The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: Bolt, Lever, and Pump Action

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 24, 2011, 06:02 PM   #1
30Cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2002
Posts: 1,264
Finally got that Model 70 I've wanted

One of my backburner desires was a pre-64 Winchester Model 70, but they've always been too spendy for my budget. Well I saw one at the local gunshop a couple weeks back with a reasonable pricetag. It looked a little ragged indoors. It had a couple coats of heavy varnish (look at those yellow-line spacers)--whoever did it didn't bother to take it out of the stock.

It's turning out waaaaaaay better than I thought it would as I was standing there in the store. I've stripped the stock down, and am refinishing it in Tung Oil. I really thought the wood would way outshine the metal (new stock on a worn action), but on closer inspection, the metal is 99%--all that light rust turned out to be varnish fingerprints.

I dumped the Tasco and picked up an old Redfield 4x to mount on it. My dad found a replacement rear sight. I've got to fix a crack behind the magazine well, and I'm going to do a light bedding job before we hit the range.

Took these when I got it home, before doing any work. Looks a hell of a lot better than it did in the store. I figured the field grade M1 I gave up was a pretty fair trade, but I think now that I the better end of the deal.





30Cal is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 06:23 PM   #2
30-30remchester
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2009
Location: mountains of colorado
Posts: 977
Welcome to the world of old Winchesters. They can become very addictive.
30-30remchester is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 06:23 PM   #3
PeterTitan
Member
 
Join Date: June 7, 2010
Posts: 26
Nice!

Very nice.
PeterTitan is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 06:42 PM   #4
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
No checkering?

I really suspect that this is a fajen drop in replacement stock. Got good wood?

I agree. Peel off the varnish, see if you can get a nice, simple checker job, and you will have a wonderful piece.
briandg is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 07:23 PM   #5
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
After looking again, I'm more certain than ever that it is a fajen replacement.

Winchester would never have put that diagonal cut forend on. That forend tip, at least on mine, is rosewood. Mine came square cut and I left the square cut instead of rounding it off. Their standard wood was ozark forest grown black walnut that was good, dense, well colored, and it usually had good grain, even in lower grades, but nothing special in the lower grades. I never saw a single stock from them that wasn't head and shoulders above the typical wooden stock in the past. Now that everything is plastic, a walnut stock is invariably better than they ever were in the past on the lower and entry level rifles.
briandg is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 07:34 PM   #6
Fusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 13, 2010
Posts: 429
Did that Tasco scope hold zero? Was it made in Japan? If yes to both of those and you want to get rid of it, shoot me a pm.
Fusion is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 07:42 PM   #7
30Cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2002
Posts: 1,264
Don't know. It's chinese.
30Cal is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 07:53 PM   #8
30Cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2002
Posts: 1,264
I think you're right about the stock. It a pretty good piece of walnut with a modest amount of figure to it.
30Cal is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 08:28 PM   #9
30-30remchester
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2009
Location: mountains of colorado
Posts: 977
I have studied these model Winchesters for about 45 years now and have an extensive library for research. I didnt realise there was a question about stock originality. The stock is definately NOT Winchester, though it is a nice piece of lumber. Gun was built from 1960 to 1963. What caliber is she?
30-30remchester is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 09:09 PM   #10
mrawesome22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 2005
Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills.
Posts: 3,779
Yeah the stock looks like they were trying to get a Weatherby look.

Looks beautiful though

I have always thought Weatherby had the best looking stocks around.
mrawesome22 is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 09:11 PM   #11
4V50 Gary
Staff
 
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,824
Great job of restoration. Good that the Tasco was dumped for a 4X Redfield too. You did everything right and made a classic American gun into an All- American gun.
__________________
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe!
4V50 Gary is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 09:12 PM   #12
30Cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2002
Posts: 1,264
Thanks Gary.

30-06
30Cal is offline  
Old October 25, 2011, 11:45 AM   #13
warbirdlover
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 2,324
I would start with a new piece of wood more resembling the factory stock on the pre-64 versions OR maybe better yet the current versions. Maybe like the new "lightweight" stock with the cool fore-end. Sorry but I think that would totally transform this rifle into a real gem.
warbirdlover is offline  
Old October 25, 2011, 09:27 PM   #14
fatwhiteboy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 3, 2011
Posts: 317
Very Nice. Which caliber?
__________________
Fat White
So Cal
fatwhiteboy is offline  
Old October 26, 2011, 01:57 AM   #15
Northrunner
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Posts: 12
Hey you guys...about that 4X Redfield...what can you tell me about it's quality?The reason I ask is recently I bought a used rifle and it also had a 4X Redfield. Are they a good scope? I've always had Leupolds.
Thanks...
Northrunner is offline  
Old October 26, 2011, 10:43 AM   #16
PetahW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2008
Posts: 4,678
FWIW, Colorado-made Redfield scopes from the 70's were the Gold Standard in quality scopes before Leupold.

Weaver was the Buick, Bushnell the Chevrolet.

.
PetahW is offline  
Old October 26, 2011, 11:22 AM   #17
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
Tasco filled the gap between the pinto and the skateboard.

There were still times that you were better off on foot even then.
briandg is offline  
Old October 26, 2011, 12:19 PM   #18
Northrunner
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Posts: 12
PetahW,
This Redfield scope I've got is a 4x "Tracker" model. Any idea how old it may be or any other info about it's quality or if it was made in Colorado?

Thanks again...
Northrunner is offline  
Old October 26, 2011, 06:58 PM   #19
warbirdlover
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 2,324
Quote:
Tasco filled the gap between the pinto and the skateboard.

There were still times that you were better off on foot even then.

briandg
God I love this forum....
warbirdlover is offline  
Old October 28, 2011, 09:20 AM   #20
30Cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2002
Posts: 1,264
Well, I pulled all the varnish off and put a more appropriate scope on it...

Look Ma! No more yellow-line spacers!






Here's the worst of the finish wear...


It's definitely less orange and more red in person than today's pics show. The initial pics I took are failing to show the before/after contrast. It went from looking 75-80% to 99%. Not crazy about the mounts, but they'll do. I don't think the iron sights will work w/ a set of Redfields.

Last edited by 30Cal; October 28, 2011 at 09:44 AM.
30Cal is offline  
Old October 29, 2011, 08:41 AM   #21
mxracr
Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2008
Posts: 85
Maybe its just me, but i think it looks good either with or without the varnish. Nice looking rifle.
mxracr is offline  
Old October 29, 2011, 02:04 PM   #22
Get R Done Guns
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2011
Location: Pleasant View Utah
Posts: 272
Older Winchester = bad news. You will have to buy more!! you have opened up as the saying goes "a can of worms" they are wonderful and well made.
__________________
Please visit us at www.getgunsonline.com for some of the best delivered pricing on the net. 31,000 items and $4.99 ships your entire order!! No credit card fees! Gun+ammo=$4.99 Ammo+accessories=$4.99 WE MEAN EVERYTHING ON YOUR ORDER!!
Get R Done Guns is offline  
Old October 29, 2011, 07:51 PM   #23
Hook686
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2005
Location: USA The Great State of California
Posts: 2,090
1973 Winchester 30-06 with Redfield Widefield 3-9X scope of same year.






Aside from the checkering, what is the difference between a pre-64 and a 1973 ?
__________________
Hook686

When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.
Hook686 is offline  
Old October 30, 2011, 11:18 AM   #24
okbob51
Member
 
Join Date: December 21, 2010
Posts: 20
Stock up on ammo now while all the major ammo makers have rebates and
then......take that bad boy out and shoot the hell out of it! Get to really know what it can and can't do. The only way to do that is to shoot the hell out of it!
okbob51 is offline  
Old October 30, 2011, 04:36 PM   #25
whippoorwill
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 6, 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Posts: 521
30 cal - I was going to mention, in response to another member's comment, that I had a Winchester Model 70 XTR with the "diagonal" cut to the forend. So, that alone didn't mean that it wasn't a Winchester stock. Now, the lack of checkering...

I was also going to warn you to be careful about stripping the finish, but you've already done it, and it looks great! My warning was that when I stripped the finish on my 70 XTR, the stuff I used ate away part of the white-line spacers on the forend and the butt plate. I had to get rid of the spacers completely. I was young and foolish at the time. Good thing I actually prefer no spacers, cause after the stripping I had no choice! But, I felt like an idiot for making such a mistake. The rifle now wears a Bell and Carlson stock, cause the wood stock was too pretty for serious hunting. Later, I sold the original stock on ebay. Wierd how this story gets more and more sad. Someone in Texas got a fantastic stock (beautiful, exceptional striping for a factory stock), albeit sans original white-line spacers. Sigh!

In any case, fine looking rifle you got there.
whippoorwill is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06557 seconds with 10 queries