I can say for 100% fact this one has had less than 1k rounds through it...would be surprised if its had more than 500 through it since it was purchased in 1957.
Ehh idk have that kinda eye...to me its just a chair I sit my skinny ass in...lol
Chump change...in particular considering the quality of a pre-64 action.
About 8 rds a year. Guess you've had it all that time? Here's the hard part, if that rifle was worth $800 that Sheep would not be anymore dead than if it had been shot with a $300 rifle with the same shot! But I do understand guy's preference for rifles of one brand or another. Got a preference like that myself. I like mod 700's really well! The value of a rifle is what the owner put's on it but, if you need to sell it, don't be surprised if no one agrees with you. I have a 1903 Springfield sporterized by Paul Jaeger in 1945. Appraised in 1990 but I doubt I could get that figure for it. Doesn't bother me though. Got it from a very close friend when he died. Went years just shooting at target's now and then, worried about dinging up an expensive rifle. Then one day it hit me, what the hell, used it for an elk rifle. Sure glad I did. Brand new in 1945 my friend paid $500 for it. Get past the fact that Paul Jaeger did it and it's simply an old Springfield!I can say for 100% fact this one has had less than 1k rounds through it...would be surprised if its had more than 500 through it since it was purchased in 1957.
Just wondering. If you put a new barrel other than a Winchester barrel on it is it still a pre 64 Mod 70? Shoot even if it's a Winchester barrel is it still a pre 64?
And it’s as ugly as a three dollar hooker. Yes, it will still get the job done.
Yes, my Dad's rifle that my Grandfather bought new in Missoula has never left the family and never will. Dad hasn't hunted with it for a number of years.
Yes, my Dad's rifle that my Grandfather bought new in Missoula has never left the family and never will. Dad hasn't hunted with it for a number of years.
The last time it was fired, was by me. I shot it once to confirm zero fired it again later that year and killed a cow elk with it in Montana. That was 6-7 years ago. My Dad, Grandfather, and I have all killed elk, deer, pronghorn in Montana with it now.
And amazingly, some idiot took a 300H&H (among the most sought after pre64 calibers)and threaded the barrel for a suppressor.
I should have qualified my statement on pads, yes you could order a pad from the custom shop, and sometimes a distributor would get a run made with pads, usually a standard featherweight came without pad. The number of model 70's that "fell off the truck" at the New Haven plant resulted in some variants that were never recorded. Living there for 25 years I got used to buying pre 64's for $300-400 and stripping them for actions to build custom rifles, the custom shop guys pointed out the new actions were made to closer CNC tolerances versus the variance in most pre 64 actions. I did not do that to a 7x57 and a super grade 257 Roberts that I came across and glad I kept them all original as the prices on these now is pretty high among collectors. I did shoot several whitetails with them though, just not in the rain!Winchester offered more than 20 recoil pads ( special order) and the Pachmayr white line was available in either a 1 1/8" or 1 3/16" version for $2.50 extra
This is where the lineage and collection of pre 64's gets really muddy. With the amount of recoil pads offered, and all of them were also offered as aftermarket additions by say a gunsmith down the street. With the premium paid for " special order" pre 64's it is very easy to say it was a special order. Now having the proof ( original box, build sheet, letter from Winchester, original tags) is another story. Could this rifle in this thread be original??? Maybe... Maybe not. My opinion is it isn't without proof. I have been collecting pre 64's for almost 20 years now and have a couple rare ones. Every once in a while you hear the old story of " my brothers best friends uncle has a friend down the street with a rare special order pre 64.... but doesn't have any proof"... In my eyes than it doesn't have proof at all.
google box " selling dads old guns".. read the winchester collectors blurbs. That guy took a bunch of pre 64s and fabricated boxes, tags, Cody letters, etc... One guy even called him out because he recognized the serial number of a rifle that he had sold that was NOT new in box and used well and now this guy had it in pristine condition and new in box with tags and a Cody letter.
I was spoiled living near Winchester for 25 years, bought 20 or so usually for well less than $500, stripped most of them for actions to build custom rifles, the only ones I paid up for were a standard grade 7 MM Mauser and a 257 Bob in super grade that I left alone and those two cost well below $1,000. Current prices seem to be a little high with very common calibers selling for $1,000 plus or minus based on condition.The new CNC machined ones are much better to work with as they are already about as close in tolerance as you can make them. I have several Dakota arms Model 76 (fancy Model 70 clones) from first year they were produced and while very nice, they were not really worth 2X a model pre 64 Model 70's i was buying at the same time, and at current prices ($5,000 up) I think they are way overpriced. Then again whatever floats your boat, my recent rifle purchase was a Bergara in 308 to shoot long range games with, shot 1/2 inch 5 shot groups out of the box with match ammo.
