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.
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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!:thumbsup:
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,:thumbsup: 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).
....and remember that the concept of a bolt action is "old technology" - you lift the bolt, pull it back, push it forward & down: it's not supposed to be complicated...
I have a mod 70 in 458 win mag. Amazing rifle, just feels like it’s built proper and strong. Iron sights on it are pretty good too. Shot my first deer with a mod 70 in 270 so safe to say I have a soft spot for them. In saying that I own an older tikka and have two new ones on order/in the pipeline. If you want a solid, no bullshit, utilitarian and beautifully functioning rifle.... get the Winny.
Great guns. I bought my Extreme Weather off the forum here, in .270 and restocked it in carbon fibre. The boys are right- the original stock is heavy due to the internal alum chassis. It also has an awkward wrist angle.
I must say though that the Winchesters can be a little fussy compared to the Tikkas when it comes to finding a load it likes (using boat-tails). Much less fussy with flat base bullets - especially the Winchester silverbox stuff. This is my experience with this rifle, a 7RemMag Classic Stainless and the 4x pre64's in 30/06 & .270 I've had.
Where these beat a lot of rifles is the slickness of the action- they feed better than any bolt rifle I've owned- to the point where sometimes I've had to check that I've actually fed a round into the chamber- sooo slick. They also take 5x rounds in the mag.
Attachment 85835
I guess "fussy" is a personal thing...as I said mine will poke any load into 1"ish group at 100yards and will poke ALL loads into a playing card sized group. we tried it with (from memory) 110hornady hp reload 3 different 130grn reloads 2 factory 130s 2 factory 150s and a factory 160. I still use 130s 140s for most of its work and quite happily chuck a 150 partition or 170grn speer up her spout if in the bush.
Yep definitely personal. New rifles (and a few oldies) are usually capable of sub-moa 3-shot groups with a bit of re-load tuning. It just typically takes me longer to get those groups out of the Winnys when the pills are boat-tails.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
My featherweight .30/06 will not shoot anything bigger than a 1 inch group. I have tried. Every load I have made for it from 220 grain bullets to low powered loads with .30-30 projectiles will make a neat triangle measuring an inch.
This one is bedded with just the old dribble of glue in the right spot, the way they used to do from the factory, but the above poster is right, you have trouble getting it out of the stock which is a good thing, and the results show they did it right.
Never failed in any way, and feeding is a dream. Most reliable rifle ever. I would like to get a new model that has the old pre'64 type action, but that's just from snob value really. But I do love the featherweight stock, it fits very well.
My Tikka sucked by comparison, and the Sako's shot no better apart from my .222, and cost five times as much. I really have no use for another rifle except for my interest in vintage rifles and trying new cartridges.
I am not sure where the 'new' technology is on a Tikka, unless it is the plastic. The Tikka action is purpose designed by Berretta with simplifications for making manufacturing cheaper.
I did a review on the Winchester Extreme Weather rifle a few years back I will have to look it up. I recall it shot well, but it was also heavier than a Tikka.
