WTB- Winchester Heavy Varmint

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by ray h

If any of you buy or have a Mod 70 Heavy Varmint and a Coyote made in the 97-98 time frame be sure to check the breech of the barrel They were push feed actions. My HV 220 came completely apart on the 12th or 13th shot. I was just breaking in the barrel with moderate load. Winchester had coned the breech on the push feed barrel. Case head totally unsupported. I then had Eddie check my 223 Coyote Push feed, that too was coned but not nearly as bad. I had never shot it so don't know how it would have handled the pressures. IF you own a Mod 70 push feed , please check or have check the barrel is really for a push feed action. What do you think the odds are I had the only two done that way.

You're not alone, ray. I have a 22-250 Model 70 Coyote (blue action, stainless heavy barrel, brown laminated varmint stock). It too has a push feed action mated with a cone breach barrel.

My rifle, however, came from the 2006 time frame when the Hartford facility was being closed and the word on the street was that the Model 70 was going away forever. I bough it for chump change even then ($375 OTD) at a gun shop that simply wanted it gone because the Model 70 was supposedly history and that no further warranty work would be honored. It was NIB un-fired, and I remember seeing the post here not too long after buying it that a similar rifle had blown up due to the mis-match of action and barrel. I looked at my rifle and it indeed was a mis-match configuration. As a result, it is still NIB unfired. I have thought several time about having the barrel set back, the breach face re-cut and the rifle re-chambered, but I've just never got around to having it done.

For the record, I also have a mid 1990's Model 70 HV rifle with a blued action, stainless barrel, and black H-S Precision stock that pre-dates the Stealth series of rifles, and it is far superior in quality to them. This rifle has been to the pd fields several time in its life, but it still retains the excellent accuracy that it had NIB. When the barrel goes south on this rifle, I might just have it re-barreled, or maybe it will be the impetus to have something done with the cone breach Coyote rifle. Or maybe I'll do both....... Quien sabe.....??

-BCB

[ray h]

BCB, they might have used up old stock just to get some guns out the door. Glad you checked your rifle.

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by ray h

BCB, they might have used up old stock just to get some guns out the door. Glad you checked your rifle.

Maybe so. Rumors at the time centered on disgruntled union workers who were soon to be out of jobs. Another quien sabe..??

-BCB

[Bill K]

pretty well knowledge, that any of the win rifles made after 64, are not up to par, like prior. But that is the way it is.

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by Bill K

pretty well knowledge, that any of the win rifles made after 64, are not up to par, like prior. But that is the way it is.

In my experience, that might be a huge stretch and nothing more than the age old pre-64 versus post 64 argument. One of my favorite all time rifles is a pre-64 264 Win Mag. Not because its the best quality Model 70 that I own, but "just because". And it is far from the only pre-64 currently in my gun safes.

That said, I own and have owned some excellent post-64 push feed rifles as well as some of the more modern age-wise post-64 Classic CRF rifles. With the exception of the Coyote that I described above, all have been excellent rifles. Prior to it I owned another Coyote rifle in 22-250 that was an excellent shooter, but a friend talked me out of it in a weak moment. Memory of it was one reason I jumped on the late Hartford production Coyote rifle.

If I had to choose today, I would pick a current production Portugal rifle over any pre-64 that might come along. They are excellent rifles. And yes, I own a couple of them.

JME that is based on a pretty good number of both pre and post-64 rifles that have passed through my fingers or are still in my possession in the past 40+ years. And in my experience, the pre-64/post 64 discussion is just good reading material.

-BCB

[Bill K]

To each his own, but mine are all pre 64, as I feel and believe they were and still are the best Winchester ever put out. But again that is just my humble opinion.

[Bayou City Boy]

As I alluded to in one of my posts above, if I was only vested in pre-64 rifles, I'd probably feel the same way. But i'm vested in both versions, and I've have had good results both ways.

As I also alluded to, if today I was given the option of buying a NIB pre-64 rifle or a current production Portugal assembled rifle, both at the same price, I'd take the Potugal rifle and not look back. If I could sell my choice, I'd pick the pre-64 and then I'd look for a person who only has experience with pre-64 rifles who drank the pre-64 kool-aid to sell it to. With what I could likely sell it for, I'd buy 2 current production CRF Model 70 rifles and I wouldn't look back with regrets then either.

Just my experience with both eras of rifles. Granted, the Model 70 has seen ups and downs since 1964, but that fact doesn't make pre-64 rifles magical or by default better in any fashion.

Your mileage and so on.....

To the OP, I hope you find what you're looking for. They are excellent push feed Model 70 rifles. If the rifle dates to the Hartford closing, I might take a close look at the action/barrel match before throwing any money on the counter.

-BCB

[Bill K]

[
Just my experience with both eras of rifles. Granted, the Model 70 has seen ups and downs since 1964, but that fact doesn't make pre-64 rifles magical or by default better in any fashion.

Your mileage and so on.....


-BCB[/quote]

Maybe BCB, but the prices on pre-64 sure are selling for more than they were originally sold for. Many want and grab them when they can or want to spend the extra money. Just a thought.

[barretcreek]

Back to the OP. LGS had a .223 someone had bubba'd with the cocking piece sear bits and was NG. Parts not available unique to that set up. Look closely.

My SC made HV barrel .308 is great, found a Masterclass stock on fleabay for $125. Putting it together for irons.

[Bayou City Boy]

Originally Posted by Bill K

Maybe BCB, but the prices on pre-64 sure are selling for more than they were originally sold for. Many want and grab them when they can or want to spend the extra money. Just a thought.

Another thought......

I still have my father's Model 70 FW 30-06 that he bought in 1955 for $143 dollars NIB. Its still in very good condition with hunting wear, but its not for sale even at today's prices. Surprise.......Surprise.......

That said, I frequent a very large gun shop in Houston that in the past sold a lot of good condition pre-64 Model 70's at reasonable prices. Lots of them. For the past maybe 2 years+ they are finding that pre-64 rifles in good condition that they are willing to have in inventory are hard to find. But the number of people looking for them as buyers remains fairly constant. Hence prices are high. Go figure...... But price does not determine quality of anything.

Keep in mind that this shop deals in part with what some might consider to be collector grade weapons where condition fits in part of the equation, but its not the entire price determining factor. They fully understand what to buy/not buy and what its actually worth; both modern day weapons and antique weapons.

A good friend there told me maybe 2 years+ ago that folks drag in well-worn pre-64 Model 70's and expect to get a fortune for them because the seller thinks that its worth a fortune based on what he read on the internet. The gun shop doesn't bite on just anything unless its unique and in good condition for its age, aka collector grade..... That doesn't mean good pre-64 Model 70's worth buying don't exist today, but they are getting very hard to find. Again, the people who run this gun shop fully understand what is worth the seller's asking price and what isn't. Keep in mind if you ever go there that you might see a modern-day rifle there for a very good price or you might find a Winchester Volcanic rifle for a king's ransom price that will never be fired. They have both in their inventory of more than 12,000 guns in stock under one roof. Bring your lunch if you plan to see everything.

Here's an old Winchester that probably sells for more today than when it was NIB

https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/p...ne-al3775.html

With that i'll back out of the saloon door and hopefully the OP will find what he's looking for at a good price.

-BCB