The History of Our Firearms Part 1 – Winchester Model 70.

I’d like to introduce you to our newest column. From time to time I will cover the history of a particular firearm it will be relatively short but still be enough to give you the gist of where our favourite firearms came from. This time its the Winchester Model 70.

The Winchester Model 70 or “The Rifleman’s Rifle” was first introduced in 1936 as a controlled round feed (CRF) which had many features of the Mauser action but was more or less based on the Winchester Model 54 rifle.

The CRF version of the Model 70 was made up until 1963 where it was replaced with the push feed Post ‘64 version. The post 64 version retained the 3 position winged safety, but the complete redesign saw the fall of the CRF action with the cheaper and more Rem 700-like push feed action. This was basically done as a cost cutting exercise to compete with Remington’s Model 700 in price and features. The post-64 action saw some minor improvements in 1968 such as an anti-bind feature to make bolt operation smoother, a steel floorplate (original post-64 rifles had an alloy floorplate) and stainless magazine follower. The Post-64 version never got the love that the pre-64 CRF rifle did.

It wasn’t until 1992 when US Repeating Arms company reintroduced the Pre-64 version (or close enough to it) of the rifle as the Winchester Model 70 Classic which was very much the same action as the pre-64 except that it kept the post-64’s anti bind locking lug. At one point you could buy either the Post or Pre-64 versions in most Mod 70 variants.

1992 also saw the release of the CRPF action or Controlled Round Push Feed which basically changed the design of the Post-64 action to allow the short extractor used on the post-’64 models to ride over the extraction groove on a cartridge, giving controlled feeding without the use of the long Mauser type extractor.

This now takes us to the next major event in the Model 70’s life. In 2006 it was announced that Olin (Winchester’s parent company) would shut down the Winchester factory in New Haven, Connecticut. This meant that all production on Winchester Model 70’s (and other rifles made in the same factory such as Model 04 Lever action) ceased and at that stage looked as though the legendary rifle would no longer be made. In fact, they weren’t made for 18 months.

In October of 2007 it was announced that FN Herstal would begin to make the Model 70 at their factory in Columbia, South Carolina. The Model 70 rifles that are available today are all the Pre-64 design with a new trigger the MOA Trigger. So whilst they may not be made in the same factory as what they were for 70 years they are still available new today and we all should be thankful that we can still purchase such a great rifle as the Winchester Model 70.

Related posts:

1. Video Tuesday Ruger’s History of the Gun Part II
2. New Gun Safes & Gun Care Products From Winchester
3. Video Tuesday – The History of Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA)

Tags: history, Model 70, Post-64, Pre-64, rifle, Winchester, Winchester Model 70

Category: featured, Keith Drain's Column