Winchester M-70 (1^st Version)

     Notes: The Model 70 is an internationally popular American-made bolt-action rifle, first introduced in 1936 as the “Model 70 Sporting Rifle” and steadily improved and modified over the years.  The Model 70 of this period is considered a classic among sportsmen and can be found the world over.  The 1^st-version, also called by many the “pre-1964 pattern” or the “Rifleman’s Rifle,” is considered the most desirable of the M-70s, one in good condition will fetch high real-world prices these days. The actions are made using a solid frame and are very strong; they are also very reliable and have served as the basis over the years for a number of custom rifles and Model 70 modifications.  The action itself had a cone breech, a partially-shrouded bolt head, and a trigger guard secured by a bolt running into the underside of the receiver instead of being secured to the recoil lug; this was unusual for the time. The bolt handle is swept down and back so that it would not interfere with any scope that might be mounted. Spent case ejection is to the right side and slightly upward, again so to not interfere with optics. The bolt can be opened while the rifle is on safety, allowing rounds to be removed or the weapon completely unloaded without possibility of accidental fire. The magazine is internal, and loaded from the top (and slightly to the right side), but the Model 70 can be emptied using a hinged floorplate. Early production models (made from 1936-37) and chambered for .30-06 or .270 Winchester could be fed by a stripper clip. Furniture is of walnut; the fore-end has a semi-beavertail form. The fore-end, pistol grip wrist, and steel buttplate are checkered for a surer grip.  The front sight is a bead inside a hood; the rear sight could be a peep sight or a notch sight, depending upon the wishes of the buyer.  The original safety operated across the bolt shroud; in 1938, this was changed to the right side, actuated by a manual thumb catch. The entry for this rifle and its descendants is a little different due to absolutely huge number of variants with differences ranging from variations in stock design to barrel differences to different methods of barrel bedding, recoil pads, and sights. Therefore, the entries are a little different from most of my entries in these pages; it is split into several sections, each with its own firing tables.

M-70 Sporter

     In its first iteration, produced until 1963, the Model 70 used a tapered barrel.  (However, it should be noted that the Model 70 was not produced from the end of 1941 until 1946, as Winchester was concentrating on war manufacture.) For most chamberings, the barrel could be 20 or 24 inches depending upon the wishes of the buyer; after World War 2, the Model 70 with a 20-inch barrel was discontinued.  The 20-inch-barrel version was never built in large quantities, and the few built in 1945 and 1946 were assembled from existing parts in storage instead of being new manufacture rifles. 20-inch barrel versions were often referred to as Model 70 Carbines. Magnum versions largely used 26-inch barrels, but in 1937, the version of the Model 70 in .375 H&H Magnum was changed to have a heavy-weight 25-inch barrel.  Most of the chamberings listed below were original chamberings (.30-06 and .270 were the first chamberings offered, though most of the rest came soon thereafter).  The 7.62mm NATO (actually, .308 Winchester) chambering was introduced in 1952, but was rare for this time period. In 1955, the .243 Winchester and .358 Winchester chamberings were introduced, followed by .300 Winchester Magnum. .338 Winchester Magnum was introduced in 1958, and .264 Winchester Magnum in 1959.  Some rare Model 70s, built after World War 2, were chambered for .300 Savage. Some rare pre-1941 models, all with 24-inch barrels, were chambered for .35 Winchester, 7.65mm Mauser, 7mm Mauser, .250 Savage, or 9x57mm Mauser.

     The Model 70 Varmint Rifle is a rare version of the Model 70 with a 26-inch heavy barrel.  Most were chambered for .243 Winchester Magnum, but a rare few were chambered for .220 Swift. 

     Most Model 70s of this period also had a SuperGrade version, which was a sort of deluxe version with furniture of select-grade walnut, a Monte Carlo stock, finer checkering, fore-end tip of ebonite, and a separate cap for the pistol grip wrist, also of ebonite.  For game purposes, these are identical to their regular versions of the Model 70.

M-70 Heavy (Magnum) Rifles

     Notes: Heavy variations of the period include the Model 70 African, chambered for .458 Winchester Magnum, having a 25-inch heavy barrel, a Monte Carlo-type stock, and a rubber recoil pad.  The rear sight was a folding leaf sight.  The Model 70 Alaskan had a 25-inch heavy barrel and a rubber recoil pad; it was chambered for .338 Winchester Magnum or .375 H&H Magnum.  The Model 70 Bull Gun was a specialized target rifle with a 28-inch bull-profile barrel and a Marksman-style stock.  The Model 70 Bull Gun was meant to be used with optics and had only rudimentary iron sights.  Most were chambered for .30-06, but some were chambered for .300 H&H Magnum.  Except for the Bull Gun, these were often referred to as the “M-70 Magnum,” but this was not an official appellation and they were not referred to as such in company literature.  For that matter, the “Heavy Rifle” name I have given this set is simply a convenient grouping I have given them and not an official company name.

M-70 Featherweight

     Notes: The Model 70 Featherweight, produced 1952-63, used a tapered 22-inch barrel, furniture made of lighter wood, an aluminum-alloy buttplate, and an alloy trigger guard which was integral to the magazine floorplate.  Only a few were chambered for .22 Hornet, .220 Swift, and .257 Roberts; a version attempted in .358 Winchester had so many problems in its development and by shooters that it was quickly discontinued, and few were ever made.  In 1955, a version was introduced firing .264 Winchester Magnum, but had slow sales. The Model 70 Westerner was based partly on the Featherweight, with a .264 Winchester Magnum version with a 26-inch barrel and a .300 Winchester Magnum version with a 24-inch barrel.  The Westerner also had a small internal magazine to save weight, and the barrel is not of any increased weight or tapered like other Model 70s. The Westerner was a rare variant that was discontinued soon after production started.

M-70 Target

     Notes: The Model 70 Target Rifle, introduced in 1937 and built (with a break) until 1960, originally had the same chamberings as the Model 70 Sporter (except for the rarer or more exotic chamberings); however, by the mid-1950s, only .243 Winchester and .30-06 were offered.  The Target Rifle had a heavy, match-quality 24-inch barrel. The National Match rifle was similar, but had a Marksman Stock (high, straight comb, sharply-curved pistol grip wrist, broad fore-end), and micrometer-adjustable sights and more-flexible scope mounts to take a greater variety of scopes, used a floating barrel, and was chambered only in .30-06. The National Match also has a fully adjustable trigger and is lighter than the corresponding Target Rifle.

Winchester M-70 (2^nd Version)

     Notes: In 1961, Winchester was acquired by Olin (then a huge arms company).  They produced the same Model 70s as the 1^st Version above for a while, but production of those versions of the M-70 was discontinued in 1963, and design work was begun to modernize the M-70 to simplify production and reduce costs of manufacture.  This resulted in the 2^nd Version, often called the “1964-type.”  Though some of the changes did in fact improve the design of the M-70, the 2^nd Version M-70s were poorly finished and with the omission of the bolt guide, much of the renowned smoothness of action of the M-70 was lost.  The action was used until 1971 (even after Winchester announced a new version of the M-70 in 1968), until public pressure forced Olin/Winchester to improve that action.  The Olin-manufactured versions of the M-70 make them the leas-desired version of the M-70; shooters and experts feel that Olin took to many shortcuts in their M-70 design.

The Standard M-70

     Standard M-70s of this period had 22-inch standard-weight floating barrels.  (These were also called M-70 Sporters.) At first they were chambered for the three most popular Winchester rounds of the time as well as .30-06.  The furniture was of walnut, though lower-quality than on the 1^st Version, with a glossy finish and a Monte Carlo comb and impressed checkering on the pistol grip wrist and fore-end.  Later, a recoil bolt was added through the stock above the front of the trigger guard; at the same time the checkering pattern, though still impressed, was improved. In 1967, several new chamberings were added: .225 Winchester, followed soon thereafter by .222 Remington and .22-250 Remington.  (.225 Winchester was discontinued in 1974.)

     The M-70 Varmint was produced from 1965-71; it had a pattern largely similar to the M-70 Standard rifle, but it was equipped with a 25-inch target-pattern barrel.  It has the same sort of extra mounting blocks for scopes as the M-70 Target.  In 1966, it became one of the M-70 designs where the stock was revised, with its Monte Carlo comb raised, the cheekpiece refined, a recoil bolt added through the stock, and improved (but still impressed) checkering applied.  The M-70 Varmint was at first offered only in .243 Winchester, with the .222 Remington and .22-250 Remington chamberings not added until 1969.

     The M-70 Custom, also called the M-70 Deluxe, was built only in small numbers between 1964-70.  They were based on an amalgamation of the Standard and the Magnum versions, and had select walnut furniture, ebony fore-end tips, a Williams ramp rear sight, and a ventilated rubber recoil pad.  The stock was a Monte Carlo design.  Most chamberings used 22-inch barrels, but the .300 Winchester Magnum version used a 24-inch barrel.

M-70 Magnum

     Notes:  The M-70 Magnum was, as the name suggests, designed to fire magnum cartridges, and used a 24-inch barrel.  The furniture was similar to the Standard M-70, but the butt had a ventilated rubber recoil pad.  The Magnum was produced from 1964-71; most of the chamberings were offered along with the introduction of the Magnum, but the 7mm Remington Magnum chambering was not offered until 1968.  In 1966, the Monte Carlo comb was raised to better fit with scope use, and an extra recoil bolt was added through the stock.  The checkering was still impressed, but it was modified to offer a better grip.

     From 1965-71, the M-70 African was produced; this version had an altered stock with a raised Monte Carlo comb to better fit with scopes and the contours of the cheekpiece were revised to reduce felt recoil.  Though this version of the African still had a 22-inch floating barrel, it had a heavy profile; in general, this version of the African was more heavily-built than the Standard version.  Recoil bolts were added beneath the chamber and in front of the bolt handle.  The fore-end had an ebony tip, a ventilated rubber recoil pad was added to the butt, and the checkering was hand-cut instead of impressed.  The iron sights were a specially-designed leaf rear and brass-tipped front on a ramp.  The African was chambered only for .458 Winchester Magnum; the magazine size was rather small compared to other M-70s of this period.

M-70 Mannlicher

     Notes: The M-70 Mannlicher, produced in small numbers from 1969-71, was never popular with shooters and did not sell well.  The Mannlicher used a Monte Carlo comb, but also had a full-length fore-end under its short 19-inch barrel.  The Mannlicher was designed to appeal to European shooters, but the chamberings chosen were basically American chamberings instead of those popular with Europeans; Americans and Canadians did not like the design and short barrel, while Europeans did not like the then-unfamiliar chamberings, and the Mannlicher did not sell very well in North America, Europe, or pretty much anywhere else.

M-70 Target

     Notes: The M-70 Target was produced from 1964-71; it used a 24-inch heavy barrel and had extra mounting blocks for a scope to allow more flexibility in scope mounting and what can be mounted.  The stock was a Marksman-type stock as listed for the 1^st Version National Match Rifle above, but also had a true pistol grip with an alloy hand stop and an ergonomic grip.  Like the International Army Match Rifle, the Target rifle had a detachable box magazine.

     The M-70 International Army Match Rifle was produced only in small numbers in 1971.  All were chambered for 7.62mm NATO, and used 24-inch heavy floating match-quality barrels.  The stocks were relatively massive, with a wide fore-end and a large butt with an adjustable buttplate and cheekpiece.  Under the fore-end was an accessory rail (designed for certain accessories which could be slid onto the rail and secured).  The trigger was fully adjustable by the shooter using external screws. Unlike most other M-70s, the International Army Match Rifle used a detachable magazine.

Winchester M-70 (3^rd Version)

     Notes: In 1981, Winchester was sold to the US Repeating Arms Company.  Winchester, under the USRAC auspices, took back the design of the rifle, starting with the classic, 1st-Version M-70 and then updating and improving it to a large degree, incorporating more advanced manufacturing processes and general improvements in rifle design over the years.  Some of these improvements included a claw-type extractor which improved reliability, a three-position safety (safe, fire, and a position which allowed the bolt to be pulled back, but locked the firing pin so that the weapon could not be even accidentally fired), and a straight-comb stock that reduced felt recoil. The standard stock and fore-end was made from refined walnut, with a longer and lower Monte Carlo comb than earlier models. The butt on most versions has a non-slip, ribbed rubber buttplate. Iron sights on most of them consist of a simple peep-type adjustable rear sight and a hooded front sight post on a low ramp unless otherwise stated. (The 3^rd-Version M-70 was meant to be used with a scope, and is drilled and tapped to allow the use of several models of telescopic sights and later, allowed the attachment of a MIL-STD-1913 or Weaver Rail.) Older 1^st-Version and 2^nd-Version designs were dropped, and replaced with an absolutely huge number of variants with differences ranging from variations in stock design to barrel differences to different methods of barrel bedding, recoil pads, and sights. Therefore, the entry is a little different from most of my entries in these pages; it is split into several sections, each with its own firing tables.

     The “standard” design, the M-70XTR Sporter, was one of the few versions of the improved design that was actually introduced under Olin, in 1978; versions of it were still being sold when Winchester was bought out by FN.  The Sporter was offered for a long time only in .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield; most of the other chamberings were added in 1989, except for .25-06 Remington, which was added in 1990.  In 1989, the “XTR” suffix was dropped (though the designation was later revived for a new version of the M-70), and several new chamberings were added.  Barrels are standard-weight 24-inch barrels.  The stock was originally almost identical to that of the 2^nd-version M-70 Standard rifle, except that the walnut is of better quality, the Monte Carlo comb is lower, and the buttplate is non-slip-textured rubber.

     In 1997, two chamberings of the Sporter were re-issued in a form able to take the BOSS muzzle device.  Also in 1997, the M-70 Sporter Stainless was introduced; this is identical to the standard Sporter for game purposes, but has a barrel and action of bright stainless steel.  Sporter Stainless versions of the .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield chamberings were made that could take the BOSS muzzle device. 

     The M-70 SM (Synthetic Matte-finish) was produced from 1992-95 and is essentially the Sporter with a matte black synthetic stock.  The external metalwork also has a dark, matte finish.  It is basically a lighter, more weatherproof M-70 Sporter.

     In 1986, a version was introduced to appeal to European buyers, the M-70 XTR European Featherweight.  It did not, nor did it appeal to US and Canadian buyers, and it was produced for only a few months.  The European Featherweight was built of lighter wood than the standard Sporter, but had the same basic stock design.  The European Featherweight’s fore-end was shorter than that of the standard Sporter.  The stock was laminated, but not necessarily weatherproof, though it had more weather resistance than an un-laminated stock.  The iron sights consisted of an open notch rear which was adjustable and a post front sight which was hooded; it was also drilled and tapped for a scope.  The barrel was a round, standard-profile 22-inch barrel.

     A minor version of the M-70, the Mini-Carbine, was produced from 1985-86.  Not really a carbine, the Mini-Carbine was produced only in .243 Winchester in small numbers; the only real difference between the Mini-Carbine and the Sporter was in the stock’s length of pull, which was about 25mm shorter than that of the Sporter, and the weight, which was 0.05 kg less.

     Super, Collector, and Exhibition Grades of most 3^rd-version M-70-series rifles were made, differing largely in the quality of wood used, hand-fitting of components, sometimes specially-chosen barrels being used, and other refinements such as custom finishes and even some engraving, ebony or fancy wood fore-end and pistol grip wrist caps, and other such refinements.  These versions also have other extra features, such as sling swivels standard at the toe of the butt and under the front of the fore-end, and a non-rotating collar-type extractor that is a bit more reliable than the already-very-reliable M-70 3^rd-Version extractor. Though the real-world cost of such rifles is high, for game purposes, they are the same as their “normal” counterparts. In 1996, they were the first versions to come in types with barrels able to take the BOSS muzzle device, though on the same chamberings as the Sporter.  The M-70 Magnum, below, also has its own Super, Collector, and Exhibition-Grade versions. (The Super Grade is what was called the Custom Grade on earlier versions of the M-70.)

M-70A

     The M-70A is perhaps the first of the versions of the M-70 to receive the 3^rd-version action and trigger updates; however, for the most part, it is a carry-over from the 2^nd version, and has many of the 2^nd-versions’s inferior features.  It was produced from 1969-78. The stock design is of the Monte Carlo type, with a plastic non-slip buttplate, and a round-tipped fore-end.  The M-70A has impressed checkering on the pistol grip wrist and the fore-end.  Barrels were round, standard-profile, and shorter than what would become the standard on 3^rd-version rifles at 22 inches. The magazines are smaller than normal, and the internal magazine were “blind” – they lacked the hinged floorplates that most 3^rd-version M-70s had.  Most of the chamberings were introduced with the M-70A, but the .25-06 chambering was introduced in 1972 (along with an option for a 24-inch or 26-inch barrel, instead of the 22-inch barrel).  The .25-06 chambering, along with its longer barrels, was discontinued in 1974.  Shortly after the M-70A’s introduction, several magnum chamberings were introduced; the magnum versions had 24-inch barrels and rubber recoil pads.

     A minor variant, the M-70A Police, was produced from 1980-83.  It differs from the standard M-70A only in the more limited chamberings (7.62mm NATO or .30-06 Springfield) and the oil-finished stock.  For game purposes, it is identical to a standard M-70A of the same chambering.  The M-70A XTR was also almost identical to the standard M-70A; however, the Monte Carlo comb of the M-70A XTR was much longer and lower than that on the standard M-70A.  The metalwork had a deep polished blue finish, and stocks were of walnut instead of cheaper woods, with machine-cut wrap-around checkering on the fore-end (the checkering on the pistol grip wrist was still impressed.  The M-70A XTR was produced from 1978 until well into 1980s and for game purposes is identical to the standard M-70A, including most of the chamberings and barrel lengths. (The .25-06 chambering was never used on the M-70A XTR.)

M-70 Black Shadow

     The M-70 Black Shadow is perhaps an unremarkable sort of synthetic-stocked version of the M-70; it’s stock, though synthetic, is basically identical to that of the Sporter, the though the pistol grip wrist is a little deeper than on the Sporter.  The stock is made of matte black synthetic glass resin covered with nylon, and the external metalwork is matte-blued.  In both cases, the rifle is designed to not give away any unwanted reflections as to not alert prey.  The Black Shadow is perhaps heavier than expected for such a rifle; it does have some extra strengthening in its stock and receiver.  The Black Shadow has no iron sights, but is drilled, tapped, and grooved to allow for a large variety of scope mounts.  The barrels are of standard profile and 24 or 26 inches long, though they are floating and are tipped with a target crown.  The magazine capacity of its magnum-firing versions is also atypical for an M-70. Perhaps the most important thing about the Black Shadow is that is lays the foundation for several similar and improved versions of this rifle later after the FN takeover.

M-70 DBM

     Notes: A special variant of the M-70 Sporter, the M-70 DBM (Detachable Box Magazine), was produced from 1992-95.  Available in most of the same chamberings as the Sporter, the DBM is fed by a 3-round box magazine which fits flush with the bottom of the stock, and drops out with the push of a button.  The DBM used a 24-inch standard-weight barrel, but is a little heavier than the Sporter.  In game terms, the DBM shoots for the most part like the Sporter, and the lines below are often combined.  The DBM-S, offered from 1993-95, was the same, except for its synthetic stock and the lighter weight as a result.  In most cases, however, it still shoots like the DBM.