Sorry, but I couldn't figure out your poll as I could have filled in all the options. I have four of them presently, One pre-war in 300 H&H that's pretty much "as is", an 06 FWT in 06, a Custom Shop in 338 Win Mag and another one in 300 Win Mag. Both the 338 and 300 have considerable collector value, but I hunt with them anyway. I use to have quite a few of them as "safe quees," but I sold them all. My current philosophy is if I can't hunt with them, I don't want them. jorge

I am like Jorge is I have a few and I use them for hunting and shooting. I have a 264 win mag,300 Win mag.,and 06 that is used for hunting. both my girls use the 06 for deer and antelope.

so I have a few that are SAFE queens as there value is more then I am willing to ruin.

300shooter

I have two rifles that I do 90% of my hunting with a 1886 EL 45-70 and a pre-64 M-70 300 H&H . with these two rifles what else would a guy need ? im not sure if the stock is the original or not , as is is not a boat oar like other stock i've seen.

I have a pre-64 .358 Featherweight that is original and in nearly 100% condition I use it all the time.

while the .358 is one of the more valuble Pre 64's it was built to be used and it shoots and functions like a dream. So why not use it?

Don't own one. Have a Oberndorf Mauser I'll hunt with eventually, no gun I own is immune to the woods.

I have a pre-war 300H-H that i use for about all of my big game hunting and it replced my 1950 270 I used for years-still have the 270 but the 300 gets most of the action-don't want to own a gun to nice to use.

Like Jorge said...I could have filled out several of your options on the poll .

I now have (pre 64's) only one .338 original except someones chopped the barrel to 23" and removed the sights. Still shoots fair, about 1 1/4" or so with 210 Nolsers. This rifle belonged to an old colonel who hunted Africa quite a bit...and, I have a .300HH action that's with Hill Country rifles. It will be a ........300HH! Bridger synthetic stock OD green, blackburn bottom metal, checkered bolt release, matte blue finish, mcfarland two panel straight bolt ...looking forward to getting this rifle!

I've hunted with a well used, standard weight 30-06 for quite a few years and I had a 270 and 30-06 featherweight and .375HH super grade. Both featherweights shot inch groups with handloads. I also owned a pre war 30-06 standard that was a 1"-1 1/4" shooter (perfect condition except someone recut the checkering...wood to die for also..I miss this gun!!) and I owned a .270 pre war rifle with a factory installed Lyman peep (but only for a few hours..someone wanted it more than I did and I parted with it for a little cash) and another 30-06 standard weight. Both standard weights in 30-06 were finicky in the accuracy dept. and shot only certain loads good.

I used all of mine. The pre 64 is my favorite rifle hands down and I own, owned them for all the reasons you stated. I have a friend who has 3 or 4 and they are mainly safe queens. I too, hardly ever see another hunter with a pre 64.

I've posted this pic several times before but bear with me again cause the 30-06 on top is my most prized possession. My grand-dad bought it for me in 1959, I hunted with it for years, still use it occasionally, still in excellent original condition:

Wonderful responses guys. Keep em' coming. Thanks

Mine was built to hunt. Is a Pre-64 in .338 Win Mag. Has a floated SS Krieger bbl, NECG sights, and a brown McMillan stock with a decelerator pad. Has been black teflon coated. Is fitted with a Zeiss 3-9x scope on Leupold QR rings and bases. Trigger is set to 2 1/2 pounds and it's breaking a microscope slide crisp. Holds about 2" at 300 yards w 225 gr Barnes X's.

It's plain, but simply the nicest bolt rifle I've ever owned. It'll go to a son when I can no longer carry it in the woods.

My primary go to rifle is a standard 30-06.The 2 i'm building are in 6.5-06 and 35 Whelen. I also have a 220 Swift and a 300 H&H. I have been told by many diffrent people I shouldn't use those high dollar rifles, the problem is I have them and I like them.
Doug

quote:

Has been "customized", use every year

These three model 70's are my go-to guns and see more use than just about anything else in my safe. They are pre-War actions in 270 Win, 300 Win Mag, and 338 Win Mag.

Forrest:

Looks like quite a bit more DAH on the top (270?) than the 338. Do they both fit you equally well? I am not sure I could get down on the 338 sights...

Absolutely beautiful rifles, of course...

I have owned 33 of them and sold all of them except 10, I have a minty .375 H&H with a Rimrock stock, four .338s with various custom synthetic and one original re-done stock, a .264 Westerner in a Micky G&H, a .30-06 FWT. in a Pacific Research stock, two .270 FWTs., one in a Brown Kevlar and the other close to stome mint, and a .243 FWT. in a Micky FWT. factory stock. They are all original and the worst one is 85%, most of the others are almost mint.

I use them less than I used to as I have 30 rifles and I try to shoot them all, but, for serious hunting, I carry a P-64-.338-250 NP almost without exception. I prefer these rifles to almost anything else and I have some very choice pieces; this is because they ALWAYS WORK!

If, I were younger and still really interested in buying more rifles, I would get one of the Hein rifles on a "retro" 70 action, I think that this is becoming what Dakota was supposed to be.

9.3X62, I see the same thing you see, looking at the picture, but I never noticed much difference before. You got me wondering , so I had to go pull them from the safe and measure the drop. It turns out, all three rifles have 1-1/8" drop (as close as I can measure).

It's pretty easy for me to get down on the 338 sights. The 338 has clawmounts and the scope sits a bit higher than on the other two rifles, so it takes a bit more head-up cheek weld to aim the 338.

quote:

I would get one of the Hein rifles on a "retro" 70 action,I think that this is becoming what Dakota was supposed to be.

Excellent point, kutenay.

Some pre 64 Model 70 that use.

Griffin & Howe Custom by Gunther .375 H&H


Gary Goudy - Herman Waldron .375 H&H


Darwin Hensley .338 Win Mag


Just sharing
Roland

Forrest and Roland that is some nice...stuff.

One of my 3 main go to rifles is a pre I inherited from my Grandad. It rode with him about everywhere.

Twas an 06 and about toast when I got it. I finished it off then barreled it to 6.5/06 and ran amuck with it for a while till the barrel went south.

Next I barreled it with another Schneider tube in 6/06. I went totally out of control with it for a fair long while till it went to Croak City Wyoming as well.

Barreled it again in a 6/06 and now my wife uses it to terrorize all manners of critters here.

It is stock in a piece of African Walnut from McMillan and wears Schneider tubes a bit of a different look than the first one. But, it does do the job quite well!

Mark D

I use my pre 64 270 all the time. I started to get into late season elk hunts so I put B&C stock on it to keep weather off the stock. No safe Queen here. Ron

For well over 30 years my allround hunting rifle was a 1941 Super '06 with an Alaskan in a Stith Streamline mount. Unfortunately it weighs 9 3/8 lbs without sling or swivels. So I had a transition action with a .220 SWift 26" standard barrel which JW Van Patten rebored to '06, JK Cloward put it into a Pacific REsearch stock, this weighs 8 3/8 with a Leupold 1.75-6x. An improvement but still too heavy for my by then ancient bones. So I have gone to a .270 Ultra Light with 26" barrel and Leupold 2.5-8x, 6 7/8 lbs.

I answered your poll by klicking on the first choice. I won't hardly hunt anything without a pre-64 70. But several assume the role of safequeen, because I can only hunt with one at a time, and that leaves eleven in the safe... Like Surestrike, my favorite for my big game, (whitetail deer,) is my .358 Win. The .220 Swift gets unlimbered on the occasional, real long shot on brush wolf....... The Featherweight .243 is my favorite walk-around rifle when walking up coyotes, after a fresh snow..... A pre-war '06 with Lymans gets to break-up lime rock chunks, when I am feeling a little stressed out...My 24 yr. old out-machos the .300 Win. Mag, when he wants to "BOOM" for a while....The 22 year-old calls the transition 270 "his". And delights in drilling .270 caliber holes through Dad's 300 yd. gong...... I guess if I was "dead serious", and "absolutely had to make the shot", I would grab the late 40s vintage, .300 H&H Mag, with the 4 power Redfield, with the big dot...... Yeah, the .308 is "business like"; the .243 standard-weight is an almost boring one-holer. The .264 Win. Mag will really "reach out and touch something"......The rest are reliable, workman-like rifles......Perhaps the best hunting tools ever crafted by the hand of man. No, I can't shoot them all at once, but I can't even entertain the thought of selling one of them. Hopefully they will go down through my ancestors, giving each who uses them, a measure of joy, as they did me..........Grant

I bough one new in 1962. It's still my primary big game rifle.

Great responses. Thanks men. Certainly beautiful pics of the rifles. I just don't know if I could take one of those in the elk mountains.

I just this year inherited my Pre-64 in 30:06. My father hunted with it every year until a couple of years ago when age got the best of him, he was about 83 when he stopped hunting. He past away last fall, I wish he still had it and I still had him.....


Very Strange scope, Herters 4 power with Buehler mounts????

A122-250,

I know how you feel.

As to the pre 64 70's they made only 550 thousand of them and there are over 20 million hunters. Of those hunters much of the time they could be using some other gun anyway so maybe 1% of all hunting guns that ever get to the field are the M70's?

I have a few in service and others in reserve.

Great pics above you guys.

My six (working on #7) are hunters and only one a std '06 would qualify as all original and it is destined to undergo some cosmetics. I aim on having one in all six of the '06 std cartridges before I go hunting in the big sky. Currently have five of the six calibers and also a 375 H&H thrown in for good luck. I know that is only a few but do consider myself a pre 64 slut!Four of the six are sporting leo MX8 6X42's and two carry Leo 1.75X6E's.

I own two Pre-64 Model 70's; a standard .270 WCF from 1956 and a .300 H&H from 1957. The .270 was my dad's and the .300 H&H belonged to my father-in-law. Killed a cow elk two years ago with the .270 and a decent muley buck last year with the .300 H&H shooting factory 180gr Winchester SilverTips also from the '50's.

Not the greatest picture of the rifle, but you get the idea...

LBGuy: I have Hunted with numerous pre-64 Model 70's and have done so every year since 1968.
The pre-64 Winchester Model 70's are wonderful Hunting Rifles! They are safe, strong, well made, reliable and accurate!
I have and still Hunt Small and Big Game with original old Model 70's in calibers 22 Hornet, 220 Swift, 243 Winchester, 257 Roberts, 264 Winchester Magnum, 270 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 30/06 and 300 Winchester Magnum.
Again I stress the safety and reliability of these beautiful old Model 70's!
In additon to standard factory Rifles I have had several pre-64 Model 70's customized. I presently still own two of these customs in calibers 240 Weatherby and 280 Remington!
In the past I "retired" two pre-64 Model 70's after they had both harvested way more than their share of Big Game!
One was a solid bolt standard Rifle in 270 Winchester and the other was its twin in caliber 30/06!
I chose an ULTRA SAFE transition model pre-64 Model 70 to build my last custom Rifle on. This transition Model was made the same month I was born - July 1947!
Again I can not stress enough for someone not familiar with these fine Rifles their strength, safety and reliability.
Like the above pictures prove the old Model 70's in the hands of a true Riflesmith can be turned into the most beautiful and elegant custom guns obtainable!
Hoorah for the pre-64 Model 70's!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Forest
Who did the work on those? very nice

quote:

Originally posted by hikerbum:
Forest
Who did the work on those? very nice

Duane Wiebe (Tacoma, WA) did all the work on these.

I have owned 4 pre-64s. Two in regular 30-06, one in .270, and one in FWT. 30-06. All were sold years ago. And now I have three of the new classics. Quite frankly, I can't myself tell what the big deal is between the pre-64 and the classic. I have never ever had a misfire or a misfeed in any of them.

Although this thread is now somewhat stale, here's another contribution for the collection. This is a Pre-64 that had not been fired, let alone hunted, since it was restocked in 1965. It is a very late Pre-64, and might never have been fired since leaving New Haven.

When received by me last year, this rifle showed no evidence of use. The bolt face was perfectly clean, with not a trace of brass. Ditto the feed ramp and cone. Nothing under the extractor except the maker's dark brown grease. This stuff also filled the chamber and barrel, and was a bit of a job to get out. No scope, and no evidence one was ever fitted.

This situation being highly unsatisfactory I have fitted it with a scope, and it has been out to the range for a few groups. None of my rifles are closet queens - since reducing their numbers to a manageable few, anyhow. So I'll do my best to get it blooded this year.

While not in the same league as the best work of today's craftsmen, this rifle is very well made and finished. The wood is fancy American walnut. Unfortunately not included in this pic, it has full flame crotch figure on both sides of the butt.



Buster mentioned using 1950's vintage Silvertips in one of his heritage rifles. Included here are a few for reference.

I have a lovely old pre WW2 model 70 in 220 Swift serial number 2167. Lovely old rifle with all machined parts.

But I am not as enamoured of Model 70 Winchesters as I once was. This season I had a client using a post 64 in 375 H&H have the cocking piece spin over sideways making it impossible for him to reload and shoot again and this after just having wounded a buffalo.

Nigel Archer had exactly the same thing happen with his pre-64 model 70. His rifle is not a new one with a claw but a real pre-64.

The only rifles I really like and trust are 98 Mausers.


VBR,


Ted Gorsline

I have 2 custom and one original Pre 64 in

270 in 3xxx serial #



280 1950's action



and 300 win Mag 1962 model




They all shoot, are shot and I try to hunt with them all

1947 Winchester Pre 64 Model 70 30.06 & 1956 Win. 30.30 Both are great shooters, wouldn't trade the Model 70 for nothing, it was my fathers and I wish he was still around. He was my best friend.

There have been some nice rifles shown by all. I've two in the stable right now. A .338 Alaskan I found in unfired condition a few years ago, that incidently my dad has commandeered from me. Or so he thinks. And a .257 Roberts currently being restocked that beloned to my dad's great uncle. And tonight I'm going to look a another .338 Alaskan I've located. Gotta love the pre-64's in .338!

Forrest,

What bottom metal is on the rifle in the middle of the trio you posted? If I didn't know better I'd say it sure looks close to Burgess' bottom metal.

Two pre-64's I use quite often are about 50 years old and still work like new.




A 458 built by Al Biesen. I recently had his son Roger chamber it as a Lott. Roger did a great job.



My favorite deer rifle is this 270 also by Al Biesen.

quote:

Originally posted by DavidReed:
Forrest,
What bottom metal is on the rifle in the middle of the trio you posted? If I didn't know better I'd say it sure looks close to Burgess' bottom metal.

David, I can only wish for Burgess bottom metal!
The middle rifle (300) has Sunny Hill bottom metal, the other two have Blackburn.

quote:

This season I had a client using a post 64 in 375 H&H have the cocking piece spin over sideways making it impossible for him to reload and shoot again and this after just having wounded a buffalo.

Nigel Archer had exactly the same thing happen with his pre-64 model 70. His rifle is not a new one with a claw but a real pre-64.

Could you explain this issue a bit more, I am not sure I understand just what happened. Thanks.

Just one further comment to throw on this excellent stack - Those of you who have posted pictures of all the wonderful rifles, against the time that you no longer need them, please make arrangements for them to be passed on to someone you know will value them, ideally a descendant.

Nearby hereabouts there are at least two long-established purveyors of fine guns. Both of them always have a selection of Model 70s, many being highly finished custom pieces. Sure, some may be either spec built or commissioned work that didn't pan out for whatever reason. And too often there are the inevitable 'beaters' that have changed hands many times. But all too often these fine rifles bear the unmistakable appearance of being the prized possession(s) of someone who would probably be outraged to see them on the retail rack.

A will or letter of instruction is not an iron-clad guarantee, either. Pass 'em on while there's still time, to someone you trust and who will value them as much as you do.