Looking at getting a winchester m70 Super Grade. Need some caliber advice

[Gordon]

I have 2 pre 64 .264 Winchersters and a Dumoulin .264 WM . Thew dumoulin has over 1000 rounds and shoots as well as when I got it and it had 20 rounds thru it. The Westerner has 600 rounds thru it from me a I would imagine a few boxes before , I have had it 30+ years. The other is a cherry Featherweight .264 and I will not be shooting it much more than the 60 sighting in shots I did. None of my bores appear "shot out" and the dumoulin appears to have about 1/8" erosion forward of the chamber. I have found the .264 WM to be not a tack driver at 100 yards but 200 yards out and further the groups get tighter MOA wise !
I would not insult a Supergrade with any thing less than a VX2 in Talley mounts (allthough the Ziess Conquest is good in the price range too) $300 on sale for a 3-9 VX2 is a great bargain!, trust me I been using Leupolds 40 years and Model 70s 50+ years

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I have a Leupold VX-2 3-9x40 and I couldn't be happier with it. It beat the VX-1 in low light clarity by a good bit so that is the one I kept.

Also OP are you a reloader? If you are get some 130gr Nosler Accubonds and IMR4831 powder and enjoy...

 

[King Cobb]

I have reloaded a lot, by almost entirely in handgun. Gonna have to figure out differences for rifles- case trimming and lubbing and such.

I read an article that Jack O'Connor had a pet 130 .270 load that was 60.5 grains of powder. The author didn't advise using it as it was a max pressure load.

 

[Captcurt]

My dream gun.

Sorry but I am an old codger and grew up reading everything that I could get that was written by Jack O'Conner. A Model 70 Super Grade screams to be chambered in 270 Win. Anything else would be sacrilegious.

 

[Gordon]

My first real deer hunting rifle which I got at 17 in 1963. 1953 Winchester model 70 in .270 Winchester. I quit hunting with it pretty much in late 70s, used it as a loaner and one of my kids used it a couple years. It has a Unertl 4x scope with multiple dots in Buhler mounts when I got it from my best uncle .
Sold it well used but still accurate and decent for $900 last year ! not bad after 50 years use !
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[amflyer]

.As usual, I lubricated my cases prior to shooting. This breaks the friction between chamber and bolt and applies the full thrust of the case to the bolt

Very, very hard on the lugs.Your rifle is designed to have that friction. Especially in a tapered case.

 

[natman]

As usual, I lubricated my cases prior to shooting. This breaks the friction between chamber and bolt and applies the full thrust of the case to the bolt.

It sure does, which is why it's not a good idea. The case is supposed to cling to the chamber briefly to reduce the load on the lugs.

Normally I detect maximum loads by having either a stiff bolt lift, blown or leaking primers.

Flattened primers is a sign. Blown or leaking primers means you are well past max loads.

 

[Offfhand]

Thank you Mr. Gordon,your kind of first-hand information is valuable and useful. Certainly better than comically ridiculous "someone told me" replies.

 

[Slamfire]

Very, very hard on the lugs.Your rifle is designed to have that friction. Especially in a tapered case.

It sure does, which is why it's not a good idea. The case is supposed to cling to the chamber briefly to reduce the load on the lugs

Who said? Anyone know how rifle actions are designed? I do, studied this a bit. I suspect you both are repeating rubbish you heard, which is what most of us do, but the whole idea that an action designed to hold less than the maximum thrust of the cartridge is rubbish to say the least.

Unless the organization in issue is the US Army and you happen to have 1 million structurally deficient 03's in inventory. Then the question is, is it moral to issue defective rifles to troops?, and when did the Army fess up and make a full and public admittance that they made 1,000,000 suspect rifles? The source of this rubbish always goes back to the lies and coverup conducted by the Army, to misdirect the problem of the fragmenting 03's they made.

 

[natman]

Who said? Anyone know how rifle actions are designed? I do, studied this a bit. I suspect you both are repeating rubbish you heard, which is what most of us do, but the whole idea that an action designed to hold less than the maximum thrust of the cartridge is rubbish to say the least.

Unless the organization in issue is the US Army and you happen to have 1 million structurally deficient 03's in inventory. Then the question is, is it moral to issue defective rifles to troops?, and when did the Army fess up and make a full and public admittance that they made 1,000,000 suspect rifles? The source of this rubbish always goes back to the lies and coverup conducted by the Army, to misdirect the problem of the fragmenting 03's they made.

Nobody said that the action can't hold it. It's just very hard on the gun. As for who said it, how about the Department of Defense?

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/05/foghorn/ndia-lube-in-your-chamber-is-bad/

Lubed ammunition lowers the friction between the case and the chamber. Most guns are designed to have some of the pressure being forced back on the bolt by the expanding gases be relieved by the friction between the case and the chamber. Because the case no longer gripped the chamber as much, all of that force was placed on the back of the cartridge and the face of the bolt.

....This is some advice that every shooter should heed: NEVER LUBE AMMO and try not to over-lube your gun. No matter what gun you’re using, be it a bolt action or some spacegun, lubing your ammunition will put excess pressure on the bolt and cause it to wear out faster and may even cause case failures.

Here's a link to the study directly. It has a lot of technical detail, but if you scroll down to the bottom the conclusion should be clear enough for anybody:

Your second paragraph has no relevance to the subject at hand.

 

[King Cobb]

Looks like I am going with a vx 2 3x9 40mm.

 

[natman]

Looks like I am going with a vx 2 3x9 40mm.

If you were going to be doing much hunting in the woods I might recommend a 2x-7, but that's an excellent choice for hunting from a stand.

 

[Gordon]

good choice! Now check out the Talley mount link I gave you; inexpensive, bombproof and elegant.

 

[King Cobb]

I was looking real hard at the 2x7. But I found a really good deal on the 3x9. 40mm seems like a bigger objective then I actually need, but it was actually cheaper.

Got the scope, leupold mount and rings for less then the scope typically sells for by itself around here. Plus, the smith I am getting it from will mount it for free, and he comes very highly recommended in my part of the world.

Now to just figure out what I need to protect it.

Do I need something like a scopesmith cover, or are the magnetic end caps all I really need?

 

[OldBrownDog]

The Leupold end caps work very well, but they are fairly pricey.

 

[Gordon]

Leupold mounts are very popular but based on the old Redfield system You have two opposing slotted screws that hold the windage, not very secure and a big hassle in my 50 years experience and I KNOW you and your father used them since Davey Crockett was a corporal with no problems but imho they suck

 

[zb338]

The old rancher says "If a 7X57 was a woman she would be a 10".

Zeke

 

[King Cobb]

Well, it is getting the scope mounted as we speak. Will pick it up on the way home from work today. Will post some pics this evening if I can, but in the morning at the latest.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[King Cobb]

Forgive the really crappy cell phone pics and the really cluttered work bench.

This baby is smooth as butter. Love the grain of the wood and the checkering.

The dark barrel reminds me a lot of the barrels on my Parker 12 gauge VH.

Will post more pics tomorrow and going to try to take her to the range on my lunch break.

 

[az_imuth]

That looks like a very nice rifle...congrats!
I have a SG in 30-06 and am hankering for one in .270 to keep it company.

 

[Garrobo]

The .264 is obsolete and ammo

and brass plus acceptable hunting bullets are hard to find. Why would you want anything more than a .30-06? It's the best all-around cartridge you will find from 100 the 300 yards.

 

[Gtscotty]

and brass plus acceptable hunting bullets are hard to find.

For .270? There are tons of great hunting bullets for the .270, in fact pretty much every .277 bullet available is a hunting bullet. I have both '06 and .270 rifles, and for deer at reasonable ranges, I think they are both really excellent choices, and are easy to load for to boot.

Op, congrats on your new rifle, it's really a looker!

 

[HOOfan_1]

There are plenty of acceptable hunting bullets for 6.5mm too....264 Winchester Magnum is 6.5mm BTW

 

[King Cobb]

Had some fun sighting it in today. Real joy to shoot, once I got used to shooting from the rest again.

Scope worked well.

I am going to have to go back tomorrow and finish her off. Didn't have enough ammo with me to finish sighting in at 100 yards after I had done 25 and 50.

It was a tack driver at 25 and 50 yards already though

 

[Frostbite]

Congratulations on a very nice rifle. I like everything about what you chose on that one: rifle, caliber and scope. I hope you enjoy it for a long time and many great hunts.