To those that know a lot about Model 70 actions, why is there extra emphasis on that attributes of the pre-war Model 70 action vs one made later but before 1964?

I bought one recently and the "pre-war" ambiance seemed to matter to the seller.

dogcat: I think its several things: the first being that the amount of detail re: the manufacturing process of the pre-wars was higher, so says the people like R. Rule and Dean Whitaker, the M70 book authors. So with an entire rifle, the checkering was somewhat finer, the bluing was done using a more costlier process resulting in a better looking and lasting blue-job. And these things are not just hearsay: when you have a chance to examine a real nice original pre-war, you quickly realize how really finely made and finished they were. When it comes to the actions alone, all the pre-wars had the cloverleaf tangs, which the custom builders prefer for appearance of the tang-grip area. Also, the bolt handles had several small but noticable differences: the "root" was different and a slightly greater amount of "swept back." Many people believe those were some of the classiest looking bolt handles ever put on a rifle. And the market supports that as well: a pre-war vs. post war rifle in similar shape, caliber, etc. brings quite a bit more money. The only negative to a pre-war are the safeties which are almost always switched to a post war for functional reasons.

Just as devere said. After the war Winchesters began a slow decline in build quality. That doesn't mean they weren't still functional guns but the appearance did go down.

The mentioned pre-war safety, while still rotating counter-clockwise (viewed from above) had lever position involving pulling the lever back (10 o'clock to 6 o'clock); where the post-war (including the "transitional" safeties involved a push forward (5 o'clock to 1 o'clock). Given the dominance of exposed hammer lever action rifles through the end of WWII and the general absence of scope sights, the Pre-war safety was preferred because in function it greatly resembled pulling back on the hammer of the lever rifle. After the war and the widespread use of scopes, the Pre-war safety interfered with the scope and changing the position of the lever solved this issue. It also fit the increased popularity of bolt action rifles and the easier let-off by pushing the lever forward. But that doesn't answer why the Pre-war is more expensive. For that, see above.

Because a lot of people think older is better.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Because a lot of people think older is better.

A lot of truth in that!

I always wanted a pre war model 70 but the price always scared me away. I kind of like the way they look.

If you want to see a really nice example of one do a search in the bigbore forum for Frostbit's .375 H&H. It's a great example of what can be done with one.

As a NRA High Power Rifle competitive shooter, I started out shooting a bolt gun, in the form of a highly modified Springfield 1903, with a medium heavy barrel, target sights and a target stock.

After a tour in the military, where I shot on several service teams, and a stint as a civilian service rifle shooter until I earned a Distinguished Rifleman badge, I returned to Match Rifle shooting, this time with a dedicated target rifle, a Winchester Model 70.

I soon learned that there were pre-64 Model 70's and pre-War Model 70's, and the difference was considerable. It only takes shooting a few strings of rapid fire with a pre-War rifle to appreciate its definite superiority, as far as smoothness and ease of operation is concerned. It is true that pre-War Model 70's bring a premium price as complete rifles, but there are plenty of them floating around which have been modified over the years, and their prices no longer reflect collector's value.

At one point I had five or six such rifles in various calibers I was experimenting with, after NRA rules were changed to allow calibers other than .30-'06 and .308 for competition.

There is in addition an advantage to pre-War Model 70's, in that they all have clip slots, an indispensable feature for rapid fire.

I still have a couple of my old competition rifles which I hope to pass on some day to an aspiring shooter. They are built on pre-War Model 70 actions.

The cost differential for a pre-war M70 is almost immaterial in a custom rifle. I have several full custom rifles built on Pre-war actions and love them. All have three position safeties as an add on. The fit and finish, clip slot and bolt handle are worth the minor extra cost.

If you can find one, the Tilden safety was made as a replacement for the pre-War Model 70 safety and works just like a post-War safety. I have several on my rifles, but have no idea where one might be found, other than possibly eBay.

EDITED. Just my observation on the few I've seen and owned.
For me the cloverleaf on early 70's is a big plus in the design of the tang. The sides of the cloverleaf act as shoulders similar to 98 Mausers making them less prone to cracks in the stock behind the tang.