Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 1961 Winchester Model 70 Supergrade Featherweight - Special Order 30-06

I sold woodworking items on e-bay for ten years.
A few years back, I checked the completed items section of a guy I did regular business,and inquired about two SG FW stocks that he had recently sold, never heard another word from him....

There's a company in Montana building SG stocks for around 1800 dollars.
Doing a nice job of it too but I have not seen a duplicate SG FWT listed from them. Only standard rifle to this point.

I've talked to smiths before that said, if, they can "build a SG to look like an original, anyone can"... What he said was in jest, but something that has always stuck in the back of my mind... . Back to the aluminum butt plate on this rifle. It should have been composite. If someone were looking for a real custom look it would then probably be the leather faced or leather covered recoil pad from the custom shop. Is this an older stock they held back? I'd like to see some more pictures. The diamond shape on the underside of the for end for example should tell us roughly what year the stock was manufactured. Is the bottom of the barrel stamped "super 30-06" there is probably no date stamp there as they went away from this after late '55 -'56. Does the recoil lug have the reversed "S" stamp on it. Pictures of those parts would also help.

I am going to complete a full natural light photo package for my photo journal this weekend and post em up.

There is no diamond on the underside of a SG featherweight BSA. Fakes are made by taking a regular SG stock, filling the screw hole and checkering in the diamond. I've seen it done so well you could only see the evidence in bright daylight. Drop in a regular featherweight barreled action and done. No shortage of dirtbags faking Pre 64s.

Well possibly ,however the barrel profiles would be different between a standard SG and a SG Fwt.
You could possibly take a standard carbine and turn it into a SG Carbine.

Thanks horseman.

So according to Rule ( finally home and able to look it up), the Super Grade Featherweight was made until 1959, with most of them having the aluminum butt plate, with few having the composite.

BUT BUT BUT... Mr Rule has a supergrade FWT, serial number 548,081 ( 1962) in 264winmag. His is NIB ( at time of book publishing) and the box has the stamp "SPECIAL" on it. His has the standard barrel with front and rear sight. His has the composite plate.

Now here is where the collection of Pre 64's gets complicated.

In 1962 you could still order a stainless steel barrel, and a barrel without sights ( gopher special).

That being said, this rifle "qualifies" as a Class 3 special order ( the 2nd most common special order.) The class 3 was a standard configuration with one non cataloged option. The sightless barrel was a cataloged option, the stainless steel barrel is not. The FWTSG was a standard rifle configuration.


The only thing that gets me is the butt plate. This is why I put "qualifies" in quotes. Winchester stopped using the aluminum before 1960 and could there be one laying around on a gunsmiths bench and when ordered it was installed?? Heck yeah it could happen. Heck probably back then you could call up winchester while standing at the hardware store counter and talk to the gunsmith over the phone.

If Cody can authenticate that would do very well to help in your value assessment. Or if you have the box with the label on it. I believe all the labels were marked with the options on it.

Again I am just trying to help, and using what I see in the pictures and deciphering the special order documentation Mr. Rule has spelled out ( hard to follow sometime).

Winchester only made 321 documented SGFWT's in 3006.

Now again, no expert here. Documentation is the key. I would spend the 70 bucks and see if Cody can help out at all.

Good research. BUT.... What about the rifles that were built by employees and walked right out the back door??? Something to think about. Cody would have no record of those rifles..

Correct. Worth a try in my opinion.

Either way, I would shoot and hunt the SOB. They were made to be used.

Cody does not have records for any pre64 M70's that would indicate specific caliber or configuration. Pauline Muerrle does have the Polishing Room records (indicate date that the receiver was serialized) for a range of serial#'s on rifles that precede this one by more than a few years.

Oh yes, Pauline Muerrle. It would be worthwhile to ask nicely at Winchester shotguns section of ShotgunWorld. They have many very knowledgeable members that know their Winchesters. Great place to learn about "lunch box" specials. One can take what they tell "to the bank".

Here is a photo update for the opinions that be. I love the discussion. Thank you for your thoughts.







[img]http://i61.tinypic.com/sfl6hl.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i61.tinypic.com/1feon5.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i62.tinypic.com/2qx01hz.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i58.tinypic.com/2e1caa0.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i61.tinypic.com/2vn06qc.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i60.tinypic.com/29ek70j.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i59.tinypic.com/negb4j.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i61.tinypic.com/33k9ixz.jpg[/img]

Took 3 posts to get all the photos in.

I could see how it might be hard to see a filled and checkered hole in the forend but if you can't see the barrel channel and sight boss filled in then you need to put your check book away for at least a year before buying any M70 until you can spot such an obvious fake! Again I hear a lot of "he said, she said" or "a friend of a friend" about fake stocks but I've never seen anyone post a picture of one. I think some people are so scared of fakes that if it isn't a standard grade 30/06 they don't believe anything is original.

Great job on the photos!! You did very well. I can see the rifle better now. That's a beauty and looks to be all original except for maybe the free floating and Aluminum butt plate? That one still has me stumped. Generally in late production, they would have used the composite butt plates. It looks like it may also be glass bedded?? Again, a beautiful rifle sir. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics..

It sure isn't very beat up.

Reelman, a guy could do a good cover up and take wood away from the whole barrel channel like what has been done to the OP's rifle. Make it look like a nice freefloat job and you are done. Plug the hole and checker the forend. I've also seen guys that can do this type of work. Trust me, they are out there. Also, these SG's generally have very pronounced bolt jeweling. Some guys can look at the bolt jeweling and tell you if it's been done at the wichester custom shop (back in the day). This one does not have that. The OP also never answered (that I'm aware of) my question about stampings on the bottom of the barrel and recoil lug. It should be stamped "SUPER" on the bottom of the barrel near the chambering stamp and also should have a backwards S stamped into the bottom of the recoil lug. Does it have these stampings??? Again, I'll ask the question. I'd also like to see pictures of the barrel channel and glass bedding work. I'm not trying to be a "nay sayer", but you got reelman who thinks every supergrade around is true and original. This is not the case and people need to be made aware of the fakes. I'm definitely not saying this is a fake either. It's a beautiful rifle and one I'd be proud to own. However, it's here and the OP doesn't seem to mind showing us pictures of his rifle. Let's look it over real good if he doesn't mind.. Thanks..