New Winchester Model 70 - First Impressions

[KP Texan]

I've been in the market for a new deer rifle and finally settled on the Winchester Model 70 Sporter in .270. I was able to swing by Cabela's on my way back home for Thanksgiving to purchase it, but I've just now been able to handle the rifle for about an hour and get a good feel for it. Although I have yet to shoot it, I'm nothing short of impressed by the apparent quality of this rifle. The satin finished walnut stock has a beautiful grain to it and the cut checkering is really sharp ( simply blows away my 1970s model 700 BDL's gloss stock with pressed checkering). All components have a very high quality machined feel to them and their finish is impressive. The trigger pull (although heavier than my old 700) has a nice crisp feel with little take up or creep. I intend on adjusting the trigger as explained in the owner's manual in order to lower the pull a bit and then I'm sure it will be as impressive as the rest of the rifle. The only thing that I'm not 100% thrilled about is the bolt feel; it's not as smooth as I would like it to be. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty smooth but I think I've been spoiled by my old 700. It was a rifle that my father bought many years ago and I'm pretty sure it has had some gunsmithing done to it. The trigger is very light and the bolt is as smooth as silk (maybe it helps being short action too). The issue is that I've never handled another model 70.... maybe the awesome claw feed bolt is inherently less smooth than the push feed 700? I cleaned the shipping protectant off an applied some Remoil to the action and cycled it 50 or 60 times. I think it smoothed itself up a little bit but is still not quite there (maybe it needs more cycling or Remoil isn't ideal?). I also dry fired it quite a few times and I think the trigger components are a little more broken in now as well. All of that being said, I love the rifle and I can honestly say it's one of the most beautiful firearms I've ever handled. I can only hope that its shoots as well as it looks! Being an engineer, I'm also probably quite a bit pickier than the average person, so take anything negative I say with a grain of salt.

Please let me know your thoughts on the bolt smoothness.

Thanks so much,

Wes

 

[bpl]

Well, I have a new M70 Extreme Weather Stainless and also a Featherweight in .243 (haven't fired the .243 yet) and both have very smooth bolt throws. The new M70s are definitely very nice rifles.

 

[stan rose]

I have M70's, and my brother uses M700's, while I love my Winchesters, I will admit that the Remingtons seem to be abit smoother. Not by much, and the action length can affect the cycling if you do not pull the bolt straight back, and push it straight forward. The longer the action the easier it is to throw the bolt off center of the action, which will cause a slight binding. Many years of use will also add greatly to the smoothness of an action. Good luck with your new rifle.

 

[az_imuth]

Congrats on your new M70!
I recently picked up one of the new FN made M70's in .30-06 (long-action also). I'm trying to figure out which 2-piece bases to get that will work with Burris Signature rings and also not hang over the ejection port. I noticed in another thread where you went with the Burris rings. What bases are you using?

Wanted to add that I think that bolt will wear in and smooth up considerably if mine is any indication.

 

[70extreme]

I just bought a new Model 70 SS Extreme in 30-06. My Remington 700 ADL is going up on Gunbroker this Saturday.

I am completely blown away by the difference in these two rifles. The Winchester is better in almost every way.

1. Free floated barrel.
2. Magazine release in an intelligent place.
3. Better stock
4. Bolt can be disassembled easily in field without tools.
5. Easier to load.
6. CRF
7. Better extractor - I replaced two on my Remington over the last 5 years.
8. Lighter bolt lift.
9. Higher capacity.

These new Winchesters scream quality.

 

[BrocLuno]

Congrats to all. Nice rifles

If you get a chance to handle one, drop by your dealers and try the action on a Tikka T3 and tell me how that compares to your Winchester? So far, the Tikka IS the smoothest action I have ever cycled. If yours is close, I'd not be worried in the slightest

 

[KP Texan]

Stan: I think you may be right on about side loading the longer bolt. One of my favorite things about my 700's smoothness is how you can have the rifle at a slight angle and throw the bolt up and it will just slide itself all the way back like it is on ice. The Winchester will almost do the same thing but tends to get a bit stickier as the bolt is almost all the way back; I'm sure some of this has to do with additional leverage of the longer bolt. Additionally, the magazine follower inside of the 700 is chrome plated and the follower in my Model 70 is almost like a satin finish. This also has to lend a bit to the 700's smoothness when there is no round in the magazine. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing things and need to give my bolt more time to break in.

Azimuth, I chose simple Weaver #46 and #47 bases for mine. I have yet to mount them but hopefully there won't be a problem with my Burris Signature Zee rings. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

BrocLuno, I've cycled the Tikka and it was a bit smoother than the Winchester (though probably not smoother than my Remington 700)... the only thing is that the Tikka didn't have nearly the classic feel of the Winchester and it felt a bit cold to me. I was almost sold on the T3 Lite but I decided against it because there is a special place in my heart for American iron and nice Walnut. I'm not one of those "I only buy American" guys but I was truly drawn to the Model 70. I may actually pick up a T3 at a later date but I wanted to get the Model 70 first.

-Wes

 

[USSR]

I chose simple Weaver #46 and #47 bases for mine.

+1.

Don

 

[scubadown]

Thanks for the review. An M70 in .270 is my next purchase.

 

[KP Texan]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll post up some pics whenever I get my Sightron SII Big Sky mounted on it and also let you know how she performs at the range. I'm really a novice at high powered rifle shooting so I'm hoping this rifle will teach me a few things too.

-Wes

 

[joed]

I only have one model 70 left, a Stealth in .308. This is a great rifle, smooth and accurate. After my last Remington purchase I will only buy Winchester. In fact if Winchester were making the Stealth II in .22-250 I'd never have purchased that Remington. There is just something wrong with a company that has been in business as long as Remington and doesn't understand free floating. That miserable rile shoots 1.5" groups.

Have owned 2 model 70's, they are fantastic.

 

[chrt396]

At one with my gun

I understand KP TEXAN when he felt close..in so many words with the Winchester. There are some rifles that just draw you in! I was looking for a .308 for hunting and I help and fondled a bunch. The one that struck me as a "Gotta have it rifle" was my Thompson Center Icon, Weatherguard! There was something about that rifle. It just felt...RIGHT..in my arm. Wow..this sounds like a love affair..doesn't it? If you feel at one, or comfortable with your rifle, it will be that much easier to be accurate.
The long throw action was also apparent on my Browning X-Bolt 30-06. It seemed to smooth out after about 50 rounds of ammo, so give your Winchester some break-in time. She'll smooth out after you use her a bit!
The model 70's are good looking rifles. Enjoy your new addition!!

By the way....I'm a newbie here from Tampa Bay and this is my first post. Thank you for having me!

 

[Kachok]

I want one!! I really hope Winchester makes the featherweight 70 in 6.5x55 again, that is an all time classic rifle and every single person that I have known that ownes one says it is their favorite rifle ever. I need another 6.5x55 because my hunting buddy loves my Tikka as much as I do and asks to borrow it all the time. I hate to say no because we hunt his camp

 

[JoeMal]

I love my Winnies....

A model 70 is definitely on my list of goodies to get in the future

Congrats on your purchase!

 

[USSR]

I really hope Winchester makes the featherweight 70 in 6.5x55 again, that is an all time classic rifle and every single person that I have known that ownes one says it is their favorite rifle ever.

Funny you should mention that, I just happen to have a M70 Featherweight take-off barrel in 6.5x55.....

Don

 

[BrocLuno]

I fully understand the love of American iron. I only tossed the Tikka into the discussion due to it's very smooth bolt out of the box. If your Winchesters are close, it ain't no big deal as they'll break-in fine. Since you said they are close, I'd be very happy with one too.

 

[Kachok]

I don't think anything is "as smooth" as a Tikka, I literaly have to look to see if mine is chambering a round because it is that smooth. I cannot feel it at all. I like the Model 70 featherweight egronomics and feel, sadly there are no plans to make it in anything but mainstream calibers If they built one in .257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser or 6.5x55 they could put me on the order list. I love those old classics, I reload so avalibility of factory junk means nothing to me. .243s and 7mm-08s are great they just don't have the personality of their older tighter twist counterparts. I like longer heavier bullets for most hunting situations.

 

[Skylerbone]

Do the FNs still use the plastic follower? That could be a source of friction for the bolt. I bought my first M70 a week or two ago and the follower has sanded the bolt jeweling off completely where it contacts. I'm planning on buying an aftermarket follower since I just don't care for plastic in my rifles.

You could always lap the raceways if you're overly concerned with it (doesn't seem you are) and to the poster wanting a floating M700- break out the sandpaper and a dowel. Sometimes removing the speed bump is all you need (the pressure point about 2" from the tip of the forend).

Congrats on the purchase, I bought Burris bases, work great.

 

[KP Texan]

How did a soft plastic follower sand the jeweling off? I'm certain mine doesn't have a plastic follower; seems like either Aluminum alloy or Stainless steel. When I get home from work I'll double check and maybe snap a few photos. One thing I love is that this rifle seems to have no plastic, with the exception of the little cap on the bottom of the hand grip (I've seen many older guns, including my 700, with a plastic butt plate so this is nothing new and didn't bother me).

-Wes

 

[USSR]

I'm planning on buying an aftermarket follower since I just don't care for plastic in my rifles.

That's exactly what I did when I (you are gonna cringe) took a pristine M70 Featherweight in 6.5x55, and used it for the donor action in my 1,000 yard F Class Match Rifle.

Don

 

[Skylerbone]

KP, judging by it's lack of cleanliness when I bought it my guess would be grime stuck to the plastic follower and spring tension combined to lap it smooth. I could care less about jeweling so it doesn't bother me.

USSR, sounds like you ended up with one heck of a bargain shooter (depending on what the stock and barrel set you back).

 

[Justin Holder]

On my M70s the bolt runs smoothest when the safety is in the middle position, less so in the fire position.

 

[70extreme]

My M70 SS Extreme does not have a plastic follower.

These rifles are so superior in quality to the Remington 700 I have shot for years, that I bought a second M70 Sporter just a couple days ago.

My Remington 700 is on Gunbroker with two bids and 5 days to go.

 

[USSR]

USSR, sounds like you ended up with one heck of a bargain shooter (depending on what the stock and barrel set you back).

Barrel (+ smithing) and stock set me back about $1300. Sold the Featherweight stock to a friend, BUT - still got the like new 6.5x55 Featherweight barrel if anybody's got a Winchester CRF long action and an itch.

Don

 

[KP Texan]

I finally made it to the range with my new Model 70 on Wednesday to sight my scope in and also get a good initial feel for the rifle. Bear in mind that this is the first time I've ever been to a "real range" with a high powered rifle and that this was also my first time to shoot a rifle more powerful than a .243. When I was 14, I did fire one shot from a .300 Win Mag A-Bolt II with a BOSS but I don't really count that since it had a muzzle brake and was only one shot. I've got to admit that I was a bit nervous before the first shot from my new .270 but, once I fired it, I realized that there was nothing to worry about. With the butt firmly on my shoulder and a good cheek weld, recoil was very pleasant.

I had enough time to put 9 rounds through the rifle (I took an extended lunch break from work ) and it really surprised me, especially considering how inexperienced I am. Once I got my scope pretty close to 1.5" high at 100 yards, I fired a few rounds just to see how accurate I could be. I'm not sure if it was just luck or what but, with regular 130gr Remington Core-Lokts, a couple of those last holes were actually touching each other on my target at the 100yd mound. I also made sure to purchase a full membership to the range so that I can come at any time and get some real range time in with the rifle. The Remingtons shot well to me but I've also purchased to some Hornadys and Federals to try out.

Is it possible that putting a few rounds through the rifle could have also smoothed the action a bit? Doesnt' make much sense to me, but now the action is impressive and I can't really complain one bit about the smoothness. Also, I told you guys how nice I thought the wood grain in the stock was. Well, I got to talking to one guy at the range and he mentioned that he collected Pre-64 model 70s and that he liked the look of my new one. He also said "Is that a Super Grade?". I replied that no, it's just the standard Sporter!

I'm also impressed by the trigger on this rifle. Per the instructions that came with it, I pulled the action from the stock and made a slight adjustment to the trigger pull. The only hard part was using a pocket knife to scrape off the glue that they put in front of the adjustment screw from the factory. Once that was done, adjustment was a piece of cake with a 1/16" allen wrench. I un-threaded the screw so that it was sticking out of the trigger housing by I'm guessing about 3/32". I didn't unscrew it all the way until it fell out like some people have done. Then, I put a drop of blue loctite on the screw threads and put everything back together. I tightened the stock screws as uniformly as possible but didn't use a torque screwdriver. When I tested the trigger, it surprised me because it seemed pretty darn light; not too sure that I would want it any lighter on a hunting rifle!

In summary, I'm pretty thrilled with my Model 70 (in case you couldn't tell)! I'm also loving the .270 Win caliber and I don't think I could have made a better choice for my first rifle. I also realize this thread would be much better with pics so I'm gonna try and put some in this thread shortly.

Thanks,

Wes