I just unwrapped my new Model 70 Extreme Weather in 300 WSM, and I thought I'd share my impressions. It's my first Model 70, so take my remarks for what they're worth. This gun is impressive -- and I'm not easily impressed.

The balance is right, the fit and finish are excellent, and the machining on the bolt assembly and receiver are superb. Aside from about a pound too much pull weight, the trigger is flawless. Here's the biggie to me: The comb of the stock sits much closer to the centerline of the bore than I expected, so a 40-44mm scope ought to sit very close to the eye in low rings. Oh, and it's got a real (not plastic) stock. What's more, the stock is floated and properly rigid along its length.

I have several Remingtons, and all but one shoots very well. I will say without a doubt, however, that this EW is a much nicer rifle (from the box) than any of my Remingtons, and that includes my Senderos. We'll see how she shoots, but, if this is what FN is sending out the door, the other brands are in big trouble.

Richard How do you like the grip on the stock? I have heard many people saying it is somewhat big and awkward. What are your thoughts vs the sendero II?

It's nothing like the HS stock on the Sendero II. I'd say it's closer to the original Sendero if you were to insist on that comparison. The Winchester stock (Bell & Carlson) has nowhere near the palm swell (or the down angle) of the Sendero II. It's not bulky or big, but it's also not slender or "slight." I have average sized hands.

I am a flat-out stock SNOB and replace most of the ones that come from the factory, but this one is well designed. It's not a "tactical" stock, but it's a damned fine hunting stock, and they paid attention to the details. The high comb is the best part and not what I've come to expect from a factory specimen. It's got a narrow forearm, which helps with the balance and overall weight.

I'm interested to see what kind of groups you get I want one bad

I'm excited to hear you are pleased with this new gun. I've been contemplating this rifle or the ultimate shadow ss. The old guys have said don't buy because it's not a Winchester any more! Haven't handled one yet. I was wondering about fit and finish. Best of luck with it.

I'm one that thinks the wrist area is slightly to thick. That said, fit and finish are great and it slings them were I need them on the .25-06 I have. The bedding is well done and its a tight fit.

I guess it depends on your hands. I'm one who thinks that the wrists on some lightweight rifles are too dainty, but it's all personal preference. This one is no thicker than my Cooper, or my Sako 85, and it's less thick than a couple of my Weatherbys. I like it.

Glad it fits you well. Thats what really matters. Compared to my other rifles it feels a little thick to me. But then again I like thin wrists. I dont have a Cooper or Sako, but my Kimbers and Rugers seem to have thinner wrists than the Winchester.

Enjoy the rifle. I like mine.

I too like the new EW wrists - I was a big fan of how that stock fit when I had one. It was a short action, heard somewhere the LA ones fit a bit different...(?)

I like more drop at the comb than this stock has. It rides too hIgh on my shoulder when I line everything up, not a deal killer but high combs are more difficult for me to shoot.

JM

I like the new EW's except for the 2x4 stud of a stock they mount the action in, it's thick, bulky and slick to boot, I have Sako 85 rifles and and have had several Weatherby's over the years and comparing the new EW grip to these and saying they are nearly the same leads Me to believe that Winchester has addressed this bulkiness with B&C and it has been corrected, I will need to handle one of the later versions and see for Myself as I haven't had one in hand in over a year.....I hope they did address this issue, I might like to try an Extreme Weather chambered in .300 WSM ....................Hb

I love mine after changing a few things about it....

If they've made a change to the stock, then I must have one of the new ones. There's nothing thick or bulky about this stock. Of course, I have 3-4 other B&C Medalists, so maybe I'm just used to them.

I haven't read or heard any such change has been made.

If someone has a link please post it.

Thanks

How much weight did you lose when you changed the stock?? You put it in an Edge, correct?

The first thing I did was replace that god awful stock with an Edge. Lost a half pound on my 308 and the gun balances and carries much better. I cannot tell any difference between the long and short action stocks.

The B&C stock is a step up over most plastic factory stocks, but still not a good stock in my opinion. Too heavy and chunky for a standard weight hunting rifle. They are about right on a varmit or tactical rig where you want a little heft. I'd say they are an improvement over a HS stock, and sell for a lot less. If you've been using a HS I can see where you'd think it is a better stock.

JMR40, we're going to have to disagree on a couple of things. I have 4 B&C Medalists, and I have 4 HS Precision stocks. Every one of my HS stocks are heavier than every Medalist I own. Having said that, the HS stocks are HANDS DOWN better quality stocks. They're more rigid, more stable, more everything (including more weight). I'm also not understanding this claim that the EW stock is big and clunky. I'm wondering just how many rifles some of you have had your hands on, but the stock on the EW that I just got isn't remotely big or clunky??

I think the EW stock is a bit bulkier than some I've had but I don't find it objectionable. If you want to see dainty, buy a Ruger Hawkeye in an UL configuration. The pistol grip is too small for my hands - and I have average size hands. My buddy (6'5") can't get his whole hand on the pistol grip.

I also have a couple SS M70's with Edges and I do prefer the Edge to the EW/B&C stock but I really like the way the B&C balances on the EW. I had a lightweight 300 and it wasn't that fun to shoot. My EW in 300 WSM weighs less than 8lbs all up and feels good in the hand. I think in a smaller caliber, the rifle may feel a bit bulky. I like the new EW in the WSM's alot.

Yeah, let's be clear...anything produced by McMillan is going to outshine the factory B&C (or anything else for that matter). I agree.

I'm trying to figure out why they are calling it extreme weather ? Synthetic and stainless qualifies it for that? They had that in the SS clasics they had. I could see if they had a factory cerakote job on it but according to what I have read it does not . Did I miss something?

Please explain how?

My experience is that the inletting on McMillans are more precise, the stock has far less flex in the forearm, and it typically has a higher strength-to-weight ratio (subjective, I know). You can get it in virtually every possible configuration (and every color combination). The B&C is a $150-200 stock, and the McMillan is a $450-500 stock.

McMillan will also take your rifle and bed your stock to the gun. At this they do a jam-up job. B&C and HS, in my experience, will tell you that bedding is unnecessary and even voids the warranty (in the case of HS).

Again though, I have to stress...the B&C on this EW is a darn good factory stock. I have Weatherbys and a Sako that came with absolute crap for stocks; at least Winchester is trying.

The FN is superior to anything that came out of the new haven plant.

Well, I'm not a stock slut but I don't find the B&C stock on my EW uncomfortable. The wrist on it fits me better than the the wrist on my H-S Precision stock I have on my Pre-64, .270 Win. Guess all this is subjective tho. And my .270 WSM, EW gives me 1" groups easily and MOA out to 300 yds which is as far as our range goes.
Enjoy
Bear in Fairbanks

I had the exact same rifle and chambering Richard has.I could complain just a leetle bit about the stock being a bit slimmer here and there....but one thing it does well is make for a comfortable shooting rifle.

The comb is high and thick;this coupled with the cheekpiece helps control recoil very well.The wrist is a bit thick but not enough so that it was not easy to control.

The overall weight of the rifle is about prfect for a 300 WSM and frankly I for one would not want it any lighter.

Function was flawless,something I could not say about some NH WSM rifles I've owned.

This rifle was among the most accurate factory rifles I have ever owned and it was no trick to keep it sub MA at 300 yards, which I did with it several times.If I were on the market for a 300 WSM today,the EW would be the first rifle I'd grab.

I played with 1 in 308Win last week. VERY NICE rifle & it felt GREAT. But just a tad too heavy for me now & what I prefer

Comparing flex in the forearm would require some measurable means to apply the pressure and a dial indicator to measure the movement. Seat of the pants testing is not reliable beyond...it flexes a lot vs it does not flex a lot.

Precise inletting may be true, I have not looked at MCM's closely but in my opinion. I want precise inletting on my blued and walnut guns, I want a gap on my synthetic stocked rifles. The barrel was not centered in the channel on my 300WSM but it was after I bedded it, so no issues.

I would not send my rifle anywhere to have it bedded, number one, it adds to the cost and number two, I can bed my rifles just fine and everyone with any interest in accurate rifles should learn to do it (not that you don't).

Strength to weight ratio *may* be true but again, show me the tests. There is a limit to how strong a stock needs to be, I don't think anyone is going to use a MCM as a substitute for a shovel, pry bar or sledge hammer.

Face it, the attraction of the MCM is simply the weight followed by the option for the crazy ass colors.

There is a break point when cost exceeds true value and everything beyone is simply fluff.

Put it another way, would the MCM fans pay a 1000.00 for a 12 ounce stock?

How about 1500.00 for an 8 ounces stock?

I own several of each of these stocks, and I've personally bedded them all. The McMillans are definitely superior, and I've actually never heard anyone even try to make an argument to the contrary. If that quality isn't worth paying for to you, I can understand that. I don't put Mickeys on all my guns either.

Regarding strength, I can manually manipulate the forearms on my rifles with floated barrels and easily see which stocks have more flex in the forearm. No measurement required. The B&C is the loser every time. That's okay...it's the cheapest of all of them. I should expect some compromise, shouldn't I? This EW stock is the first B&C that I've owned that isn't like that (when floated). FN must have laid down the law with 'em.

Please explain how that makes it weatherproof ?

Easiest way to explain the difference is..

B&C= Pretty much one design fits all

McMillan= just the opposite

This is very true, and also true that it will cost twice as much for what is in my opinion not twice the stock .......Hb

The EW stock reminds me of a Ti take off. A bit thicker here and there than I prefer but it's very user friendly to run.

If I wanted a 300 WSM today, I'd be all over a EW. Then I'd sell the handle for 150 bones or so and order an Edge and do PT&G bottom metal.

Dober

Dober that menu sounds right to me...

I just looked at mine, the bottom metal isn't PTG but it is good. I didn't change mine out but did on my other M70's.

My local gunshop has a few EW's...3 in stainless and one with a black finish that I haven't seen before. I can't find any info about it on Winchesters site or anywhere else? It has the same stock as the ss version and the barrel is fluted but the finish is a flat black. Anyone know the details of this model?

I liked the one I handled. Stock felt good in my ham-fists.

The safety was hands-down the loudest I've ever heard. It wasn't just me. The guys standing around the gun counter thought so too.

I'd own one in a hot second though!

I like these rifles, I'd say they are dandy's but I hate the thick beefy B&C stock.. If I bought one I'd have to spend another good chunk of money just to get a stock I could live with, then I'd have $1400.00 in a $950.00 rifle.....I don't like being upside down in a rifle so until they change the stock these rifles won't be a consideration for me.............Hb

There is night and day difference between the LA and SA stocks. The SA stock, at least on the WSM rifles, is slimmer and feels better than the stocks that I shouldered on rifles chambered for 300 win mag and 338 win mag. It is really noticeable at the grip.

Interesting; the one I handled was a WSM. Maybe that's why it didn't feel thick to me. Maybe I'm not ham-fisted after all.

"The old guys have said don't buy because it's not a Winchester any more!"

Thankfully.

I've got a good pre-FN Model 70, accurate and reliable. But - some of them are over-rated, poorly crafted piles of dung. I've bought and sold three I was unhappy with, hoping for that Winchester magic. Then I pretty much gave up. Did manage to get one good one though, and it's still here.

One of the newer FN/Winchesters is high on my want list. All of 'em I've messed with have been good rifles.

OP: Enjoy that new Model 70 - I think they're built right these days.

Regards, Guy

This is good news as I would be interested in a .300 WSM.....now I've got to find one of the bastids on a shelf somewhere, no small task in My neck of the woods........Hb

I like the 7-08, but I've seen 2 guys post here (Buzzsaw and another gent who's name I can't recall) saying they both were inconsistent shooters with a variety of loads.

Just made me wonder if there could possibly be a problem with 7-08 tubes?