I posted this on "Gun Collecting" but thought I would post here as well::

Pre war Win. mod. 70 that was made in 1945. It has a Tilden safety. The rear bridge has not been drilled and tapped.

It has a Griffin & Howe side mount with a (what I believe to be a 2 1/2 X Lyman Alaskan....it says All Weather on the side of the scope)

In the Rule book. "The Rifleman's Rifle....these scopes and mounts could have been ordered from Winchester but was discontinued in 1941. ??

Now the bad part....the stock has been carved, very nicely done with the old mans initialed etc.

What would this rifle be worth? It's in real good condition...about 95% but with the modifications

Terry--

I'm NOT a collector, but I do have a similar rifle of similar vintage (1948), and have been offered some pretty good money over the years for mine. The most recent offer about 6 months ago was 850 bucks, minus the Leupold scope and base/ring set. It is NOT for sale, having inherited the rifle when my dad passed away.

If the wartime production date is verifiable, those production years seem to bring a premium according to some of my collector buddies. I have an 1894 in 25-35 WCF that was made during the war, and a local Winchester lever fancier keeps after me to sell it due to that production date. That one stays with me, too.

My thoughts--whatever it's worth, it won't decrease in value since it's a pre-64 Winchester and a pre-53 Model 70. That's another collector wrinkle, as I understand it. I think its greatest value is as a very fine shooting tool, an example of how rifles SHOULD be made that is a pleasure to own and operate. As long as it's not used for a canoe paddle, it won't lose its intrinsic value.

Deputy Al