Please help value my pre-64 Winchester 270 Fetherweight

[BigBamBoo]

Hi folks.
I have a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .270 that needs a new home.
This was passed down to me from my Dad years ago and was purchased by him new in 1958.

He never really shot it or used it. He was a 30-06 guy and I have his handmade...by him...06 that is one of my "never get rid of" rifles.

Over the years, I have shot this rifle exactly THREE TIMES and less then 40 rounds.
My Dad said he shot it maybe 150-200 rounds total. So less then 300 rounds through it for sure.

Overall cond. is good with some safe rash and minor dings/scuffs on the stock.

Ser. # is in the high 42,XXXX which from what I can find puts it made in 1957. Which makes since for the date of purchase by my pops.

I have no clue what to ask on this rig. So I am looking for some help on what to price it at.

It has an old trusty Redfield 4X scope and Weaver rings.

Thanks for the help.

[-hanko]

Best I can do...

...is a complete SWAG via Gunbroker.

I'd say at least $1K for the rifle.

The scope is a meh as far as value, but definitely period-accurate attached to the rifle.

It would be a great rifle to hunt with, especially if you're on foot or horseback. .270 is my all time favorite for deer and elk up here.

[BigBamBoo]

Yeah, I have not hunted game animals since the early 90’s and never will. And I have plenty of coyote and squirrel guns.

This one needs a new home and will make a good hunting rig.


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[kendog4570]

...I'd say at least $1K for the rifle...

Current Blue Book agrees with that.

[aspenvalley]

[Jimmy's]

To the right person it could bring $1000-$1200 in reality $850-$1000 this is NOT the place to try for high the high end.

[-hanko]

To the right person it could bring $1000-$1200 in reality $850-$1000 this is NOT the place to try for high the high end.

QFT.

I've had a lot of no-hassle buys and sales on ar15.com. They usually a very wide range of rifles in all price ranges.

Best thing about it is that flakes are banned immediately, unlike here.

[rm1911]

[condor]

Nice looking shooter. My stock answer to your question is 'What ever someone is willing to give for it'... If you want to get rid of it and are looking for top dollar I'd suggest consigning it to Gunrunner Auctions in Cody WY. Talk to Scott Weber or Bob Carter. tel:307-587-2272 They auction 400 guns a month, and there are quite a few Pre-64 collectors that follow it. I know, I tried to find a Model 70 in 270, but so far have been out bid... Yeah I'm cheap.. :-) Take note that your 70 is considered a C&R, and can be sold cash'n'carry to an FFL3/COE holder here in California... Good Luck.

[Jimmy's]

I own way to many rifles and my #1choice is my pre64 308 thouhj.I retired it a few years back I would grab it before any other if a need was to come up it's also the only one I will never sell and I've sold hundreds.

[roostersgt]

As mentioned, you’ll have better luck on gunbroker or other sites like that. You need to find the widest market as possible.

The problem is that as beautiful as it is, it’s a bolt action 270. It might have sentimental value to you but it won’t to anyone else. It might have some collector value to someone. Otherwise it’s a bolt action 270 that I’m sure shoots well but probably doesn’t outshoot anything mass produced today.

What you feel it’s worth will vary considerably from what others think it’s worth. To say it’s worth x amount of dollars is impossible for anyone to say. Honestly, as far as bolt action rifles go, I can get a field rifle for $500. Or less. Why would someone want an older bolt 270? What advantages does it bring?

Overlook what your dad’s rifle means to you and try to consider what it would mean to someone else to have your dad’s rifle. Personally, I’d just keep it and go out of my way to hunt with it.

Many people looking for high quality rifles would readily recognize this as one of the more desirable. None of the many newer rifles I have acquired recently "feel" anywhere near as good as the older ones I own. The bolts are ill fitted etc... They may shoot nice tight groups, but they just feel cheap, if that means anything. Just bought a new T/C and a new Rem 700ADL and just cycling the bolts leaves one thinking "crap" compared to cycling the bolt of the older rifles. Yeah, the accuracy may not be as great as the new ones out of the box, but one must appreciate the better hand fitted feel of sliding a bolt back and slamming it forward and it feeling butter soft, as opposed to the slop and bugging feel of the newer stuff. I'm not a "collector" as I regularly hunt with all of my rifles. i prefer the stuff made before the '90's. Not necessarily for just accuracy, but for fit / finish and quality of feel altogether. New 700's are probably more inherently accurate, but at what cost? 2moa is a dead deer at every distance the average western / eastern hunter statistically kills deer.

[LynnJr]

Has the stock been refinished? Collectors want original unmolested guns and pay accordingly. If the checkering has been touched up or flattened by sanding or the buttplate wood has been rounded off you lose the premium price.
Roostergt
You hit the nail on the head. All the newer rifles feel out of balance weight wise as well due to the lightweight plastic stocks.

[BigBamBoo]

Nope...not refinished. Just the way the pictures turned out.


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[Shumba]

Nope...not refinished. Just the way the pictures turned out.


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The fact that the stock is not cut with an aftermarket recoil pad is very desirable for the Featherweight model. Because they were lighter weight than the standard models, many people had recoil pads added. An uncut Pre-64 M70 Featherweight stock is hard to come by and people on Gunbroker will definitely pay more. Yours has the plastic buttplate which is not as desirable. If it was an uncut aluminum buttplate, the stock alone would bring $300 to $500 depending on condition.

Your best bet is to put it on Gunbroker with lots of photos. Definitely good photos of the buttplate and edges of the buttplate. List the serial number with the last two numbers as XX, so that people who care can determine when it was made. As you stated above, a high 42x,xxx would place it in January or February 1958. These rifles are high quality and have nostalgic appeal to many buyers. .270 is a very classic caliber for the Pre-64 M70 and especially the Featherweight. I'll bet you get +$1,200 for it.

I have one the same rifle, but an earlier 1950's model with the original aluminum buttstock. One of my favorite deer guns.

Good luck with the sale!

Tim



Here is a photo of my Pre-64 M70 Featherweight in .270 on an X9B deer hunt in 2014

[Shumba]

I just checked the Roger Rule book (page 80), your manufacture date is late 1957 to early 1958 but it says that the plastic buttplate replaced the aluminum buttplate in 1959. If your buttplate is not aluminum, it may not be original, but is still very close. Either way, nice gun.