From what I recall, these were not well liked, due to the shorter barrel .264 kicking hard and speaking loudly. This one has some use and finish wear, but no alterations, and the price seems reasonable.
How are they, as far as practical shooters, and as collectibles? Assuming the barrel isn't shot out, which I have yet to determine.
I've heard second-hand that the M70 .264 Featherweights were sometimes finicky as to accuracy. I'm not sure what the issue was, or how commonly inaccuracy was claimed.
Give that throat and bore a good look.
In general the pre-'64 Featherweights could be "finicky" as made by the factory, because of the forend bedding. They didn't have the forend screw like the standard model, and didn't really bed the barrel tightly, or free-float it either.
I remember when the LGS was clearing them out at $150 each to make way for the wonderful new 1964 M70s...and they weren't selling. Being a kid, I couldn't afford one, let alone the truck full I would have bought.
I would have rebarreled them, BTW.
Local guy has one for $1200. Seems fairly reasonable if they are as rare as they say
Read a quote here on the 'Fire recently, but do not recall the thread:
Jack O'Connor said a short barreled .264 WM was really just a loud .270.
As we have learned, the more powder room, the more velocity at equal pressure, even from a short barrel. But it still doesn't seem to make much sense to handicap an overbore cartridge with a short barrel.
I had one and it shot very well with pretty much all the factory loads and handloads I tried in it, albeit I didn't try a lot of combinations. It did bark and rear back some, but less so than my .30-06 Fwt.. Don't expect 26" barrel velocities but I don't think anything on the receiving end could tell the difference.
I had both the FWt and a STD . The FWT was loud and not the most accurate rifles in the safe. With the shorter barrel you just don't get the performance out of all that powder. I agree that it's just a loud 270 (I have a 270 FWT and preferred it to the 264) the STD rifle was another matter. It was wonderfully accurate with no real recoil issues. If it had one fault it's that it was heavy but all STD rifles are crowding 10lbs with scope, sling and ammo.