Not long ago someone asked about the accuracy people had experienced with the newer model 70 Featherweights. I am debating purchasing either a Featherweight or Classic Sporter LT in .270. Does anyone have a Sporter LT that they could comment on the accuracy of so that I could compare peoples reports on both?

Thanks for the input,
Bob

Have owned five Model 70 Classics, three 1998 vintage Sporters, one newer LT and a newer .375 Safari Express. To make a bad pun, accuracy is definitely hit or miss.

Bear in mind these are all left hand actions.

1 - .30-06 Sporter - accuracy in the 2" plus category, sometimes much worse, lots of random flyers. Rebarreled that one with a Pac-Nor #3 in .30-06 and it became a consistent shooter in the .4's to .6's for five shots.
2 - .270 sporter - accuracy was pretty decent. Clustered most shots right at an inch, I'd say overall accuracy across several loads was about 1 1/4". Sold it - yeah, stupid move.
3 - .30-06 - brother to #1, 66 digits off in serial number. Never fired that one, just bought it to get another left hand action as Winchester quit making them and I did not know if they would ever make any more. Had Pac-Nor put a .270 barrel on it. Even with the new barrel and their action truing, it is finicky. Just not the bug hole groups I was expecting even after trying free floating amd various pressures on the barrel.
4 - New .30-06 LT sporter. Barrel channel fit sucks, it is totally free floating and will accept about 5 dollar bills in the barrel channel with a wider gap on one side than the other, but who cares? Limited range time with it shows it capable of nice round groups, 7 shot groups put at least 4 rounds (and once all 7) in about 7/8", with the others spreading out no further than about 1 1/8". All groups so far are with Hornady 165 grainers and IMR-4350 at 57.5 grains plus or minus a little.
5 - New .375 H&H Safari Express. Definite walker. First shot okay, second shot 1" high, 3rd shot 1" right of shot 2, 4th shot 1" right of #3. Needs to have the barrel free floated from what I can see.

You asked about the LT's so the "older" Sporter information might not apply. But of the five Model 70's, two were "pretty darn good" for out of the box factory rifles and that includes the one LT, two were unacceptable, and the fifth is, so far, still in trials.

P.S. Don't ask me why I keep buying .30-06's and .270's. I have a Remington M700 .30-06 and a Model 700 .270 as well. Just like those calibers, I guess.

[ 01-14-2003, 21:29: Message edited by: Jim in Idaho ]

btt

Hasn't Winchester sold more than 5 of these?!?!

Not to be pushy but if you have one (or more) of these I would really like to hear about your experience with it.

Thanks,
Bob

bob - I/we have 8 Model 70's in various calibers and versions. LT Sporters(older), LT Sporter(newer), Express, Laredo, push feeds and one Supergrade. The calibers are 30-06, 300 Win, 300 RUM, 338 Win, 340 Wby and 416 Rem. They all shoot acceptable with the 340 Wby being the most inaccurate (free-bore) followed by the 416 Rem. The 300 RUM's and the 338 are the most accurate with the 300 RUM in the LT Sporter being more finicky on what it likes than the 338 Win. The 338 Win shoots everything we have fed it very well.

300 RUM best group in two rifles is .210"@100 yds with the average group size of both rifles being .936"@100 yds. Most (90%)of the bullets fired being the 200 Nosler Partitions above 3000 fps.
The five 300 Win's are capable of 1" to 1 1/2" groups without much effort even with heavy hunting loads and 200 grain Noslers.
I have only tried the 400 grain Partition in the 416 and have had average results. If the barrel gets warm, it will walk the shots around pretty good. If the barrel is cool it keeps them around 1 3/4".

[ 01-17-2003, 19:09: Message edited by: Guy ]

Guy, I think I hear a 700 calling.

Shouldn't you be working Hanson?

I don't know, but I would like to.

My first Winchester in a long time was a 416 Rem. Safari Express. It readily shot most anything better than it needed to, as long as it was loaded over 81 grains of RE-15.

My second is a 338 Sporter LT that is trying to defy my best efforts to get it to shoot much of anything, with the exception of 225 Hornadys over RE-22. I haven't tried everything I can think of, but it is a lot more fickle than the Safari Express.

In truth, I have had a couple of 700s that acted like the LT. I rebarreled them.

Hope someone has a definite answer or a qualified opinion.

Joe