FN made Winchester Model 70s?

S

Smith and Wesson

New member
How are the new Model 70s made in Columbia, SC by FN? I am particularly interested in their accuracy, fit and finish, and overall quality. I know they're probably not going to be as good, but how does the quality and fit and finish of the Winchester Model 70 compare to a rifle known for its high quality such a Weatherby Mark V?
 
Not as good? Who told you that? IMO they are as good or better. Better fit and finish than the late 1950s Model 70s at least (not pre-war), and better than the post-64s. My favorites are still the USRAC M70 Classics, because I like the old-style M70 trigger, but you take your pick.
 
Ive got one of the FN Special Police Rifles. Its frickin AMAZING.

No kidding it shoots 1/2-3/4 MOA all day long. Ive heard guys claiming their guns were this or that. In fact i bought this one used from a well know gun writer. I even took what HE said with a grain of salt

Then i got this rifle to the range and could NOT believe the way it shoots

FN did these RIGHT!!!
 
fit and finish on every one i have seen has been superb. maybe not the same grade walnut of the mark v but none the less the way the rifles are put together is top notch.

every single one i have shot has a real tight chamber and has been a .5 moa rifle.

trust me you will not be dissapointed
 
I own a FN made Model 70 Super Grade from South Carolina and they are REALLY nice. Lot of attention to detail.

I love their Featherweights too.

I liked the first one so much that I ordered a Coyote Light in Model 70.

I am kind of a rifle snob and like Weatherby, Sako, and Kimbers, but the FN Model 70s are fantastic. Buy with confidence.
 
I would add that I researched the FN model 70s heavily before I bought one and all the feedback on them was positive.

FN did a great thing there. They basically restored Model 70s to their former glory, in my opinion. They returned them to the pre-64 action too.

The only thing about the FN model 70s that is a problem is their availability. I had to special order the Super Grade and the Coyote Light. The Featherweights are around, however.
 
The one thing I don't like about the FW rifles is the thin barrel. After three shots I have to let mine cool or groups start to walk. I don't mind sitting it down and grabbing another rifle till it cools but with a standard rifle you can get a few more shots before the barrel becomes hot to the touch. Case in point is my pre-64 270. Takes it a bit longer to get hot like the FW.
 
How are the new Model 70s made in Columbia, SC by FN?
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I have two, both from 2008; a 243 and a 30-06.

They're excellent.

I don't have a Weatherby Mk V, but I do have a Vanguard in 30-06 and it's a good solid rifle. The Winchester is quite a bit better, though.
 
Generally the FN made Winchester 70's are probably the best shooters of any generation of Winchesters. I have seen some spotty situations of poorly made wood stocks. They will probably never match the workmanship of the pre WW-2 rifles, but are better than most anything since.

Winchester is planning on moving assembly to Portugal. Supposedly they are already being assembled there, but I've not actually seen one. They are an unknown at this time. I'd expect them to be just fine, but until they start selling them it is hard to say how they will compare with the SC rifles.

FN did a great thing there. They basically restored Model 70s to their former glory, in my opinion. They returned them to the pre-64 action too.
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The pre-64 action was brought back in 1992 with the New Haven made Classic line of rifles. This is where the 70 had a chance to be the best built rifles. The early rifles, 1992 up until about 2000 or so are as good as any made. Arguably better than the FN's. The problem is that starting around 2000 quality got spotty and ruined the reputation of a great rifle. While out of the box the FN's are a great rifle, I'd still rather have a 1992-2000 made 70.
 
Here's Winchester's web site on their Model 70:

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/category.asp?family=001C

They're the first commercial company I know of to say the barrel must be free floating from the receiver forward; no pressure points or under-chamber pad at all.

They also say their barrels hold straight in rapid fire because they're hammer forged and stress relieved. But you should expect only 3 shots to stay inside 1 MOA with premium ammo. Very strange accuracy claim for a barrel that's supposed to stay straight even during the heat of rapid firing. I wish they would spend another $20 manufacturing cost to square up the receiver face with the barrel tenon threads so their good stress relieved barrels would put 10 to 20 shots in 1 MOA with premium ammo while the barrel really got hot. Cover that expense by adding $30 to the price and I think most folks would gladly pay for that.

That aside, they are now probably the best Model 70's made to date.
 
But you should expect only 3 shots to stay inside 1 MOA with premium ammo
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Yep, and anymore you can look for them groups to open up...been there. Three with a minute or two wait between shots and it's good to go. You'd best let her cool a bit after that and then start again. My great expectations of getting a 1 inch five shot group went to pot real early when I first got my 270. I learned to wait. Those last two shots opened the group up to nearly two inches.

There's a 4 ounce difference between specs on the FW and the Sporter. I can only surmise that extra 4 ounces is in a somewhat larger barrel with the sporter.
 
ColColt said:
Bart B. said:
But you should expect only 3 shots to stay inside 1 MOA with premium ammo
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Yep, and anymore you can look for them groups to open up...been there. Three with a minute or two wait between shots and it's good to go. You'd best let her cool a bit after that and then start again. My great expectations of getting a 1 inch five shot group went to pot real early when I first got my 270. I learned to wait. Those last two shots opened the group up to nearly two inches.

There's a 4 ounce difference between specs on the FW and the Sporter. I can only surmise that extra 4 ounces is in a somewhat larger barrel with the sporter.
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So does that mean the groups start walking after you fire three shots or more out of a FW, but not a sporter? Because I want a Sporter model not the FW.
 
I think it means all barrel weights and sizes will start walking bullets after a few shots. An issue with virtually all commercial rifles mass produced.

Having shot both Remington and Winchester heavy barreled match and varmint rifles, they all walked shots as the barrel heated up. After 6 to 8 shots in a bit less as as many minutes, barrel temperature stabilized and they held zero pretty good as long as the rate of fire was maintained at about one shot per minute.

I think it would cost about $30 per receiver to square up their faces with the barrel tenon axis so all those good, stress relieved barrels would not bend as they heated up. And some folks would pay an extra $40 per rifle to have one that held zero as the barrel heated up from ambient to very hot just like well built match rifles do.

Sometimes "heat walking" is masked by out of square bolt faces shooting reloaded cases with slightly out of square case heads. I've seen this happen as zero's held well for a couple of shots then went way out in left field with the next shot. This is typically no more than a 1/2 MOA issue and would cost another $30 or so per action to square the bolt face up. And a subsequent price increase of another $40 to customers, but some would pay for this, too.

But the bean counters in rifle company board rooms have a lot of clout and when they and the marketing strategists tell the CEO and other board members that another $80 added to the wholesale price will stifle sales, they are willing to put up with shots walking all over the target. And tell prospective customers it'll happen.
 
Bart says:

square up their faces with the barrel tenon axis
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That's critical for accuracy in any rifle. You'd be surprised how much difference that little trick will make.

As to the Model 70s, I have several, I'm a huge Model 70 fan, and its my opinion the FN Model 70s are the best of the lot, bar none.

Lets talk about "walking". Walking does occur and it occurs more in Featherweights then others, but being old and wimpy I like Featherweights for hunting. So when I got my FN Model 70 it was in Featherweight because it was going to be a hunting rifle.

When I shoot my other Featherweights, I found they do start walking as they get warm. I can normally get 5 rounds before it gets too bad. Which really isn't a problem in a hunting rifle, in shooting at game and you need more then 5 rounds you have more problems then fixing "walking" will cure.

Having said that, I expected the same from the FN, it didn't happen. FN Model 70 Featherweight barrels are free floated (at the factory) and don't make contact with the stock when they get hot.

This doesn't affect my hunting because I doubt I'll get 3 rounds out before the critter is hit, or left the country. But I do like just plain shooting sessions and found out I can shoot a lot longer with the FN Model 70.

And yes its accurate, smooth (smoothest out of the box bolt gun I ever had). The FN trigger is easy to adjust (Though I never felt the need to adjust mine, It came set at 3.5 lbs which works for me.

Also the FNs are pleasant to look at.
 
Bart, I first ran into this "Damned bean counters!" thing when I worked in engine development at the Chevy test lab in Detroit in 1962/'63. We knew what could be done, vs. what the bean counters allowed.

Then, in 1986, I was griping to a Toyota guy about the change in the front suspension of the 4WD pickups from the old solid front axle to the independent wishbone: "Art, you're just 20% of the market; 80% never go off-road."

I suspect that 80% of the Model 70 market is satisfied with "the way things are" and that folks like you and me are in the 20%.
 
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