what is the general consensus of the new production,i believe made in Portugal,Winchester model 70 rifles in particular the super grade and the featherweight? accuracy,fit and finish and just general quality?

I bought a FWT in 280 haven't shot it yet so I can't speak on the accuracy. Metal finish was as expected. The stock was not 100% smooth on the cheek side of the comb. Not sure if it was glue from the butt pad or if it's whatever the stock is finished in but there was a pencil eraser sized raised mark in the clear finish. I bought the gun from CDNN, gave it a quick once over at my LGS and never saw it. Once I got it home and started poking around I noticed it. At that point I didn't feel like dealing with any sort of warranty claim and there was no sending it back to CDNN since it was already transferred to me. I carefully took some fine steel wool to the spot to buff it out. It's mostly gone. Other than that no issues.

One of my church friends / duck hunting partners bought a current production M70 FWT in .30-06 18 months or so ago. He is a young guy, a hunter, not a rifle crank. Probably spends at least 1/3rd of his discretionary time "In the field", "On the water", or "In the blind". (yeah, he's single...) His take on his new M70 is to mount a scope. Sight it in. Go hunt. Has taken several KY whitetails with it as well as a couple coyotes. No complaints from a hunter. It kills stuff....

He grew up working on the family hay and cattle farm. Has one rifle, one shotgun, one bow. When he upgrades a weapon, the previous one goes down the road. And he is pretty deliberate about what he buys as an upgrade.

He is a smart man.

Orion:

Now thats a hunter!

Most here are just buying rifles for EVERY single concivalbe type of hunting one could do in every part of the world... past, present and future.


Myself got a:
Rimfire / trainer
Varmint rifle + 1 back up
Hunting rifle + 1 back up
Long range rifle

And still I would say your hunting partner has it figured out better!

I know the old school Model 70s guys will get all bristled up about this but I think the new production Model 70s are as good as any model 70 ever made. Not crazy about the trigger but its an easy fix..

I like the new ones MUCH better than the New Haven models....

There's a nice EW in the classifieds.

No comment...

am i correct in that all the current production model 70's are made in Portugal? has anybody compared the quality of fit/finish and accuracy with the SC made guns?

Have an Extreme Weather 7mm-08 that I just purchased this year and is the most accurate rifle I have ever shot and thats with off the shelf ammo. That said I'm going to sell it and just keep a Classic Stainless Featherweight for all of my hunting.

That's unfortunate. Your opinion/observations count at least double.

Bought a barely used BACO Model 70 Supergrade Featherweight 7x57 here on the 'Fire within the last year.

Metal finish/bluing was excellent. Action was slicker than owl snot.

Stock is well executed with good grain. Walnut is grade III/IV to my eye.

Trigger was 4lbs, crisp. The gunsmith lightened it to 3lbs and mounted a Swaro Z3 2.5-10x42 scope on it.

Shoots 3 rounds of factory ammo into an inch at 100 yards.

IMO, it is the equal to my pre-'64 .30/06 Featherweight, though I do appreciate the simplicity of the pre-'64 trigger and would have preferred that to the mechanical marvel BACO now installs.

I would not hesitate to buy another.

A friend bought a BACO Featherweight about four years ago. It was a .30/06 stainless/walnut combo(now discontinued). Mounted a Swaro Z3. With the also discontinued Federal 165 grain TSX factory loading, it is a half inch rifle. Outshoots my pre-'64 .30/06 every time. Despite my best efforts, he will not sell it to me.

Just my experience with two rifles. YMMV.

I had a blue/walnut FWT in 30-06 for a while. Good rifle. I didn't care for the trigger, but that's an easy fix.

I sold it because of what I thought were bedding problems with it. Those problems turned out to be a scope issue, and the rifle was not to blame. If they ever make the stainless FWT in 7-08 or 308 again, then I'd buy the first one I could get my hands on.


Okie John

Granddaughter got a new Fwt compact 7-08 for Christmas last year. The bore fouled a bit much, but was accurate, so a good cleaning and a coat of DBC was applied. Seems to have worked. It now sports a McMillan and a VXII 3X9 and has been used to take a good antelope and nice Kansas Whitetail buck.
My own M70 Classic Fwt. 7-08 BACO from several years ago is decently accurate, not great, but runs between 1-1 1/2" for most loads. Lately it seems to be coming into it's own with Ramshot Big Game and Magnum primers. I don't care that much for the heavy finish on the stock , but otherwise it's good to go for about anything I'd ever use it for.

I have a few pre 64’s, never used a newer one.

I thought (literally) that everybody knew by now that, while I love M70s, I'm NOT a fan of the BACO's trigger.. Browning just HAD to screw up what could have been the finest trigger ever in a hunting rifle simply by refining/modernizing the original.... Dumbasses...

Overall, I think the BACOs are a bit better in quality - but it's because of modern machinery and processes. But I truly despise that MOA trigger. (some were/are already on 'recall') . I have a bunch of NH M70s. I have one BACO, and I do not shoot it.. It's a relatively special one that'll increase in value as a collector but I'd take any NH over the BACO every day of the week and twice on Sunday..

For those that are not familiar with the NH's trigger system, I'll try to elaborate. From the factory, they're a bit heavy, they creep and they're not usually crisp. BUT - (and this is a biggie) if they freeze up or somehow fail to fire in the field the owner can remove the action, easily determine the problem, correct it with a couple very simple pocket tools and be back in business inside of 10 minutes.. When (not if) an enclosed trigger fails, maybe it just got out of adjustment and can be corrected. Most anything else and ya better have a back-up rifle available within reach.

Give me a NH trigger and 20-25 minutes and I'll give you a trigger that nearly equals a Jewell or Trigger Tech and still remain that wonderfully simple/reliable design that's been tried and true for over 5 decades.. Browning could have done that same thing and cost 'em tons less than that pos MOA unit.. But nooooooooooo...


Sorry to get started...

Merry Christmas..

My experience with 1 rifle, a Baco (SC) FWT. Fit and finish typical Browning (good for a mass produced rifle) Accuracy, excellent (well under MOA) Walnut, better than average.
Things I've changed, stock finish (I think the reddish stain they use is ugly.) Trigger, put the Ernie the gunsmith springs in to lighten it up.
Would I but another? Hell yes!

I have an Extreme Weather in .30-06. I like the rifle plenty but the stock sucks. It's a club. I had a .308 Compct Fwt as well and like it. It shot well, but it just didn't get used enough. I sold it here this summer.

They're not as trim as the older M70's and XTR push-feeds but they're nice guns.

They are not as trim as the older fwts, glad it was not just me that thought that! I had a couple of the newer ones. They shot well but did not speak to me so they went away.

as long as the rifle speaks the <moa language and form and function are a second language she will stay with me. but, she has to speak accuracy fluently or she will go down the road. i can personally deal with average lumber but not average or below accuarcy. i could personally care less about the pre 64 hooplah if the new current production rifles are more accurate and still have the pre 64 cr feed extractor and are put together well.

I bought a 7-08 Featherweight compact a little while back. Finally got it out shooting this year and took a nice WV buck with it. Fit and finish are good. Shoots great. No issues so far....

Yep, I've had some as well and much prefer my classics and pre 64's.

A enclosed trigger can often be flushed out in the field with lighter fluid without removing the action from the stock.
I apreciat the design of the new haven trigger, but in practice they never felt good to me, even after tuned and they were made out of cheaply cast parts. Then there is the quality of the NH guns in general. Most sucked finish wise, lits of tool marks, etc. The 5 digit classics were better than the latter ones, but still a project in a box in most cases. Cast extractors, crudely cast bottom metal, etc.

so.....are you saying the new portugal guns are of higher quality in your opinion than the winchester nh guns??

IMO... the SC guns were better made than the late NH guns. The early classics were pretty good though as were the push feed XTR's. I havent handled a Portugal gun, but will make it a point to when my kids cone of age. A compact Fwt in the 6.5 CM sounds like a great combo.

I also preferred the old trigger, but hunting with the new style doesnt give me pause, until I have an issue, then I'll prolly throw a toddler like fit. All guns are made up of little pins, springs, etc. that are depended on for proper function, all can fail when subjected to bad conditions.

Yes.

From what I've seen, I'd buy one in a quick heartbeat if I already didn't have too many rifles.

I've been hearing the made in Portugal rant for years now. It was an interesting topic in the beginning, however it seems Browning is unimpressed by dissatisfaction of a few.

Trigger? How many here have had a new one freeze up? The average guy fix an old Model 70 trigger in the field with his pocket tools? How many are going to do that? For the vast majority-like what 99%+-your trigger goes down mechanically, your gun is down until you get home or have a Smith look at it.

The new ones are an excellent rifle.

well i'm just at that age where a want a couple nicer timeless rifles to pass down to my 2 sons and i believe a featherweight and a supergrade will fit the bill. i just want to make sure that the build quality and the accuracy are there before a plunk down a coupla gs. i've got plenty rifles to hunt with so these 2 will be put in the safe for later on in life when i fell i just have to hunt with a classy rifle. till then my tikka t3's will do in spades. but, i'm sure one day all the plastic will get on my nerves........nah prolly not but it will be nice to have the all walnut and steel guns there anyway. keep the thoughts coming fellas please. the more i hear from y'all rifle loonies like myself the more i'm informed.

I have 3 SC model 70s. I am not an enclosed trigger fan, but the fit, finish and accuracy of these SC 70s is damn good. On the other hand, I have tried a Portuguese model 70 and a XPR and have been sorely disappointed in every aspect of these rifles. I have tried them-and now I am done with them. CP.

I’d say that, too.

I hope I get this right......

The SC guns were assembled in SC with American barreled actions (source of action unclear) and stocks made in Portugal. Now the assembly is done in Portugal with the same parts. Terry Wieland did a two-part article on this. He feels overall that the current ones are the best ever.

I never had trouble with the old trigger on a Pre-64 or two New Haven Classics I tweaked for my sons, but they're gone and the old and new ones aren't interchangeable, apparently, as the aftermarket models are different.

My only quibble with any of the "new" M70s is the multi-part bolt that fails at times. The cheezy weak extractors supposedly have been replaced with better ones (a weathy doctor I used to encounter at the range has a customized .458 he had built for Africa. His rifle had a replacement extractor. BTW, that feller could shoot! He was wearing out a target offhand at 100 yards with his cannon.)

Thanks for taking time out to educate me!

This has been a very informative thread.
😎

Get you one if you want it!!

That's what I'm thinking. Either a Sporter in .264 or a FWT in 270 or dare I hope?-6.5CM?

Pappy, I have a little different rendition of the story. When FN commenced producing the Model 70 in South Carolina, the barreled actions were produced in house by FN and the other components for the rifle were sourced through a number of domestic vendors. In short order, FN had issues with some of the outside vendors' quality and deliver schedules. In turn, they stared sourcing components from their international partners to offset the issues they were having with some of the domestic suppliers. Moreover, production of the Model 70 in the South Carolina plant was causing production conflicts with FN's primary business at that location of manufacturing military and police firearms. So, the move to Portugal was driven by a variety of issues.

I asked Winchester if the barreled action for the Portuguese Model 70 would always be produced in South Carolina and they told me "not necessarily". Everybody can draw their own conclusions from that comment. CP.

thanks fellas for the posts and please keep em coming for educational value.