How many of you have had or wanted a Gorgeous Vintage Rifle

To each their own. Some folks are in to guns for a variety of reasons, which I can respect. Whatever makes you happy, have at it!!!

But for me? Nope, no desire. A firearm is a tool to fill tags IMO, nothing more. If gifted a museum piece, I would turn around and sell it and put the money towards a tag.
 
To each their own. Some folks are in to guns for a variety of reasons, which I can respect. Whatever makes you happy, have at it!!!

But for me? Nope, no desire. A firearm is a tool to fill tags IMO, nothing more. If gifted a museum piece, I would turn around and sell it and put the money towards a tag.
I tend to agree with you, it would break my heart to scratch up one of these fancy rifles and I have had the opportunity to own a couple over the years, but I would much rather have a rifle that a scratch wouldn’t devalue or if I dropped it in the mud feel really bad about it. I do however, have some wood stocked rifles that I don’t mind going through the brush with like my old Marlin 336 in 30-30 or an old spoterized 6.5x55 swede. Those two are deer killing machines, and I have no regrets taking them into the field
 
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New Winchester model 70’s make them from investment castings now and to allow them to be “Push Feed, the claws sit looser in the receiver.
New Winchester M70's (USRAC/BACO) are not made from investment castings.
 
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I have a couple that I inherited. Winchester Model 54 .270, Remington 700 BDL Deluxe .300 Win Mag (1964 or so). Taken game with both. A recent inheritance Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage (1954) that will see time in the field this fall.
 
In the last couple years I’ve acquired 4 pre 64 model 70’s. .243, .270, 30-06, and 300 win mag. They’re a joy to shoot and all I hunt with anymore. I still have the desire to own an original 1895 in 30-06 and take an elk with it before I’m too old to be able to do it.
 
In the last couple years I’ve acquired 4 pre 64 model 70’s. .243, .270, 30-06, and 300 win mag. They’re a joy to shoot and all I hunt with anymore. I still have the desire to own an original 1895 in 30-06 and take an elk with it before I’m too old to be able to do it.
I love pre-64's Model 70'. Had three, still have one, the best one, standard weight .270 made in the early 1950's when workmanship was still excellent.

Model 54's are pure eye candy. Had two still have one, 2nd year production and totally original in 30-06. They were made during the wealthy Roaring 20's and it showed. The midnight blue bluing was expensive and never repeated again.
Model 70's came out during the great depression and are more Plaine Jane than Winchester model 54's

Watch out for 1895's in 30-06. Notorious for headspace problems in that caliber. The action was designed for lower 30-40 Krag pressures.

THank you for your post
 
In the last couple years I’ve acquired 4 pre 64 model 70’s. .243, .270, 30-06, and 300 win mag. They’re a joy to shoot and all I hunt with anymore. I still have the desire to own an original 1895 in 30-06 and take an elk with it before I’m too old to be able to do it.
Do your model 70's pre-64's have the set screw under the forend to adjust for barrels harmonics ? Two of mine did not,? My standard weight did and my 54. The featherweights did not and never shot as well
 
And here she is; Remington 700 BDL Deluxe 1983 30-06 few pics and nice little group from the bench for fun. I know you said not the 700’s but I have never seen another 700 like this one!
I like 700s in that era. I had a 1979 in 30-06 that shot really well. The wood was a little more beat up than yours but I liked it a lot. I kinda regret selling it. The known trigger issues kinda caused me to let go of it. In hindsight I should have kept it and put a Timney in it.
 
Do your model 70's pre-64's have the set screw under the forend to adjust for barrels harmonics ? Two of mine did not,? My standard weight did and my 54. The featherweights did not and never shot as well
I’ve never removed any of the forends to find out. My 270 and 243 shoot better than me. The 300 shoots great, but still sports the original , now hard, rubber recoil pad. After 10 rounds or so, it really starts to hurt. It’s accurate as well. I’ve only mounted glass on the 30-06, need to get it out to the range as well.
 
I like 700s in that era. I had a 1979 in 30-06 that shot really well. The wood was a little more beat up than yours but I liked it a lot. I kinda regret selling it. The known trigger issues kinda caused me to let go of it. In hindsight I should have kept it and put a Timney in it.
Shoulda kept it. Remington trigger hysteria has made a lot of people scared of great rifles. mtmuley
 
I’ve never removed any of the forends to find out. My 270 and 243 shoot better than me. The 300 shoots great, but still sports the original , now hard, rubber recoil pad. After 10 rounds or so, it really starts to hurt. It’s accurate as well. I’ve only mounted glass on the 30-06, need to get it out to the range as well.
Do your other still have the metal butt plates. Worthy to check out if they have that barrel harmonics adjustment screw. My two vintage Winchesters, a model 70 and model 54, both have them when using different bullets and loads it is the final fine tuning. Take note of where it is set if you remove the stock,,,and do remember, those Winchesters have a third screw holding the action in the stock.
Pay attention to tension in that screw too.
 
Shoulda kept it. Remington trigger hysteria has made a lot of people scared of great rifles. mtmuley
I had four Remington's. Here was what was true for me.

First was a Model 722, in 250 Roberts. It was my first truly accurate rifle. That was the one I had the accidental discharge with. I sold it to a dealer disclosing the problem

2nd was a Classic in 35 Whelen, I shot it a lot with 38 caliber lead pistol bullets downloaded. That tiny extractor failed. I got it replaced it worked OK for awhile then failed again. I sold it

3rd was a 280 mountain rifle. After a dust storm on a hunt. the boxed trigger got dust in it and the pull really went up, Later tested with a trigger pull gauge it went from under 3 pounds to almost 9. Sold it

4th Bought a 260 model 7. Shot it a lot and the trigger pull got really hard.

I took it to a gunsmith, found out the trigger was cheap white metal only hard plated at the contact points. I wore the plating out. I sold it
Four strikes, OUT. They can shoot great, but all corners were cut, they were designed around the bottom dollar, and the company let a safety/trigger issue go on forever.

I bought a Sako SS model 75 Finnlight Carbine in 308, and a New Haven Ct made CRF Model 70 Winchester in 6.5x55 with a Walnut Stock and stainless barrel and action.

These two are not of the same quality as Pre-64's Model 70's, Belgium Safari Browning's, FN Hi-Powers, Mausers, Mannlicher's, Savage 99's or older Sako's, but I wanted two wet weather rifles and while they are not vintage rifles, I have never had a hint of a problem with either one, they are so accurate and I have shot both many thousands of rounds.

There were reasons I excluded Remington's on this post. They were the turning point that turned away from fine vintage rifles.
 
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I had four Remington's. Here was what was true for me.

First was a Model 722, in 250 Roberts. It was my first truly accurate rifle. That was the one I had the accidental discharge with. I sold it to a dealer disclosing the problem

2nd was a Classic in 35 Whelen, I shot it a lot with 38 caliber lead pistol bullets downloaded. That tiny extractor failed. I got it replaced it worked OK for awhile then failed again. I sold it

3rd was a 280 mountain rifle. After a dust storm on a hunt. the boxed trigger got dust in it and the pull really went up, Later tested with a trigger pull gauge it went from under 3 pounds to almost 9. Sold it

4th Bought a 260 model 7. Shot it a lot and the trigger pull got really hard.

I took it to a gunsmith, found out the trigger was cheap white metal only hard plated at the contact points. I wore the plating out. I sold it
Four strikes, OUT. They shoot great but are low quality and the company let a safety/trigger issue go on forever.

I bought a Sako SS model 75 Fanlight Carbine in 308, and a New Haven Ct made CRF Model 70 Winchester in 6.5x55 with a Walnut Stock and stainless barrel and action.

I have never had a hint of a problem with either one, they are so accurate and I have shot both many thousands of rounds.

There were reasons I excluded Remington's on this post. They were the turning point away from fine vintage rifles.
I couldn't care less about "vintage" rifles. The ones I kill with are my concern. Thanks. mtmuley
 

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