Winchester Pre-64' Model 70: The Rifleman's Rifle

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The Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 is arguably the greatest hunting rifle yet to come out of America. It was named the “rifle of the 20th century” right here at Shooting Times in 2000. An evolution of Winchester’s earlier Model 54, it incorporated the best elements of the Mauser 98, the Springfield 1903, and other game-changing bolt actions of the era. The legendary Jack O’Connor made it his hunting rifle of choice and had several custom-built by the famous Al Biesen.

Winchester was the first company to introduce a Mauser-type bolt-action rifle engineered specifically for the commercial market, initially as the Model 54 in 1925. Nine years later, a refined version with a much better trigger design was introduced as the Model 70, and history was made. Introduced in 1936, Winchester’s Model 70 was—according to enthusiasts—the ultimate refinement of Mauser’s controlled-feed action design. For 27 years it ruled American bolt-action hunting rifle markets and was dubbed the “Rifleman’s Rifle.”

Although primarily produced as a sporting rifle, the Model 70 was sometimes built to order for serious long-range competition and won many championships at the National Matches at Camp Perry. It served in limited capacity in the hands of the Marine Corps in World War II and the Vietnam War. Probably the most famous Model 70 in wartime history was Carlos Hathcock’s .30-06 sniper variant. As readers may know, Hathcock was perhaps our greatest sniper of the Vietnam era.

A tremendous selection of chamberings was offered at one time or another, including some pretty obscure cartridges. Size-wise, the Model 70 was adapted for cartridges ranging from the .22 Hornet all the way up to the .470 Capstick. Three action sizes served all: short, standard, and magnum. In general, the rarer the cartridge, the more the collector value.

Configurations ranged from the light Featherweight (with a 22-inch barrel and a sleek, Schnabel-type fore-end) to the heavy, long-barreled Bull Guns designed for the National Matches. Most common were the standard Sporters, with well-proportioned stocks and 24-inch barrels. Many special-order Model 70s were made, and a line of high-end Super Grade rifles were offered. These had premium barrels and a nicer grade of wood, and they had “SUPER GRADE” engraved on the floorplate. A small “S” stamped on the barrel’s shank, inside the stock, confirmed that the barreled action was original.

Mechanicals

The Pre-’64 Model 70 bolt has two forward, opposing locking lugs; a massive claw extractor (for controlled-round feeding); and a mechanical blade-type ejector. The rifle also has a wing-type three-position safety located on the bolt shroud. The safety blocks the trigger sear and locks the firing pin, resulting in a very dependable safety. Fully rearward engages the safety and locks the bolt handle closed. Fully forward is the firing position. A middle position engages the safety but does not lock the bolt, allowing a chambered round to be unloaded with the safety engaged.

Original Model 70 single-stage triggers are legendary for reliability, and their open design enables them to shrug off dust and detritus that could jam up most triggers. In all, the Pre-’64 Model 70 is a superbly durable, reliable, smooth action. In 1964 a massive cost-cutting redesign knocked the Model 70 from its best-of-the-best pedestal and drove it into budget-rifle territory. These push-feed Model 70s are better than many people allege, but it’s worth noting that in 1992 Winchester brought back the original-type action and called it the Model 70 Classic. It offered most of the same design features as the original Pre-’64s.

Cartridges feed from a box-type magazine, from which they’re pushed forward into the chamber by the bolt. And the coned breech enables the shoulders of bottleneck cartridges to flow into chambers like silk. Magazines hold five rounds of standard ammo or four rounds of belted magnum cartridges. And here’s a note about loading. When loading the rifle, always run cartridges from the magazine into the chamber. Like all Mauser-type designs, the original controlled-feed mechanism is engineered so the rim of each new cartridge slides from the magazine up the boltface underneath the extractor claw. Dropping a fresh cartridge directly into the chamber and cramming the bolt home over it can damage the extractor.

Most Model 70s come with a bead front sight on a ramp-type front base. A sight hood was included, but many are missing on rifles today. Rear sights were commonly folding versions with a screw-locked slider adjustable for elevation. The sights were of high quality but relatively simple, making it easy for the average hunter to sight-in and make kills out to 250 yards or more. Most Model 70 actions were drilled and tapped for a scope base, making it easy to mount one of the trendy “new” telescopic sights of the times.

With all that said, let’s take a look at five fantastic Model 70s that I’ve had the pleasure of shooting. Four are Pre-’64 Model 70s, and one is a Post-’64 Model 70.

Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 .264 Win. Mag.

Built during the 27-year golden age of Model 70 rifles—1936 to 1963—the .264 Winchester Magnum rifle profiled here is chambered in the only 6.5mm cartridge to gain even a toehold in the United States during the 20th century.

Introduced in 1959, the cartridge is zesty even by today’s standards. The .264 Win. Mag. quickly earned a reputation as a barrel burner but offered such spectacular performance that enthusiasts just didn’t care. The rifle shown here was built during the last few years of the traditional Model 70 action featuring the Mauser-type, full-length claw extractor. By the serial number, it’s almost certainly a 1960 gun.

This rifle belongs to Corey Housekeeper, a Utah Highway Patrol officer and friend of mine. As the story goes, his grandmother went to the local sporting goods shop near the family’s central Utah ranch in 1960 and told the salesman she wanted the best new-fangled rifle he had to replace her husband’s lever-action .308 that kept jamming. Shortly thereafter she gifted this fine .264 Win. Mag. to Corey’s grandfather.

According to Corey, the rifle has accounted for a lot of meat, bringing down a number of deer around the ranch, at least a couple of antelope trophies, and a bull elk. At some point the folding rear sight was removed from its dovetail, and the front sight ramp was knocked or melted loose where it was silver soldered to the barrel. Apparently, someone thought the sights interfered with the field of view through the Bushnell 3-9X Sharpshooter scope.

When I got the chance to shoot the rifle, I ran Nosler factory ammo loaded with 130-grain AccuBond bullets and Winchester Super-X ammo loaded with 140-grain Power-Point bullets. I fired three consecutive three-shot groups with both factory loads, allowing the barrel to cool completely between groups, and averaged the resulting groups. The Winchester load grouped 1.44 inches, and the Nosler ammo averaged 0.83 inch. Recoil was brisk; however, it wasn’t any worse than a lightweight .30-06. Reliability was stellar, and the well-broken-in action functioned like it was on glass ball bearings.

The Model 70 has been offered in dozens of cartridges, including some pretty obscure rounds. In our big-game world, it can be argued that the two with the most panache are the .300 H&H and the .264 Win. Mag. This fine old rifle possesses the class of the latter, capably fed a family for decades, and will continue to do so for as long as anyone carries it afield.

Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 .300 H&H

Speaking of the .300 H&H, Pre-’64 Model 70s chambered in .300 H&H are relatively uncommon. Back in 2013, I had the opportunity to borrow and hunt elk with a pre-World War II Model 70 Super Grade in .300 H&H. It belongs to my old shooting mentor, and it shot so splendidly that I embarked on a multi-year quest to own one like it.

Well, not exactly like that one. Its early manufacture date and Super Grade status, combined with the rare caliber, put it out of my financial reach. I eventually found a nice Standard G[BP1]rade version that I could afford because its refinished stock diminished the collector appeal. I found my 1949 .300 H&H Model 70 at the Brownells retail shop. Whoever refinished the stock did an outstanding job, filling the wood pores nicely and replicating the original nonglare satin finish. All parts are present and correct, including the front sight hood and the steel buttplate.

Predictably, the action is butter-smooth, and because of the mild shoulder angle and long, gradual taper of the .300 H&H cartridge, rounds feed from the magazine into the chamber so effortlessly that it’s hard to tell the difference between cycling an empty rifle and a loaded one. Unfortunately, accuracy was lacking. It seemed like the rifle wanted to shoot well, but it regularly threw flyers two or three inches out of my 100-yard groups.

To my dismay, a close examination revealed the muzzle crown had been worn into an elliptical cone shape—the rifling was completely gone around the crown—by the overzealous use of a steel (and probably jointed) cleaning rod. Somebody had cleaned that barrel way too much and in a very destructive manner. The stock had already been refinished, so I reasoned I wouldn’t hurt the value of the rifle by having it re-crowned by top gunsmith Steve Pratt, and while I was at it, I asked my friend and action-bedding wizard Roland Black to bed the action and give the gun a trigger job. The results were even better than I’d hoped for.

With a Trijicon 2.5-12.5X 42mm AccuPoint riflescope mounted, the rifle put Federal’s 180-grain Trophy Bonded Tip factory load into groups a fraction more than 1/2 MOA, and several handloads shot almost as well. One, pushing Hornady’s 220-grain InterLock FBRN by a charge of IMR 7828 propellant, actually posted three consecutive three-shot groups—no flyers, no mulligans—that all measured significantly less than 0.5 inch at 100 yards. Four other top handloads averaged between 0.68 inch and 0.92 inch for three-shot groups at 100 yards.

When the chance came to hunt free-range nyala in South Africa’s Umkomaas Valley with Crusader Safaris, I chose this .300 H&H Pre-’64 Model 70. The rifle accounted for a heavy-horned bushbuck and an “ancient” 27-inch nyala bull. The shot was far for the roundnose projectile I was shooting, stretching 290 yards, but the rifle put that single heavy bullet into the sweet spot, and the bull dropped in his tracks. This rifle now has a well-deserved spot among my “never-sell” battery.

Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 .270 Win.

As a teenager, my second foray into the wonderful world of “modern” centerfire rifles was a 1952 Winchester Model 70 in .270 Winchester. It was a simple, standard Sporter version.

During my teens, I trained horses for an elderly doctor and his wife, and I admired several of the fine vintage guns they owned. When Doc passed away, his wife called me and stated firmly, “I don’t believe in giving anything to anybody. Folks never appreciate things they don’t have to pay for, but I’ll sell you a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol for five bucks each.” That .270 Win. Model 70 became my primary hunting rifle. Over the next several years I took some significant big-game animals with it, including my first branch-antlered bull elk and a bona fide 33-inch main-frame mule deer buck.

After purchasing the 1952-vintage Model 70 from Doc’s wife, I shot it for a while with the original 6X Redfield scope. It worked great, and over the years I shot a number of deer with it. Friends hunting with me borrowed it when they needed to make a long, difficult shot because it was so very accurate. While working in a gunshop years ago, I happened upon a lovely walnut stock mortised for a Pre-’64 Model 70 action. I inletted it for my rifle, shaped it, stained it, and gave it a hand-rubbed oil finish. I even checkered it with the best 22 lines-per-inch checkering I’ve ever done. Of course, I kept the original stock.

Now, many years later, I’m conflicted. The high-grade walnut stock is beautiful and some of the best woodworking I’ve done, but I’ve become a real stickler for originality. I almost installed the rifle back in its original stock for this report, but I concluded the aftermarket walnut stock is a big part of my history with the rifle, so I kept it on. Decades ago, when I got really serious about hunting with this Model 70, I replaced its old 6X scope with a new Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X 40mm scope with adjustable objective and went to work developing good handloads with 140-grain and 150-grain bullets.

The rifle reliably shot every handload into 1.5 inches or a bit less. I gradually worked up the charge weight, and to my great satisfaction, three-shot groups averaged 0.60 inch. Velocity was nearly 2,940 fps. With a surprising amount of anticipation, I recently took the rifle to my personal shooting range and ran five factory loads through it, shooting three, three-shot groups for average with each load. The overall average for those five factory loads was 1.53 inches, so, as you can see, my old Winchester Model 70 in .270 Win. still shoots well enough for bagging big game.

Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 .30-06

One of my favorite old Model 70s (acquired from a longtime friend of mine) is a near-pristine prewar rifle. It’s not “new in the box with hangtag” pristine, but the finish is nearly 100 percent. The only indications that it was actually used are light indentations and marks on the stock and a bit of burnishing on the bolt. “Prewar,” by the way, refers to any rifle manufactured before the United States joined World War II.

Winchester’s pre-World War II-era Model 70 was a premium American-made hunting rifle, surpassed only by true custom rifles. By far, the most common of the prewar, Pre-’64 Winchester chamberings was the .30 Gov’t. (.30-06). I’ve been fascinated by those versions ever since reading Frank Glaser’s exploits in his biography Alaska’s Wolf Man by Jim Reardon. By all accounts Glaser was a gun nut of the first order and liked ’em all, but the rifle he usually carried into Alaska’s wilderness was a Winchester Model 70 in .30-06.

Prewar Model 70s are coveted by collectors. Many parts were hand-fitted and polished; wood tended to be very nice dense, straight-grain walnut; checkering was clean and crisp; metal polish was better than on later rifles; and finish overall was top-tier for a production-grade rifle. Several elements set prewar Model 70s apart. The easiest to spot is the wing-type safety, which resides atop the bolt shroud rather than on the right side. The second most obvious is the cloverleaf-shaped tang. Other characteristics are the rake of the bolt handle, the type of rear sight, the way the action is drilled and tapped (or isn’t drilled and tapped), and so forth. In all, somewhat fewer than 600,000 Pre-’64 Model 70s were made. The last recorded serial number is 581471. Of those more than a half-million Pre-’64 rifles, fewer than 45,000 were prewar guns.

An old rancher friend of mine collected Winchester firearms for 60 years. He even owned an original 1860 Henry. I believe he owned one of every lever-action model ever made. At one point he owned a Pre-’64 Model 70 in every cartridge ever made. And all were pristine. Around age 80, informed by his doctor that contrary to appearances he may not live forever, he began selling off his collection. This prewar Model 70 marked “.30 Gov’t.” was one of the few he still had the last time I visited. Not only is it in terrific condition, but it’s mounted with a cool vintage scope, in period-correct mounts. The little Carl Zeiss Jena scope is a 2.25X Zielklein model and has a 7/8-inch-diameter main tube. It even retains the original leather lens caps, although the connecting leather strap has long since broken off.

My friend acquired it about 25 years ago, taking it in a trade from another rancher. I believe the rifle had belonged to that rancher’s grandfather. Naturally, I handled this rifle with kid gloves, but I was curious to see how it shot. While bore-sighting to see how close the post-and-crosswire reticle was, I discovered that the exposed, small turret atop the scope turns freely—and the post reticle visibly moves inside the scope. Making a couple of small tweaks to the side screws to refine windage, I began shooting groups on the 100-yard target.

Much to my surprise, the first load I tried shot tiny groups. It was Hornady’s 180-grain SST bullet, and average accuracy was 0.76 inch! Velocity was zesty, averaging 2,791 fps. When I got the little dome-headed turret adjusted to put 180-grain bullets 1.5 to 2.0 inches high at 100 yards, I went to put a small reference mark on it with a Sharpie and found that a previous owner had put a tiny permanent mark on the exact spot.

The two following loads shot acceptably as well, though not as tight as the SSTs. One exhibited a tendency to string vertically, probably due to the fore-end not being free-floated. Throughout my test shooting the fine old rifle fed, fired, and ejected perfectly. The action is smooth as grease on glass. When I throw it to my shoulder, the rifle points as if it’s part of me, and it balances beautifully.

This rifle is much too collectible to take out and get all banged up in the field. It’s missing nothing. The front sight hood, the rear sight, and all the small parts that are so often removed and lost are present. But I can’t help thinking that if a buck steps out into the back pasture during the upcoming hunting season, this lovely old prewar Pre-’64 Model 70 Winchester is the rifle I’m going to reach for.

Post-’64 Winchester Model 70 XTR .257 Roberts

Most rifle aficionados know the story of the so-called demise of the original Winchester Model 70. In the early 1960s, skilled craftsmen trained before and during the world wars were retiring out of the gunmaker’s realm. Remington’s then-new Model 700 was threatening sales. Production cost of the original Mauser-based Model 70 loomed nearly as high as value, reducing profit margins to unsustainable levels. The “Rifleman’s Rifle” was in peril.

Winchester hired a top executive from Ford to turn the company around. Complex actions were redesigned. Machined parts were replaced with stamped parts wherever possible. Hand-fitting was abandoned. Savants of the early Winchesters saw the shift as a cheapening of the brand. Quality, some purists claim, plummeted.

Probably, they’re right. To a point. However, amid all the kerfuffle some very solid, well-finished guns were built. Model 94s from the 1970s are now probably the best values on the lever-action market. And although it’s a push-feed design, the Model 70 XTR bolt action that emerged from the redesign is a very nice rifle—particularly in the case of the XTR Featherweight, such as the one spotlighted here.

Like many who love the original controlled-feed Model 70 and consider it among the best action designs ever, I’ve always had a hard time regarding the push-feed Model 70 as a “real” Model 70. I celebrated when Winchester brought back the “Classic” Model 70 in the 1990s. But the fact is, the push-feed Model 70 can stand on its own. The redesigned action was produced for a longer period (1964 through 2006) than the original controlled-feed Model 70 action, and more were made.

Bolts on push-feed Model 70s do not have the massive non-rotating Mauser-type claw extractor that provides controlled-round feeding. Rather, the extractor of these Post-’64 rifles is a small hook-type affair dovetailed into the front of the right-side locking lug. Aside from the fact that it’s not a Mauser extractor, it’s actually a very good design.

Perhaps most significantly, the Post-’64 Winchester Model 70 extractor was much stronger and more reliable and durable than the C-clip style extractor in its primary challenger: Remington’s Model 700 action. The push-feed Model 70 boltface completely encloses the base of the cartridge, providing a theoretically stronger and safer lockup than Pre-’64 versions.

Other features of the Model 70 XTR are undeniably superior to the Remington Model 700 design. One is the three-position safety on the bolt shroud, which blocks the firing pin when engaged and locks the bolt closed when in the third position. It’s stronger and more reliable than any trigger-blocking, two-position Model 700-type safety. Another superior feature is the recoil lug, which is machined integral with the Winchester action, unlike the separate recoil lug Remington 700s use.

Bolt travel of the Post-’64 Model 70 push-feed action is smooth as silk, at least after an anti-bind groove was added in 1968.

Off-putting to Model 70 fans were the cheap-looking stamped bottom metal and pressed-in “checkering” on the entry-level Post-’64 Model 70s. There’s no debating the fact that some ugly, cheap-looking Model 70s were made in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. However, after the 1968 revision, the upper-tier Model 70s featured well-made, well-finished bottom metal and clean-cut, elegant checkering.

Less noticeable was that Winchester went from machining Pre-’64 Model 70 actions from bar stock to forging them. After forging, a bit of machine time finished them up. This process was less expensive and less time-consuming. The fact is the finished product is strong, straight, and durable. Here, the disadvantage is mostly perceived. One other aspect of the Post-’64 rifles that surprised many folks was how well push-feed Model 70s shoot. Clearly, barrel quality was one area where Winchester made no compromises, even though the company went from using time-consuming cut-rifled barrels to hammer-forged barrels.

There’s a screw-related nuance of the push-feed Model 70 XTR (and indeed all actions that use two-piece bottom metal with three action screws). If you over-tighten the middle screw—the one that secures the front of the trigger guard—you can introduce accuracy-robbing tension into the action. That middle screw should be barely finger tight. Post-’64 Model 70 triggers can be rather heavy. The rifle highlighted here has an average trigger pull of 6 pounds, 2 ounces. A good gunsmith can lighten them, and if yours is too stout, it’s worth doing.

There’s one other worthy modification that can turn an average rifle into a tackdriver. Have the action glass-bedded and the barrel free-floated. Most of the push-feed Model 70s have snugly fitted barrel channels, and inconsistent contact between wood and steel causes changes in barrel vibrations. Accuracy suffers. Action bedding and barrel free-floating remedy that.

The .257 Roberts rifle shown here belongs to a friend, who bought it from his dad and gave it to his wife. To make it fit her petite frame, he had a gunsmith shorten the stock and install a nice recoil pad. As I said earlier, the rifle is an XTR Featherweight, which is one of the nicest push-feed Model 70 variations ever made.

At the range, my first impression of this Model 70 XTR was how smooth the push-feed action is. The second was how heavy the trigger is. Groups with the first type of ammo I tried (Hornady’s 117-grain SST) ranged from disappointing to dismal. The average was 2.76 inches at 100 yards. That’s adequate for deer hunting out to a couple hundred yards, but it doesn’t inspire confidence. The second load fared much better. It was 100-grain Partitions in the Nosler Custom ammo line, and it averaged 1.04 inches, just squeaking into that magical sub-MOA category. I suspect that if glass-bedded, free-floated, and fitted with a good trigger, this little rifle would shoot lights out.

Reliability was stellar throughout testing. The push-feed action fed, fired, extracted, and ejected beautifully. Balance, too, was excellent. The rifle mounts well, points naturally, and feels good.

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Top Selling Bolt Action Rifles Sold in October 2025

Source: gungenius.com/top-selling/

To learn more or shop for any of the guns listed, visit Gun Genius at www.gungenius.com/top-selling.

Editor's note: In the report, guns are rated from one to five within each category, with the number one gun being the most popular that month. The numbers are color-coded to show any changes in the ranks from the previous report.

Black = Steady
Green = Up
Red = Down

Source: gungenius.com/top-selling/

To learn more or shop for any of the guns listed, visit Gun Genius at www.gungenius.com/top-selling.

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