I was at a local show this weekend and picked up a strang M70. I have had a couple 358's before but this one was special. It had a 24" STANDARD wieght barrel without sights on it! I have seen Gopher Specials before but never in a 358. Everything appears to be correct on it as there is no front sight and the rear sight boss does not have the dovetail cut in it for a rear sight. Does anybody have nay information on a version like this?

The gentleman also had a pre-war M70 in .25/35! He took it out of the case to show me but wouldn't give me a price on it and I realized that even if he did I didn't have enough cash to even consider it!

I dunno about the 358 no-sight-barrel. But he's probably right about the pre-war M70 in 25-35 (that you don't have enough cash to buy it). 'Cuz that would be one real rare gun. Pal of mine with a deep checkbook spent nearly a decade putting together a heckuva M70 collection. I believe he had all except one or two of the real obscure ones (9x57? 7.65?). But I never heard him mention a 25-35. For that matter, I've never heard of anyone mention that caliber in a Model 70 or a Model 54.

I'd want to see some documentation before I forked out the price of a new car on that rifle.

The problem is that you will never see any documentation on a M70 because there is none. Winchester never kept good records like Colt did.

I to have never heard of a .25/35 in a M70 or M54 but I have seen both in 30/30. I also used to own one that was a factory .22/3000. Rule and Madis looked at it and both of them believed 100% that it was original. Winchester used to take just about any order for anyting possible.

I agree with reelman...documentation is a real pain in the ass. I happen to have a 375 that was sent in the white to Marker Machine Co. to be "black" chromed on the outside, with a hard chrome bolt and bore....I am in the last stages of tracking down all the documentation.
I contacted Winchester and they said you might try the museum in Cody, WY. I called them and they have very few records of any M70's outside of a few presentation pieces.

I saw a model 70 Standard .358 with sites at the OGCA show around five or six years ago. Over the years I've seen two siteless Model 70 Standards listed in the gun List. I've seen many rare Model 70's at the OGCA show over the years, including a .30 W.C.F, 9 M/M, .35 Whelen, and a .405 W.C.F. It seems that all these were very early production guns.

You should go to the Winchester Arms Collectors Show in Cody WY some time if you want to see rare Winchesters! This past year they had a 35 Whalen carbin M70 plus to many rare levers to even mention!

When is the Cody show? I'm going to Wyoming for antilope, and deer at the begining of October.

End of June/Begining of July. If you get to Cody I would HIGHLY recomend that you stop at the Buffalo Bill museum. The guns on display are unbelievable and the plains indian display is also un-real. It would be very easy to send a day there. Agin if you get the extra time GO! You will understand why I am so adamit about it once you see it!

I saw a magazine article complete with photos thats include a lot of odd ball M70s. Some were special ordered just be be collector items including a M70 heavy barreled target version in .35 Remington.