What’s the difference?

Ones a Browning, the other is an icon.

Which is more desirable?

I think it's more complicated than that. there are the pre64s, then the early push feed post64's, then the later push feed XTRs, then the 90's Classic CRFs, and finally the the early 2000s models when New Haven was headed south.

And then you have the early BACOs made in Carolina, and the later BACOs assembled in Portugal.

South Texas
Which are the best of the 90's -2000's

Thank you
Hal

Love it^^^^

The South Carolina guns were pretty darn nice. I had a stainless walnut featherweight of course I let it go at some point. Think about that gun quite a bit.

The icon should have came with one piece bottom metal.

He knows his audience.

Well, lets just see what redneck says about that..

Fit and finish on a pair of Carolina featherweights is as good as I've seen on any production rifle.

I have models from every period and the specially made JOCs bacos are the best.

How does it shoot? Some of those were copper fouling sob's. Give me a good pre 64 and I'd take that any day and twice on sunday over that Browning.. And to be honest, JOC probably would too..

Better than my Cooper 52 in 30/06.

That's the truth, right there. -Al

Mule; depends upon your purpose, wants.

If you're looking for a true short action then the 5 or 6 digit New Haven classics are your huckleberry. They are a true short action length as opposed to the P64 is which were all long action.

If you're looking for one rifle to hunt everything I would go with the P64, there is a reason it achieved legendary status.

If I were outfitting a friend, or starting ovet today I would find a nice shooter grade P64 in 30-06, bed in a good McMillan or similar and as our friend Dober used to say, "go fill an ark".

Bob would agree, although he would probably choose the 270.

The P64s ottom metal is a hindrance. Said no one ever.

I got a Joc. To me, it's the best model 70 winchester ever produced. My barrel grabs little copper, shoots 130s and 150s inside an inch and weighs under 8 pounds scoped. Fit an finished is unmatched. Baco for me.

Both my Carolina Featherweight BACOS, a 7-08 and a 257 Roberts Shot Show Special, shoot .75 - 1.00".

And, boy, are the pretty....

Later year NH guns came with 1 piece bottom metal on some models.

Yes; starting ‘01 ish with SG and SE.

Snob

That!


The later ones did... I have several with the 1-piece units... I had just one BACO, obtained just to get a good look at that pos MOA trigger... Sold it to a guy who was OK with it... Glad to see it go, and I sure as hell wouldn't have another...

Browning screwed the pooch with that trigger change... Typical of Browning - they just love to over-engineer things that are best left simple and workable.. And that's exactly why I do not own a Browning rifle...


You know me too well, my friend...

Guilty as charged.

Totally agree with th trigger though. Can't disagree there.

Redneck

I am curious …,how is the BAR over engineered?

Thanks

The BAR is actually the only semi-auto centerfire worth a hill of beans.. Of all the semi-auto rifles built, I rarely had a BAR come in and that was usually due to only two things - replacing a buffer or a timing latch pin. Re: the BACO Winchester, the effed up on that trigger...

One other thing - compared an A-Bolt to a M70 once for a customer... He asked how the Browning could be made better.. I (half-jokingly) said "trade it for a M70".. He asked why. I removed the A-bolt from the stock and the two of us counted the number of parts needed to operate the safety.. We counted six..

Then I took a M70 out of the stock and we counted those.. Three. Browning just can't seem to figure out how to make an operation simple.. It's just a personal beef of mine - and it's why I only have ONE Browning in the place, a BPS in .410.... Bought it because I had a lot of leftover .410 ammo AND it was the only shotgun available at the time I was looking... It's OK.. But - speaking from experience - ya better know what you're doing when/if an owner removes that trigger group from the receiver. Removal is a piece of cake.. Re-installing it can make even an old salt recall a lot of 4-letter words. There's a trick to it I learned years ago - and even then it can be a pita to reassemble.. Typical Browning..

That's how they put their mark on something I guess. Make it more complicated than it needs to be and then brag about it. As in the MOA trigger they put in the new model 70. They should have just left well enough alone, but they had to do something to it to change it up. That is why I refer to the new ones as "Brownings". I'm content to hunt the older real Winchester model 70's for the rest of my life. Other guys that like to think the new ones are better, can have them. There's enough to go around for all of us..

Well played!

Agreed...