Huzzah! Good things from a classic old rifle! 1955 vintage M70 .243 Featherweight.

[Matt G]

One of our Staff members offered me a deal on a rifle of his, that his uncle had bought new back when. Pre-'64 Winchester Model 70 .243 Featherweight, with Redfield rings, mount, and 2-7 Redfield scope on it. I ran the SN on the action, and it came back as being made in 1953. The barrel was bade in 1955, which was the first year that the M70 came out in .243 (and, coincidentally, was the first year that the .243 ever came out.). It's easy to see how rifles made in 1955 might well have actions made in 1953, and I see nothing that implies that the action was rebarreled. So, kewl! I've got a first year production of that cartridge in that rifle, and a very usable one at that.

My fellow moderator also generously sent me a couple of hundred .243 cases for reloading, along with two boxes of loaded ammo that his uncle had loaded in 1968! One was a box of 100g Sierra Spitzer SP over too much 4350. The other was a box of 70g Hornady Spire Point over 40 grains of 3031.

Today, I lapped the rings, put the scope on, LockTite'd the screws, and headed out to the range. The first three groups, I was kind of disappointed; they were fine vertically, but had horizontal stringing to give me 2.5" to 3" groups. What causes that?!? Well, I kept moving the scope to get it sighted in, and it began to get dark. Finally, last groups. I fired one group of each old loading, and went to get my targets. Hot Dog! I suppose that it just takes a few groups for everything to just get "settled in." The action had been out of the stock. The scope had been off the rifle.

Sub-1" groups at 100 yards, those last two targets had. I'm tickled pink-- I've got me a good "deer stick."


Realize, these groups are with 36 year old handloads!!

 

[Matt G]

While shooting that last group with the 100g load, I felt that I had pulled the 2nd shot high left, and called it out loud as a flyer, and added a 4th round to the group to substitute for it. Sure enough, that made a significant difference.
It goes about 3/4" without the flyer, or about 1 1/4" with it.

 

[Matt G]

This one was a silhouette of a prairie dog. I held on the white oval in the belly with the 70 gr loads, and was pleased to find it held a nice group, too, from 100 yards:

 

[sm]

Being a '55 model myself -

Who says a Baby Boomer can't get it "together" anymore?

Good shooting Sir. Now we need a pic of the classic , please.

 

[Jaywalker]

Don't you know it's illegal to shoot money? In both pics, you very nearly hit those coins!

I know what you mean - I just had the opportunity to use a friend's Pre-64 M70 Supergrade from that period. I suspect that functionally things are as good or better now, but they aren't nearly as smooth or polished as they were then, and I miss it. I may have to get one of my own - they seem to be much cheaper since USRAC introduced their current line...

Jaywalker

 

[Dan Morris]

Congrats, welcome to clan of the pre 64 owners. Now, you see why we
love em!
Dan

 

[ThreadKiller]

Jack O'Conner opined that Winchester went to great lengths to ensure that the "new" 243 rifles would be barn burners for accuracy, especially the Featherweights. All he fired were very accurate.

I know my Featherweight will shoot very, very well and my Varmint version is feared by prairie dogs everywhere.

Tim

 

[Matt G]

I KNEW I forgot something last night!


Well, I know this is a lame, mediocre picture and I should endeavor to do better, but I've got go, so here it is in the mean time:

 

[sm]

NICE!

Well it was about time for that pic...boy- keeping mods in line is tough at times.

 

[Uncle Alvah]

I'd love to have a 1953 M70, simply because thats the year I was born. I've owned a lot of guns, but never a .243
I figure to change that soon, most likely by way of CZ.

 

[Coltdriver]

Congratulations on that deal!

I really enjoy shooting my Ruger .243. The round is a great flat shooting hard hitting little bullet that does not beat you up.


The Winchester featherweights are just plain beautiful rifles.

Do get us a better picture of your rifle so we can drool on our monitors a little more

 

[Matt G]

This is my first .243 . I've never really needed one before, because I often use my father's .257 Roberts. 100 g bullets at 2900 to 3000 fps, either way, they pretty much fill the same role. While I love that .257 of my father's, and have killed many deer with it (as has my father. As has my wife. And brother.), it's a full 24" semi-varminter contour barrel, and is heavy. This rifle shoots roughly as well (almost), but is about 2 or 3 lbs lighter. Also, this one is mine., and has the nifty collectability.

Now, to find me some .243 dies! (I suspect I know where I'm going to start loading, and the numbers are written on the sides of those boxes...)

--M.G.