Thread: Winchester Rifle thoughts?

Has anyone had much experience with winchesters and could provide some insight into what they are like? Looking at a M70 extreme weather but have heard they are heavy and have old 'technology' compared with newer guns like the tikkas.

Pass us another beer would ya

I like them. I don't have any issues with a 7lb rifle. Trigger is a bit heavy and the safety takes a bit of practice to work without noise.

I have an old mod 70 and a new tikka if it ever came to a choice it's not the Winchester going down the road.

The model 70 is an excellent action and strong as they come, the extreme weather is a heavy rifle due to its stock (i believe it is a bell and carlson, which are known for being heavy)
If I were to buy a new rifle right now I would be looking at a M70

I love my M70 Featherweight... the action is smooth, the hinged floor plate is an excellent feature and it weighs the same as my Sako A7. My only negative comment has always been that the Americans need a lesson in quality blueing. The one modification I've made to mine was to reduce the trigger pull a little.

I'm struggling with the possibility I might regret selling it as I swore it would be the last rifle to leave my safe.

I have an m70 Alaskan 300 winmag 8.5lbs with 25" barrel great gun, iron sights awesome on goats across the gully.

they have been around a long time and have always been good...the mod 70 was "the riflemans rifle" waaay back when Adam was a cowboy...they were the go to for sharp shooting before remington brought out the 700 and they still hold thier own. my old girl .270win has had hard life over the nearly 30 years Ive owned it and it will still shoot better than I can,,eg sub inch at hundy with any old load you care to chuck at it....With added bonus it will put any and all loads into playing card sized group (tried 8 different loads at once to proove this).yip they pretty darn good rifles.

Well there's ya go then!
I like old rifles tooooo

There is nothing old about them - Tikkas are cheap technology compared with a Winchester model 70, which are wonderful rifles. I have had about three of them, and still have a push feed featherweight model from the 1980's in .30/06. It will shoot into an inch with anything I give it, and with its 4x Leupold has never lost zero from one year to the next, even when I start hammering the open sights around with a hammer. Last rifle I will sell. I sold the Tikka. And the Sako's.
Not sure why people say they have trouble adjusting the triggers - its very easy just two screws, never met a Model 70 with a bad trigger.

The Featherweight models remind me very much of the old BSA featherweight Majestics.

Who is the distributor for them now? They don't seem to be for sale new very often. I would get another featherweight in .270 one day.

I had a M70 featherweight in .270 a 'few' years ago and it was, still is, a top class action designed around less then quality ammo. Today's design's trumpeted as advancements are only cheap, low cost, designed for a bottom production price.

Ive got several M70's including a extreme weather, in .264 win mag, I like it, its accurate and well balanced, shoots well inside MOA out as far a 400m, Sum day I must try further,
I prefer the featherweight stock, over the Bell and Carson on the Extreme weather, is quite a bit thicker, in the fore stock and wrist, that a featherweight stock.
There a solid, strong rifle, have good resale and hold there value well, triggers are easy to adjust, ive adjusted all three of my rifles with out difficulty,
the action is very well bedded in the newer Winchesters, and they are a difficult to get out of the action, the first time, not necessary a bad thing,
My Model 70 featherweight, in 7x57 is my favourite rifle, for general hunting.

I have owned several M70's from .22 Hornet through to .458 Win Mag, all pre-64's and bloody good rifles. The post '64 models with the stupid little extractor were not much cop but then Winchester realised what a mistake it is to listen to the advice of accountants, and re-introduced the controlled feed models. As a hunting rifle I think the Featherweights take some beating. From a gunsmith's perspective they are a waste of time as you never get to do any work on them!

My M70 Featherweight 223 was one of two rifles I ever regretted selling., Guy that bought it reckoned I was a mug and he was probably right. Had a 6x Burris original on it and was a very accurate rifle. Bought it for shooting possums at the end of the spot light beam after poisoning, and very seldom failed, regardless of who was pulling the trigger.
Yip, they're a great rifle.

Well @rustyvv, take from this thread what you will.
Winchesters (real guns) with old technology that still seem to go better than alright,
or flash Harry lookatme tikkas with new world tech.
I don't have either brand, but I think with a tikka, the latte coffee must swing a few buyers as they are marketed as nz's most popular rifle. ( not that I believe that).