49' Winchester Model 70 Super Grade .270 Value

O

oOo

Inactive
Has a Leupold M8 scope,

Condition looks to be fantastic, strong bluing, only aftermarket is a butt pad.

What is a fair price, assuming all the above is true?

Thanks and I look forward to being apart of this community! :cool:
 
Go to gunbroker.com and search Pre-64 Winchester rifles that have sold, that'll give you an idea. Having a butt pad installed hurts the value, but my guess would be around $1000 +/- since it wouldn't be considered a collector. As far as I'm concerned the Leupold scope only is worth at most $100, the M8 is several generations old now.
 
oOo said:
Ah, so $1700 is too much?
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Not necessarily, there is not enough info to go on and so I priced it at a shooter grade. No pictures which doesn't help, and finding a 1949 Pre-64 in what you basically described as "fantastic" condition with "strong bluing" makes me believe it has been redone somewhere along the way. Add in the fact that you already know the factory stock has been altered by the addition of a recoil pad, makes it really hard to value.

It really boils down to are you comfortable spending $1700 on that rifle. If you are then $1700 isn't a bad price. If you think you're getting a rifle that's been undervalued by the current owner, you're not.

That's the reason I don't get into Pre-64 Winchester M70 rifles as most people think they're all collectible, and I can tell you they aren't.
 
There is a .270 Win Super Grade on Guns International, listed by Cabela's in Dundee, they've reduced in retail price to $1,439.88. No mention of manufacture date though. MSRP on a BNIB Super Grade is $1439.99.
There's a 1949, .270, pre-64, Super Grade on Gunbroker right now at $2,300.00 asking price. Another '49 .270, SG at $1,799. No bids on either of 'em.
Mind you, there's a guy there who thinks a Duplicate Super Grade stock alone is worth $1,795. Pretty thing so it is.
 
A lot of people think any pre-64 is worth a lot of money. Most are not, but there are just enough folks out there who will way overpay for one that sometimes you see them sell for a lot more than they should. I wouldn't pay $1600 for it. At $1000 or so I might, but if I had $1000-$1600 to spend on a rifle I'd just buy a new one.

In the 70's and 80's any pre-64 sold for a premium. It wasn't because they were all that great. It was because that was the only option for a CRF rifle. Many were used as the basis for custom rifles anyway.

Winchester went back to the CRF action in the early 90's and there are several other options now including Ruger and Kimber. Common model 70's now, even pre-64's are not anything special, although there are lots of people who try to convince buyers otherwise. That is just another 70 year old rifle.

Old Winchesters, just like any other gun, are collectable only when in very rare configurations, and in pristine condition.

I will say this, while I wouldn't pay that much for it. If I owned that rifle, and it had family history, I would't take $1700 for it.
 
oOo said:
Dang, I was hoping it was a jump on it level deal.
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That's the problem with Pre-64 Winchester rifles, if you aren't experienced with them then you can't "jump on" them. Pre-64 rifles need a lot of research to know if you're getting a good deal or if you're taken to the cleaners. That's why I rarely recommend buying a Pre-64 to anyone who's asking "is this a good deal?"

I've only ever purchased one Pre-64 Winchester that I felt I had to "jump on", and I didn't buy it because it was a Pre-64. I bought it because I recognized what the the previous owner tried to do with the rifle and knew he spent some money on it. The rifle was a 1958 M70 FWT that had been rebarreled to .280 Rem, bedded in a Brown Precision stock, and had a VX II 2.5-8X36 mounted. This rifle weighed right at 7.5 lbs and had been built by someone looking for a serious big game hunting rifle they could carry all day.

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I owned this rifle all of three days, I was very glad to pass on a great deal to a young hunter. I paid $650 for the rifle at a pawn shop, and pulled the scope and sold the rifle to a young man for $350. He's killed a few deer with it and hopefully soon his first elk.
 
There's really nothing all that special about pre-64 Model 70s. The one in the picture is a M70 Super Grade. It has been drilled and tapped on the rear bridge, it has been cut for a recoil pad. Nothing really wrong with doing that, but it takes it out of the "collectible" category, collectors want the rifles they buy to be as close as possible to 100% factory finish. Also, the rifle is a 270, one of the most common chamberings (30-06 and 270 were about 80-90% of all M70s made at that time). It is a Super Grade, so that adds a bit of a premium. I think $1700 is not a bad price, but definitely not a screaming deal.
if you aren't experienced with them then you can't "jump on" them
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Absolutely true. A Model 70 is just a rifle, and most of the generation that thought they were the best rifle ever is dying, so there will be a lot of them coming up for sale over the next few decades. A customer of mine just bought a M70 Westerner in 264 Win Mag (a relatively rare model) for $350 because it had been cut for a recoil pad and drilled for sling studs. Also keep in mind that many of the pre-64s on the market have been reworked or rebuilt. I would be especially wary of any "unfired" M70, due to the number of reworked M70s (rebarrelled, welded to plug holes, reblued, rebuilt, restocked, etc).
 
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A Model 70 is just a rifle, and most of the generation that thought they were the best rifle ever is dying
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I'm glad I'm of that generation, I really dont want to live to see Model 70s shunned by people eating soap.
 
In terms of collector value, "fantastic" condition obviously helps. The Leupold scope adds to the general value. It may seem unfair but the pad really detracts from the value for a serious collector.
I agree with jmr40: I wouldn't pay anymore than a grand or so for the rifle and scope. And I am partial to Super Grade Model 70s.
Welcome to the Firing Line oOo.
 
I have a pre '64 Win. M 70 target model in the classifieds right now. It is a shooter, a good shooter. It has been re-barreled with a Hart SS barrel also in .280 Rem. Is it collectable? I don't think so.
If someone wanted to reinstall it, I have the original barrel but it didn't shoot well but it would be original... I do have all the original things that were changed.
Is it a ready to go target rifle, yep. Target everything, target sights, shooting accessories, reloading accessories. Complete package. Worth $1700, no way. I do think it worth what I am asking for a ready to go 4 position rifle. Others may not.
Don't get me wrong M70's are nice rifles but I don't buy folk lore. My previous match rifle was a re-barreled Savage 110 which shot excellent as well.
So is an American made Win. worth crazy money? To some perhaps. To me it may be a pre '64 M70 but still just a rifle... Are you in the market for a little nostalgia?
Or maybe the Win. M70, "The riflemans rifle"...
 
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