Winchester Model 70 is it slipping for the first time in it's history?

[HHGT]

My favorite bolt action. The M70 has always been an excellent rifle right out the box. I hope Winchester listens to this guy's letter and doesn't do what other manufactures have done. And I hope his wish regarding Trump's tariffs brings manufacturing of these rifles back to the U.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05HU6HgpWMM

[CALI-gula]

Not surprised in the slightest.

.

[Dan_Eastvale]

I'm positive Japan cannot equal both my pre-64s...

But I'm sure Century can't come any close to my CHICOM Clayco/Norinco 80s AK

[RAMCLAP]

Glad I got mine when I did.

[Fjold]

It's not the first time that Winchester quality slipped. In 1964 when they switched to the push feed action, no hand fitting and machine pressed checkering, both sales and quality dropped abruptly. Quality and sales stayed low for years until the company re-introduced the "Classic" controlled round feed action.

[sigstroker]

Meh, mine was smoother than a Mauser bolt gun. Most people that had them thought so too.

[TKM]

They beat Sig to the Bluetooth trigger by decades.

[Ewok55]

I have not looked at a recently made Model 70, but Desert Dog provides evidence to verify his claims. I do know that quality on most everything that requires craftsmanship has slipped lately.

[k1dude]

Sadly, I think covid and the inflation that followed has hurt gun manufacturers badly. The only way to try and maintain their price points is to lower in-house quality and increase outsourcing to low cost producers.

[The Gleam]

Sadly, I think covid and the inflation that followed has hurt gun manufacturers badly. The only way to try and maintain their price points is to lower in-house quality and increase outsourcing to low cost producers.

Certainly true.

But in a world where people merely shrug at $9.99 for a dozen eggs, $5.59 for a gallon of gas, and don't even show the slightest disdain for an 11% 'Anti-2nd Amendment' tax to fight the legislation about it and just consider that the 'price of things' - I would gladly pay much more than current pricing to see the quality of my pre-64 Model 70s return as new production guns available at the sales counter again.

Price-point should equate to quality. It's not stopping people from buying Roll Royces, Ferraris and Lamboghinis any time soon. All three companies have had large increase in sales the past few years. Then you have guns from FN which are largely overpriced compared to their quality, and people are still willing to overpay.

The market is there and quality would be its own advertising. If they build it like they used to do, people will buy it.

---