Winchester Model 70???

[osirus101]

I was looking to get a new rifle chambered in .338 win mag. Ive narrowed it down to a Ruger M77 MkII or a Winchester Model 70....i was lookin to see if any one had any experience with this particular model...ive shot and enjoyed shooting the ruger...but found a good deal on a winchester...and thought id look into them seeing how it is the 338 Winchester Magnum..thanks for any info.

Osirus101

[Lone Star]

I have to be very brief, but I prefer the M70 for the steel quality and stock shape, particularly along the bottom. I like the M70's looks better overall, and the handling. I think it will hold its value a little better, too.


Ruger's cast action gives a different feel to the bolt travel, and the M70 seems more traditional and well made. (I do prefer Ruger to Remington.)

Either is an excellent rifle, though. And I'd stay with the .338, not get a newfangled .325 WSM. For one thing, ammo availability will be better, especially in remote areas.

Lone Star

[TPAW]

I would tend to agree with Lone Star. I think the bolt travel is smoother on the Ruger and it has less slop than the Winchester. They are both fine rifles, and I have fired them both, but Ruger would be my choice. Just my opinion.

[Ruger4570]

I have both and they are both fine rifles.. I do like the looks of the Winchester just a little better than the Ruger though. Either one will give you years of service and pleasure. Looks like a coin toss to me.

[TPAW]

Ruger 4570.....When throwing the bolt on both rifles, which to you seems to be the better machined one, that is, the one with less up and down, left to right movement when the bolt is fully opened?

[Lone Star]

I'm not .45/70, but I think the M70 bolt is better fitted and smoother, once both are broken in with use and oil.

Consider also how to disassemble and clean the bolt. I'm not sure how Ruger fares there; the M70 bolt is a classic case of simple, rugged design.

Lone Star

[Zekewolf]

The tightness/looseness of the bolt when retracted isn't relevant to how well the bolt fits or how well the rifle shoots. Other than adjusting for creep, the Winchester trigger is easier to adjust than the Ruger trigger. Remington's trigger is superior to either Winchester's or Ruger's.

[cheygriz]

There are many good reasons that the Model 70 has been called "The Rifleman's Rifle" for the last 75 years!

It's the standard by which other bolt guns are judged. :)

[TPAW]

Zekewolf
the Winchester trigger is easier to adjust than the Ruger trigger. Remington's trigger is superior to either Winchester's or Ruger's.

Where does the Savage come into the mix with it's accu trigger? Where would you rate it?

[Zekewolf]

I've never fired a rifle equipped with the Accu-Trigger, but the design looks pretty good. Being able to safely adjust down to 1.5# is better than any of the other three brands mentioned. If you go with aftermarket triggers, of course, the trigger pull can be anywhere from 2oz up.

If I'm recalling correctly, the Accu-Trigger pull weight is adjusted externally, which would be a definite plus.

[TPAW]

I have heard lots of good news about the Savage in regards to it's accuracy and the quality of the rifle for less money than a Rem., Win., or Ruger.
My only problem is that I like a rifle with sights in the event something goes wrong with the scope. That way, you can take the scope off and still hunt.
If I'm not mistaken, only Remington comes with sights?

[Zekewolf]

I'm not sure that the new Remington has sights, either. I know some of the ADL models did, but I believe the ADL has been discontinued.

The odds of a quality scope's breaking at just the time that you need it would have to be pretty remote.

[TPAW]

I foolishly leaned one of my rifles up against a boulder and it slid off hitting a smaller rock on the way down. It Cracked the lens on my scope. I took the scope off back at the cabin and was able to continue my hunt, only at a closer range. I Suppose I could bring along a spare rifle? But I still like having sights. I believe the Rem. BDL has sights.

[Jaywalker]

Zekewolf: Remington's trigger is superior to either Winchester's or Ruger's. I don't own any Remington 700 rifles at present, so please forgive my lack of knowledge of the outcome, but there was a concern about the design of Remington triggers and their safety. (I have a .pdf file, but I don't know if it'll attach.)

If it doesn't, here's a review. In what purports to be a Feb 7, 1980 internal Remington memorandum, the writer estimated that 0.6% of the M700's then in the field could be "tricked" into firing. With the safety put in the mid- position, the trigger pulled, then the safety moved to the "fire" position, certain 700s would indeed fire. The memo goes on to conclude that Remington decided in 1979 to institute a "safe gun handling program" rather than to recall the large number of pre-1975 rifles then in service. The audit estimated at that time that 1% of the then-2,000,000 rifles were susceptible to the fault.

Jaywalker

[Zekewolf]

There were some problems with the operation of the safeties on mid-80s Remington 700s. That problem was fixed long ago. I was, though, thinking of ease of adjustment and actual trigger pull, rather than operation of the safety, when I made the pro-Remmy statement.

Nobody's mentioned Tikka, which is probably superior, in every respect, to any of the brands that we've mentioned so far.