle for a few years besides winning a couple of turkey shoots with it. I finally gave it to my son and he (occasionally) lets me borrow it.

The only complaint I remember hearing about them was the bolt knob. It never bothered me.

A Winchester is a copy of a Mauser. Now, which do you think I prefer?

The M70 isn't an exact copy of the 98 Mauser, and the fundamental ways it differs aren't exactly improvements.

On another subject brought up here, the first (and often only) thing I do to Model 50 actions is replace the trigger, either with a Timney or a military model converted to single-pull.

I have a model 50. It came with a goldknurled jc higgins scope. If there are any jc higgins collectors out there I would sell it.

True enough!

Except for the trigger on some of the JC Higgens M-50 rifles, which are easily replaced, they are FN built commercial Mausers while M-70's are simply M-70's.

The Winchester is closer to a copy of a M 96 Mauser than a 98 and lacks the gas handling qualities of a 98. I had a case rupture in a 98 to the point that I pulled it out in half and I never felt anything but a slight puff on my forehead. With a M 70, I would have had a face full of hot gas.

I did put a Timney in mine also and refinished the stock once.

I have a 51, which is a checkered stock model 50. The only thin I prefer about the model 70 is the safety.

The 51 uses the small ring commercial Husqvarna action.

Ted

No, the 51 uses the same FN 98 action as the 50. The 51-L uses the Husqvarna HVA action.

The 51 is simply a higher grade 50, the 51-L is a completely different action.