WINCHESTER MODEL 70: Past & Present Rifles

[Music] you the winchester model 70 is commonly referred to as the rifle men's rifle this is because the model 70 has every feature a hunter could want in a rifle it's made with good quality in mind it's attractive in appearance and it's competitively priced basically it's everything a hunter wants in a hunting rifle the model 70 is obviously based on the Mauser 98 design but in my opinion the model 70 is actually an improved version of the Mauser that was tailor made specifically for hunters you know Winchester improved the recoil lug design with the model 70 you know it has a better safety it has a better trigger it has a better cane design you know it's got a better floor plate you know and it's produced in magnum actions that could chamber big cartridges without extensive modifications like you had to do to the Mauser receiver you know and the Miele 70 cycles much smoother than any Mauser action did you know and if you want to get really technical the model 70 it isn't a direct descendant of this Mauser you know if you if you really want to get technical the Springfield 1903 evolved directly from the Mauser you know then the model 54 evolved directly from the Springfield and then the model 70 evolved directly from the model 54 so when people claimed that the model 70 is a direct copy of the Mauser this isn't exactly true the model 70 could be more accurately characterized is the great grandchild of the mauser the model 70 is big and continuous production since 1936 and is still the benchmark that every other hunting rifle manufacturer compares their rifles to the first thing you have to keep in mind with the model 70 is that there were several production phase in the history of the model 70 now first we have the pre 64 rifles which are considered to be the ultimate old-school choice in a hunting rifle no many claim that a smoother feeding rifle than a pretty 64 model 70 doesn't exist and I agree with that it was the last remnant of an age where skilled craftsmen and machinists made firearms with no expensive spare you know pre 64 rifles are broken down into pre-war and post-war models you know the difference being that post-war rifles were manufactured with the ability to mount of scope so just depends a lot of people like the machining and craftsmanship better on the pre-war rifles a lot of people liked the scope mounting abilities of the post-war pre 64 rifles better but this is basically an icon in the hunting world then came the post 64 rifles which are somewhat less desirable due to the change from controlled round feed to a push feed design these actions were also a little bit sloppy in comparison to the pre 64 actions and you know the stocks were cheaper and lacked that nice cut checkering of the whole design you know but even at that the post 64 rifles were still a better quality rifle than a remington or savage of its day then we have what's referred to as the post 2007 rifles or the FN models initially these were made by FN and south carolina and then later production moved to Portugal you know these posts 2007 rifles are going to be the focus of the rest of the video because that's what's currently on the market and just to let you know these are every bit as good of a rifle as the pre 64 were when FN took over production of the winchester model 70 in 2008 basically the Rifleman's rifle was reborn you know all production models went back to that classic pre 64 control round feet design with its massive claw extractor that fully controls around four chamber and an extraction hunting rifle purists demanded that Winchester bring back controlled around feet for over 40 years and FN finally listened the receivers on the FN made model seventies hour machined from a solid block of forged steel with no ugly machining marks or imperfections and unlike the Remington 700 and other competitors the recoil lugs on the model 70 are machined into the receiver rather than being a separate component or a simple barrel washer you know these were made to withstand the rigors a heavy recoil better than other rifles and as much as everybody loved that classic model 70 pre 64 and even post 64 trigger the new MOA trigger is actually a fantastic upgrade over the traditional design you know there's no longer a need to send your rifle to the gunsmith for a trigger job FN actually created a factory trigger that has zero creeper over travel or take up and the MOA trigger is made completely with stainless steel components in order to minimize the likelihood a trigger failure due to rust or wear the sear and actuator in this trigger are Teflon coated to give the trigger a super smooth feel to you know contrary to initial concerns by internet naysayers the MOA trigger has now seen hard use all over the world for the last 12 years and it's proven itself to be just as reliable as the hole trigger design you know all of the initial concerns over the MOA trigger having you know they to me they've been pretty much laid to rest over the last decade people saying that the MOA trigger isn't good are just probably regurgitating something they read on the internet back in 2008 this is actually a great trigger you know the new FN mate rifles also wear high military-grade cold hammer-forged ethane barrels you know the FN machines that make machine gun barrels for the military now they make barrels for the model 70 so you know you know they're made tough into exacting tolerances you know the the recess target crammed on these rifles you know also gives great accuracy and protects the crown from dings and scratches while you're out in the field you know the new FN made model 70s are probably the most accurate model 70s produced since 1963 also the floor plates on the FN model 70s are made from pure metal not flimsy plastic like those used on Remington Savage and [ __ ] rifles this is a quality rifle at a good price also unlike the Remington 700 and other bolt-action rifles the bolt on a model 70 can be broken down and clean in the field with no tools the model 70 really is made for hard use and remote locations where you don't have tools or a gunsmith available the model 73 position safety is the perfect safety for a hunting rifle you know a hunter spins a hundred times more effort loading and unloading the rifle than they do actually shooting it and the three position safety is the safest way to go all the way back on the model 70 that's full safe it locks the trigger it locks the firing pin and it locks the bolt from being lifted you know it's important to note that a bolt locking feature should be mandatory on a hunting rifle because you know a boat can easily be accidentally opened while trenching through thick brush or from rubbing on your clothes when the rifle slung you know it's also very easy for the bolt knob on a bolt-action rifle to snag on vegetation and get lifted up a little bit you know in bringing the bolt out of battery you know that means you're not gonna fire the weapon when you need to you know but this won't have with the model 70 the middle position on the model 73 position safety locks the trigger and the firing pin but it allows the bolt to be open and closed so you can load and unload the rifle while it's on safe you know any good hunting rifle should allow the user to load and unload the rifle with the firing pin blocked then the model 70 does that the forward position is fired in the large panel knob on the model 70 makes it very easy to flip them forward under stress and get a shot off you know it doesn't require fine motor movements to operate like the Safety's on some rifles do also the straight comb stock design with decelerator pad on the FN model 70 is extremely comfortable and does a fantastic job of mitigating recoil you know the fact that winchester keeps their stocks on the heavier side you know also really tames recoil and adds a better balance to the rifle in my opinion the model 70 line of hunting rifles are made in many different configurations for specific types of hunting you can get a rifle made for everything from varmint hunting the elephant hunting you know since the standards porter and the featherweight rifles are what proliferate the market the most I'm going to discuss a few other variations of the model 70 the Safari Express is probably the perfect rifle for large and dangerous game in addition to all the standard model 70 features it's built more robustly than other models 70s are the Safari express is built with double recoil legs meaning it has to recoil legs instead of run one recoil lug you know this is to absorb the punishing recoil of large dangerous game calibers the Safari Express also comes with dual steel cross bolts you see those right there and what these do is they add rigidity between the frame the stock the barrels and the receivers on these rifles are also noticeably beefier which not only adds strength but adds a little bit of much welcome weight to tame the effects of recoil the nice one it stocks have both front and rear bedding but like with any production rifle no matter who makes it I break out the DEF CON and i rebid all of my rifles and it's no different than these you know even though these Safari Express rifles come in big powerful calibers there were a noun for shooting tiny one whole groups at the range you know if your shoulder can handle it you know the the barrels on these rifles are top notch in the quality Department iron sights on these rifles are also fantastic the rear sights fully adjustable and the front hooded brass bead site gives a super-fast sight picture under even the most stressful conditions you know the receiver is drilled for scope mounts but be mindful that this is an extra-large Magnum action you know I used these worn mounts with this 416 in order to get proper eye relief on this but also with heavy recoiling dangerous game calibers you have to be very mindful of eye relief when you pick a scope because you don't want your eye to be too close to this when you pop off a hot load of 416 or for 58 the Safari Express rifle has a barrel band sweeps level stud on it on heavy recoiling rifles a stock mounted swing stud can really tear up your hands under recoil so Winchester was smart and they put this the sling swivel stud on a barrel band mounted on the barrel to protect your hands this rifle was just purpose-built with dangerous in calibers in mind also unlike the Safari expresses main competitor the seasoned 550 the model 70 is very cleanly with and has a great trigger out-of-the-box and it feeds smoothly and without multiplication you know in its price range no other manufacturer could come anywhere close to the quality of the Safari Express throughout the history of the Model 70 there have been many special runs you know when the newer FN rifles are no different FN also likes to do special runs this is one of my favorite special runs it's a model 70 stainless laminate and 375 H&H Magnum it has a long 25 inch barrel so you could turn the 375 into a long range rifle you know it has a stainless receiver and Barrel which resist corrosion and are really tough laminate stock that won't swell in wet weather it also sports great backup iron sights with a hooded front sight bead you know this is the perfect rifle for moose brown bear and a do-it-all rifle for Africa these sold like hotcakes as soon as they hit the shelves and I was lucky enough to snag one when they came out but you know Winchester will often come out with special runs of limited edition rifles you know in addition to being practical many of them are also highly collectible the super great has been in the model 70 product line since the 1930s and FN continues it today it's a good tradition in essence a super grade is a standard sporter rifle that's been refined by smoothing out the edges and highly polishing the metal surfaces before adding a deep high-gloss bluing to it as you can see the bluing on this is just beautiful the bolt handle is also knurled for a better grip and the bolt is polished and jeweled for smooth function in a great look super grade walk rifles wear top grade walnut or maple stocks with intricate cut checkering they also have an ebony for to a shadow line cheap piece and a nice metal grip cap in addition to this on all of the super grades the metal floor plate is engraved with the word super grade the barrel on these is also stamped with the word super grade you know these super grade rifles really should shoot much better than a standard grade rifle but they do seem to feed a little bit smoother and they look noticeably better than the standard sporter the newer FN made model 70 rifles are definitely the best mass-produced hunting rifles currently on the market not only did FN go back to the venerable pre 64 controlled round feed design but they improved on it with a one-piece floor plate a better trigger out of the box you know better barrels an anti bind rail you know an even better gas management the fit finish and quality of the new FN rifles is a step above the post 64 models in my opinion you know and might even be better than anything that was produced after World War 2 you know and they're definitely way better than anything that Remington puts out nowadays me custom hunting rifle manufacturers copy the model 70 action like Kimber the Montana rifle company dakota arms and several more but unlike the remington 700 actions where you have to buy a custom action to get a good gun the winchester factory model 70 action is actually good or better than custom aftermarket actions you know what these actions are precision machined from solid forgings on the most modern high-tech cnc machines in an iso 9000 certified factory that makes military weapons you really aren't going to find a better model reciever than the ones that FN already makes now that you've heard all the good things about the new model 70s what about the cons you know there are a few bad points about the FN model 70 first of all FN hasn't been kind to lefties at all you know they did make a couple of limited-edition left hand models 70 runs but in general FN doesn't regularly supply the market with the left hand versions of the model 70 you know if you're a lefty that wants all the great features of a model 70 you know you're better off buying a Montana rifle you know or maybe even look at a seasoned 550 and send it out to a Smith to get the action smooth up and have the trigger worked over you know I've I've talked to countless lefties that wish winchester would make a left-handed model 70 but FN just really doesn't seem to be listening to him and secondly the new FN model 70s they're assembled in Portugal I really wish they were made in the USA like the original South Carolina FN guns were but you know I also understand that Winchester wants to make a high-quality full-featured rifle that Remington prices you know and that can't be done for a profit here in the United States also remember the model 70 had to change in 1964 to compete with the cheaper Remington guns you know then the Winchester plant in Connecticut closed in 2006 because they couldn't compete with the cheaper hunting rifles on the market you know it it cost significantly more money and energy to produce a Model 70 than it does to produce a remington 700 so in order to maintain the same high standards of quality at affordable prices the model 70 has to be assembled somewhere else you know I always try to buy American when I can so the fact that these are no longer made in America is regrettable but at least they didn't move production to some sweatshop in China or the Philippines or Malaysia you know and lastly I wish FN would sell model 70 actions to the public you know like FN used to do with Mauser actions back in the day but I really believe that the actions alone on these would sell like crazy I know I'd buy a bunch of them the model 70 is basically the best hunting rifle that an average man can afford you know it wasn't made for shooting tiny groups on paper or for sitting in some expensive safe for show-and-tell you know the model 70 it was made to hunt bongo in the jungles of Africa mule ease in the Sonoran Desert in you know things like musk oxen the ardor you know it was made to function with 100% reliability while a pissed-off Dagenham boy charges and you know your life depends on getting off a shot under pressure you know the model 70 was designed so you didn't have to worry about cycling dusty ammunition that you pulled off your ammo belt or you know so you don't have to worry about tiny extractors breaking or sticking ejector plungers in the heat of the moment the model 70 is made for those that hunt hard and for a hunting rifle in its price range in my opinion the model 70 is still the king it still deserves the title of the Rifleman's rifle and as always thanks for watching my video and good hunting [Music]

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Rating: 4.8803062 out of 5

Keywords: model 70, winchester model 70, FN model 70, safari express, supergrade, model 70 supergrade, M70 rifle, model 70 safari express, pre 64 model 70, pre 64 vs current model 70, desert dog, model 70 rifle, model 70 alaskan, m70 winchester, winchester rifle, 3 position safety, hunting rifle, best hunting rifle, model 70 vs remington 700, new model 70, m70 gun

Id: TzOpLr6zFo0

Length: 22min 11sec (1331 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 25 2019