Looking for owner evaluation: What do you think of the New Model 70 CRF from Portugal?

They are excellent rifles.

Ditto. Excellent. I own and shoot several versions. My absolute favorite factory rifle.

And ditto again. Excellent rifles and probably the best of the models 70s.

Huh oh I'm sure the pre64 faithful will be along any time now to lynch me.

THANKS FELLOWS. keep your comments coming and let me know what or why you think what you do. Be specific...

I own 3

1. synthetic stock 243win - great little gun, very accurate
2. 30-06 Sporter - The rifle came from the factory chambered in 30-06 Ackley instead of 30-06 Springfield.
3. Super Grade 300WSM. The scope holes were drilled off center.

They retail for about 1000-1500$ on this side. It is one of the better factory guns we get.

They would benefit from some small tweaking in the hands of a skilled smith.

They do have the larger fine thread instead of the 1-16; I am barreling one now.
Better than any pre 64 M70. Those are way overrated, built in an era of sloppy tolerances and lots of hand fitting just to get them to work. That is the reason Winchester almost went under in 1964 and had to redesign every firearm they made.
Just a cult following, not based on performance or quality.
Like old Jags and Corvettes; you don't drive them for quality or performance; just nostalgia for something that never existed. I do understand the phenomena though.
And no, do not write me any more....

fwt 7x57. happy with it.

I have a very original Pre 64 featherweight in 270 and a Portugal Super Grade 30-06. The Portugal rifle is dramatically nicer. In addition, I have a late production New Haven Safari Express in 375 H&H which is very nice in every way.

I have M 70 classics in 30-06, .300 WM and a Safari express in .375 H&H. The 300 and 375 are BACO (Portugese) made. All accurate and remarkably smooth actions. I also have a.338 WM and a heavy varmint in .223 that are push feeds. Nothing wrong with them either.

I’ve had four and they were all excellent rifles. Accurate, smooth action and excellent fit and finished. Highly recommend them.

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Better than any pre 64 M70. Those are way overrated

Then Ruger came out with the 77MKII a much better rifle.

Better than the pre64??? a pox on such trivia!

I dunno Ray.
I'd take one of the new rifles over the old pre-64 [sept maybe one in 300H&H] any day.

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Originally posted by Atkinson:
Better than the pre64??? a pox on such trivia!

Yes better.

You guys have brought a tear to this old hunters eye! but that too shall come to pass!

My Portugal M70 Alaskan .375 H&H was shipped from the factory with a defective, weak striker spring. Misfired about one in three shots. Took most of a year to get a warranty replacement fitted. I was very disappointed at first. Had the cheap thermoplastic resin "bedding" compound removed from around the recoil lug and replaced with a proper epoxy and pillar bedding job that cost me about $300. Now it's a good rifle.

Where are these rifles marked "Made in Portugal"?

To me, with few exceptions, factory rifles are just starting points for needed customization.

My Winchester Model 70s, which include both pre-64s and controlled round feed post-64s, are in that category.

They are great starting points.

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To me, with few exceptions, factory rifles are just starting points for needed customization.

I do not think i have a factory bolt action rifle.

That hasn't had some work done.

Mainly glass bedding, then triggers.

How about the S Carolina made ones?

I have many of both SC and Portuguese assembled rifles.

They are the same as in good.

The only differences are the box and how the stamping are styled.

Some I have had McMillian restock for me directly. Most are bone stock factory. Nothing I have shot at them seemed to care.

They are head and shoulders above Rugers from the same era.

Define head and shoulders better?
Better looking wood?
More accurate?
I have had Model 70's come and go, rare for me, as most guns stay. I have a few.
From a hunting standpoint, the stock of a model 70 is not as quick to shoulder and snapshoot, offhand for me. Fine, shooting when I have time for the shot though. The Ruger stock is excellent for snap shots.

Better metal to wood fit.

Feed ramps that are not sharp, hang up and scratch cartridges.

Better wood grade.

Smooth loading which goes w 2 above.

I killed a Red Stag running off hand w a model 70, spined him at 120 yards as he was about to go over a ridge and out of sight. That is and shooting.

Tooless bolt stripping where Ruger needs a pin.

The bedding is actually not bad. Is it the best, no but functional.

No finishing pebble looking marks on the inside of the action.

Much better extractor tension.

They are just better.

I have 3 375 HH, many 338x, 2 358 STAs one w a wood stock. None of those in wood stocks have split. Every 375 Ruger w Wood stock split out if the box ate the forend lengthwise. I have had 2 Wood stock 375 Rugers that does not include my Ruger Number 1 in that caliber.

All things I address myself on every rifle. Trigger and bedding are first, smoothing feeding with my preferred bullet, along with throating length of my bullet seating to max OAL.
Stock reshaping is harder as entails re-checkering, hence the Ruger for factory and my own stocks I fit when building from scratch.

With a Winchester Model 70 FN rifle you do not have to.

You can thinker if you want, but the above is true. The question was not how to make Roger as good.

The question was how was an FN Model 70 better than a Ruger out of the box.


You have the answer.

The 70's dont suit me as is either.
The stock doesnt fit me near as well for fast shots, more important than small fixes.

Again, don’t know how much faster you can get than spinning a stag running away about to dispose w a rifle that feeds flawlessly outbid the books.

I just looked the current FN Model 70 stable is as follows

3, 338s
2, 375s HH 3 kills
1, 270 Win 5 kills all but one requiring fast shooting
2, 358 STAs (one in a McMillian stocked by McMilliam in the Supergrade pattern) 3 kills
35 Whelen 2 kills
2 7mm STWs-My biggest stag, 4 kills (at the time my longest shot on a buck chasing a doe around at 245 yards.

Other than the one McMillian all a stock.


Ruger:

2, 375 Rugers all needed, not an option need work to feed correctly. This does not include the No 1s. 4 kills.
1 fully custom 308 on a featherweight pattern. No kills.
1 RSM 458 Lott.

The Lott is by far the second to the full custom. It needed bedding for strength. Technically, the stock could use reshaping, but that is a state matter. Ruger does not make rifles to this standard anymore.

The Ruger has that tiny, borderline silly angled recoil lug that complicates bedding. The Model 70 recoil lug(lugs( are a better design.

Both the Supergrade and the African MSRP fit the same price. There is nothing wrong with good investment casting.
However, I suggest when one is going to spend 1500-1800 dollars on a rifle/action regardless, the forged action is better.

One must and will use what one likes You asked, and I answered.

I just ordered a FN, Portuguese 264 WM Supergrade. I could have bought a Ruger Mark II. The money was the same. Actually, the Ruger was priced more. I made my choice on the statements I have made here. She is destined to hunt pronghorn DIY in 2026, if I live that long.

Maybe, one day I’ll send her off for a new barrel, cerekote job. It won’t be soon. I bet I’ll have a good functioning, feeding rifle out of the box.

I bet a new(er) Ruger the problems above would have to be sorted to make it function like an out of the box FN Model 70.

If I do not, I’ll tell everyone.

Let us end with consensus and Christmas spirt, Remington sucks.

My attempt at humor.

Remington stocks suffer the same complaints for me, as Win. To tight a grip angle, and too thick of a comb. I have a few of the 60's vintage 700's. If you can get by the pressed "checkering" The metal work is excellent. Very true receiver to barrel, very good lug contact to raceways. And superb chambers, very well cut, nothing oversized, and polished. Exceptions happen of course, but in general. Later ones I could care less about.
Again, they work fine for shooting, varmint etc. You must have smaller hands than the hams I have, and different cheek bone placement obviously, if 70's fit you well.
When I got out of the army and came back, I was used to shooting moving targets. Or training with MILES gear. I made up a running deer target. A bunch of us would get together and set it up, took time, so it was only a couple-three times a year. Had to lug the generator and motor into the cut bank, Run the cable, set up the target. Cut the blackberry bushes and brush out the two shooting lanes.
Rugers were faster for the first shot in general for bolt guns. Especially if on the bigger build. Teenagers with lever guns did very well, until the range went back to 100 yds. A skeet shooter, never shot game, would come with an Ithica Deer Slayer and slugs. He was lightning fast for the first and second shot shooting lanes until about 75 yards.
People dont want to come help set up like they used to, I wont do it all, for them. Many new commers cant even get on target from rifle at the waist for the first shot. Often a poor hit at the second lane, rifle at the shoulder.
Like so many things, I expect by the next decade, no-one will even bother wanting to learn snap shooting.

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Like so many things, I expect by the next decade, no-one will even bother wanting to learn snap shooting

Being a good running game shot was lauded and thought as a great skill.

I heard many time even here, you shouldn't shoot at running game.

Those of us who hunt the thick stuff know better.

For a long time, my best buck by Body weight (he had half his rack broke off one side and two times on the other) was killed running.

I was shooting a 405 Winchester 1895 w open sights. I was on the ground where some hard oaks backed against a high wall on one side and a Sawbriar choked bench on the other.

I grunted him to to me w my mouth/vocal cords. I saw him coming piece by piece in the Sawbriars running headlong to the grunt. I figured he would stop when he hit the hard woods. That was wrong. He just kind of veered left and never broke stride. I could see his breath.

He came in from behind me, and I was twisted around and left as far as I could. I remember thinking are you going to let this buck run past you w/o shooting.

I shot him the first time hitting the kinda angling in.

I worked the lever and came turned my body around at the same time. The buck had slowed and was buckling hard away. I shot him through the liver and out the opposite lung. He collapsed at the shot dead, white belly up.


I think context is key. I generally use bigger cartridges and tough bullets, and range matters. No way, I would have taken that shot w a high powered scope turned up, but w open sights I could not have done it at 120 yards. I had mode then enough rifle, more than enough bullet, and more then enough cartridge.

Fast forward to 2022, I had the scope on 3x power and her comes the one chasing a hind and a spike hard. I had plenty of cartridge, lots of practice, plenty of bullet (275 Weldcoe), the right magnification in dark hardwoods w a red dot reticle, and made the shot.

Again, context and circumstances (one’s limitations) are everything.

No, I am not hip shooting a big game animal. Others will and do as they see fit.

No, no ass shots from me either. Others can do as they please.
We would have all types and brands of rifles at the running deer shoots. People tried each others guns often. If you could get away with it, we would turn a variable scope way up. It was seldom someone could pull up, get on target and get a shot off. The narrow field of view in that narrow shooting lane before it went into the brush section again was a reminder to keep that scope on low power!

The Texas Heart shot is deadly, gets into more entrails than any other shot, Ive found it for a lot of deer and none made any tracks, just turned summersaults or dropped their rear and expired, even with the 30-30 and 25-35! I shoot a lot of Jack Rabits taking any shot offered, all off hand and it makes running shots easy with that kind of practice..Beats shooting out of a blind IMO, but as I age I realize those days are dwindling, when the time comes I will shoot from a blind.. In the meantime I will take a running shot if its reasonable, like I said its a deadly shot going South or broadside or at a proper angle..

I would have been beat to an inch of my life shooting game in the ass, growing up.
Wasnt done, so I still dont.

Right. Don't shoot AT running game. Shoot into running game.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Like so many things, I expect by the next decade, no-one will even bother wanting to learn snap shooting

Being a good running game shot was lauded and thought as a great skill.

I heard many time even here, you shouldn't shoot at running game.

Those of us who hunt the thick stuff know better.

Id like too know whats wrong with a Texas heart shot other than daddy said so, or perhaps some some read too many magazines. Its certainly a deadly shot on anything, and the game makes less tracks than the proverbial heart shot!

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Id like too know whats wrong with a Texas heart shot other than daddy said so, or perhaps some some read too many magazines. Its certainly a deadly shot on anything, and the game makes less tracks than the proverbial heart shot!

Never liked the taste of shit and guts on my tenderloins. I guess I always preferred to take game as cleanly and humanely as possible. The Texas heart shot will drop a deer without question, it is just a mess to field dress and butcher.

If you do not break the spine at the hip or cut the artery, you have a lot to penetrate and very little blood to find game a if you get to the vitals.

That is my observation.

Any way my NEW FN Model 70 in 264 Win and Leupold 3x15 are here.

I take it back. I have done this shot before as a primary shot. I was hunting boss in Austria. The brief was to kill as many as possible.

Two 75-100 boars came in. I killed boar 1 with a spine shot through the scapula. His twin ran and came back when he hear boar 1 scream. Boar 2 is looking a boar one facing away from me.

I put the VariIII cross hire right on the spine side of the ball. The boar dropped to the shot. The entire side unzipped and all organs and inthralls blew out that side. The bullet excited the throat under the jaw.

The rifle was one of the last SC FN Model 70 Supergrade, 270 Win. The wood is absolutely gorgeous. I always figured the rifle stock was a Jack OConor blank that just did not make the cut. The bullet was an 140 grain Accubond.

Here, it is considered disrespectful to the animal. The biggest buck would not even get looked at if it was shot in the ass.
It means the animal outsmarted you and was getting away, and you couldnt stand it.
Everyone can do what they want, I follow the way I was brought up. Dont like it? Tough shit.
Hows the wood on it Heym? Do they still use the reddish tint on the portuguese win.? I always liked the color.