Some have posted their plans for a working pair of rifles. Rifles that match so that they are familar. I happen to have "collected" a quartet of such rifles. Now you may think that I am a toad for wanting them but to be quite frank I am proud of these rifles. WHile it took me years and effort to get them all together in some cases tweak them as necessary one could do it today with just plain money.

Here are two of them together. From left to right they are a Pre 64 M70 375 H&H and a 300 H&H. The others not shown are a Westerner and a Swift. You can call me a name for collecting these guns but I know that your just jealous. I also have a trio of Featherweights in 308, 30-06 and 358. I would like to add a 243 to that collection some day. No hurry though.

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Now you may think that I am a toad

Savage99,

No your missing my point I too have several model 70's which have taken me literally years to collect and yes my 375 H&H has gone up a lot in value since I bought it.

But I my no means am a collector, and I don't invest in model 70's, I buy and use them, or build custom rifles on them. Quite different than buying one, leaving it in the safe and trying to turn it around at twice what I paid for it, whithout even bothering to clean it.

For some reason your pics aren't coming up. And no I am not jealous, like I said I have several very nice model 70's that took me literally years to aquire and sort out to my hunting satisfaction, and I am pretty aware of the value one of them. A for instance is I ran across a 1958 30-06 super grade about six months ago which I passed on buying it went for around $900. The gun was bought and immediatly turned around to resell it ( it was nice, but I was cash poor at the monment ) and $500 was added in a couple transactions. Pure speculation, when the gun was first sold it was a reasaonble deal and the blue book supported it, a week later the "collector value" was inserted into the equation, and at $1200-1400 was overpriced.

That is NOT buying and using guns, its speculating.

We agree that we don't like the speculation or for that matter whats worse are the high prices that result in what are just nice old guns.

It gets silly when the value of some gun goes high because only a few were chambered in some cartridge that nobody really wanted then it was made!

The pictures load on my puter. However they were slow to do so then I first tried today from the host. Perhaps it's working better for you now?

I like your 375 H&H, mine is one of my favorite rifles. Yours sports the original stock, mine is all original metal with a custom stock, and yes I am aware of the value of these particular rifles. I have had more than one guy try to talk me into selling mine ( no chance ) over the years. What scope are you using on yours? Mine is a Leupold 1.5-5 on G&H side mounts with the iron sights still functional. Not sure of the walnut type, definately not English, but excellent color in the buttstock, ebony grip and forend, with fancy Fluer-Di-Lis checkering. Only metal modifications are the G&H holes, Jeweled bolt and polish the side rails, and adjust the factory trigger.

Yes is is one of the stars in my gun gunrack. I can appreiate your pride in the above set, took you while to assemble I am sure, thats a world wide take yourself anywhere set of rifles there, simply nice, but again those don't look like collector guns, those are being used by the looks of it, just as mine is.

I am photo disfunctional or I would post a pic or two of mine, I have been meaning to fart around with taking gun pics it just always is something I never get done when I am home and not on the road.

Edit: my pair of go to is very similar caliber combo, my second in the pair is a nice old FN deluxe chambered in 30-338. Nothing wrong with any good 375 H&H and 30 mag combo, again yours is a very nice set

The scope is a Lyman All American 4X with the post and crosshair. The mount is a one piece Beuhler. That set up has been on there since the early 70's when I aquired the rifle. It's true that the irons are not available with that mount nor is it all that easy to switch scopes with a Beuhler.

I have only one genuine FN and it's imperfect what with excessive headspace and mount holes drilled off center. Even though I make brass for this 270 from 280 Rems. Those FN's had better bedding than a M70 with the thru bolt and sleeves on the screws. Overall the M70 is favored for it's safety and trigger.

The digital camera and downloading is another hobby that takes time. I have pictures in storage that I have just not got around to.

On the other hand if your trips take you out overnight and you have a laptop along the hobby would have time. You don't even need a internet connection for the downloading.

Even the tiny cameras will take mpgs (short movies) or stills with sound. Once I had a real problem with a dog in the neighborhood and got a pic of it barking at me in MY garage! I showed the pic to the dog warden with the dogs voice barking.

I have owned pre64s ever since coming back from Korea in 1953 and buying my first one. I think of them as pretty good working rifles, a bit heavy, even the FWs, but OK. However, there is no accounting for collector mania and the rarer calibres and versions are worth whatever someone will pay for one. In a few years a perfectly stock standard grade in minty condition will be priced higher than a fine custom job on a pre64 action ....... there will be bargains to be had !!!

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imperfect what with excessive headspace and mount holes drilled off center.

That stinks, possible candidate for a project gun?

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Overall the M70 is favored for it's safety and trigger.

In factory form I would agree, my trigger is a timney, and I have got used to the shotgun safety cause I don't want to bugger up the stock and change it, if I was restocking it I would change it out to a 2 or 3 position safety. But my wood on that is pretty nice (deluxe) with forend and grips in rosewood. Don't think I will be changing that.

Mt G&H mounts are pretty much like your Buhler mounts difficult to change, you end up with uglies on the left reciever when if you take them off, and I won't even consider welding the left side of the reciever and reblueing it..

I have a set of Buehlers for it but I am missing one shim piece and those parts are scarce. I actually like the G&H mounts, I will use the Buehlers on something else when I get around to building another rifle.

Here is the circa 1949 FN. First of all I am a factory rifle guy and always reluctant to change one. I got the rifle knowing that it would shoot and I did not pay much for it. The barrel has many neat proof marks, the same serial number as the stock and action and those steps on it. It has real character.

The big thing is that it shoots moa or better with any load. On the take back side it's a heavy gun and one that I would only carry for varmints or just for fun. I have other more powerful cannons if I am going to lug something this big up the hill.

Now the next owner might think it would make a nice 9.3X62!

Don't no if anyone noticed...

The bidding is closed....

and Number of Bids.... ZERO...

I justr thought of something looking at this ad. It says that this gun was made in 1053 but that Winchester didn't start offering guns in 358 until 1955. Wasn't the 358 originally brought out in the M70? If so how did someone get ahold of one 2 years before Winchester ever made the cartridge? Unless yo have some pretty convinicing evidence this gun is looking to me to be a hodge-podge of a gun. It dose seem odd though that anybody with a 358 barrel and a SG Featherwieght stock couldn't find a action from the correct year to assemble it on.

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always reluctant to change one

I have no such rules, out with the bad, retain the good, again I am NOT a collector, it all function in my book, then cosmetics. Original, nice it works, if not replace it with something that does, I am pretty mercanary on this, little bugy details that aren't corrected gets me seling rifles and looking for replacements.