Trying to Decide Between...

[JackEllis]

earlier and later Winchester Model 70s in both .30-06 and .223. Pre '65 models really aren't in the picture because they're too spendy, though I'd consider buying one for the "right price".

Are there any substantive differences between the rifles made between 1965 and 1970, and versions made in the late 1970s and early 1980s?

[rm1911]

-asbestos suit on-

Colt pythons are simply a 357 revolver. There nothing especially fancy or special about them other than they are "rare". Which means they stopped amazing them a long time ago, I'm guessing because they were no longer price competitive. Are they nice? Yes. Are they 3-4x better than my pre lawyer smith 686? Um, hardly.

-asbestos suit off-

Rifles are a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. A bolt rifle is a purpose driven tool. Are pre 64's nice? Well, yes. Are they better shooters than modern bolt rifles? I doubt it. If you had an older rifle your grandfather hunted elk with 50 years ago, then it's special. To you. And don't ever get rid of it.

Now, are my garands special? Yes, but for special reasons. But they are still shooters and yes I do shoot them.

[Johneracer]

Pre 64 are true Mauser actions and made extremely well. Controlled feed and all that. Yes they are spendy. If you want a cheap good rifle how about sako? I paid $1200 for my mint 80s sako. Beautiful wood with nice grain. Polished metal with deep blue. Excellent trigger. Sako is a tack driver. I use mine for hunting but it's almost too nice for woods. Almost....

[divingin]

[I apologize in advance for the hijack]

Colt pythons are simply a 357 revolver. There nothing especially fancy or special about them other than they are "rare".

Sort of like saying an original Shelby Cobra is just a car, so it shouldn't command the price it does. They still go for over a million dollars.

Pythons are much less rare than a Shelby Cobra, however. Scarceness is probably due more to value than anything. Mine is tucked away, and not being fired.

The reason for both the Cobra's and Python's spendiness is that people are willing to pay those prices for them. Has nothing to do with whether they were great at what they were designed for (IMO both were very good, but neither was great.)

[JackEllis]

Controlled feed and all that. Yes they are spendy. If you want a cheap good rifle how about sako? I paid $1200 for my mint 80s sako. Beautiful wood with nice grain. Polished metal with deep blue

I have rifles for small varmints (Tikka in .223), coyotes and pronghorns (Tikka in .243) and large game (Winchester 670 in .30-06) that are suitable tools, affordable and get the job done. I don't *need* any more and I don't want to start collecting calibers. I might want to have an extra copy of each caliber I already have around for visitors to use if we go shooting.

I also like the fact that M70s don't have blind magazines, so the magazine is easier (and safer) to unload.

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

Trying to Decide Between...

I've owned 5 M70's over the years; 1 pre-64 in 30-06, 2 post 64's in 7mm Rem Mag and a 243, 1 new M70 in 7mm-08 (with the Mauser extractor). And 1 M70 Ranger. All are/were fine rifles except the Ranger. It was a POS and I could never get the accuracy I wanted out of it.

The post '64-70 rifles were said to have bolt binding issues. I never had that issue with either of mine. I wouldn't say there are substantial differences between the model years, with the obvious exception of the extractors. I liked And shot them all, but only have the pre 64 still in the safe. Since it was my fathers rifle and made in the same year as I, it will be passed down to a family member who will appreciate it's heritage and care for it. It's still a fine shooter, steel butt plate and all.


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[desert dog]

For just a little more money than the used market on a post-64 M70, you can get a new FN-made M70. The newer FN-made M70s, even the ones assembled in Portugal, are better than every M70 except the pre-war models.

[Dark Hunt]

Pre 64 are true Mauser actions and made extremely well. Controlled feed and all that. Yes they are spendy. If you want a cheap good rifle how about sako? I paid $1200 for my mint 80s sako. Beautiful wood with nice grain. Polished metal with deep blue. Excellent trigger. Sako is a tack driver. I use mine for hunting but it's almost too nice for woods. Almost....

Pre-64s are controlled round feed but they are not true Mauser actions.

Although Winchester used some ideas of Mauser they changed the design significantly. Winchester stuck with the coned breech of the 03 Springfield and re-designed the standing ejector so that they didn't need to cut the slot in the left bolt lug to increase the strength of the bolt, they designed totally different trigger and safety assemblies, plus the recoil lug and footprint, they designed the extractor to snap over the rim of a cartridge also.

Really the similarity between the Model 70 and the Mauser designs are very superficial.

[arrowshooter]

Just find one that you like and buy it. You'll be able to tell if it's been taken care of.