Help identify a bastard of a Model 70

E

Etrangere

Inactive
Hello guys,

I reach out to you from the cold mountains of Norway. I have recently bought a Winchester Model 70, 375 H&H, and my problem is that the magazine box is too short for the cartridges. I bought it cheaply, and the seller informed me of the problem, but unfortunatly I am not as skilled a handyman as I could wish. With the purchase, I got a bit of info on the rifle, wheter the info is correct, I have no idea, but she is supposedly from Belgian Congo, and came to Norway with an expat returning home. The stock is not original, and ill fitting, but wood I can handle. My problem locating the correct magazine box is this: the barrel is stamped with a serial suggesting she was manufactured in 1955, but the barrel has no notch for a mauser type extractor, and the bolt is obvioussly a push feed one. The reciever has no serial, and no markings other than an "A" stamped underneath, and I have no idea wheter its a mix and match, or if its been rebarreled. If any of you could provide me with some info, either on the rifle, or which sort of magazine box I should buy, I would appreciate it greatly!
 

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Pre 64 action with a post 64 push feed bolt sounds like a recipe for trouble, I question the wisdom and possible risk of injury trying to mate those parts together. No way would I shoulder that rifle and fire it, the reward isn't worth the risk.. William
 
It appears the barrel may be a pre-64 on a post 64 action. There is no SN on the action according to the OP so it is hard to date the action. Just a guess of course.
 
No law in the US to have the serial number on the receiver before GCA 68 was passed, so manufacturers often put the serial number on the barrel. So if it is a post-64 action, it was between 64 and 68, pretty narrow range of time.

Jimro
 
Two issues I can see:
1- the receiver is not a 375 H&H receiver, therefore a 375 H&H mag box will not fit. The magazine cutout on the bottom of the receiver is not the long magnum magazine box cutout.

2- You need to figure out what receiver you have before continuing. The scope base screw spacing is different for a pre-64 and post-64. You might have a total mismatch of a pre-64 barrel in a pre-64 receiver with a post-64 bolt, or just a simple barrel mismatch of the post-64 action with a pre-64 barrel. Either way, it's not a simple fix. Then, closely examine the action to see if you have a magnum bolt face.
 
If you ever get the magazine to fit and feed rounds, with a mismatched "bastard" rifle I'd 100% definitely have the headspacing checked.
 
Winchester has been putting serial numbers on the receiver ring for a loooooong time. Perhaps it left the factory in a lunch pail... or maybe the receiver from a M54 Win??? Next contestant please...
 
This is certainly curious, and I am of no help with answers, but I have a couple of questions. The person you bought this from was not the one who brought it from Belgian Congo? Would it have been used as a single shot, never concerned about loading the magazine box? Did the seller ever use it? Is Bubba a Belgian name also?
 
AFAIK, ALL Model 54 and Model 70 Winchesters had the serial number on the right side of the receiver ring, NEVER on the barrel. If that rifle does not have a serial number, the number has been removed. (That would be illegal in the U.S.; I don't know about Norwegian law.)

Jim
 
As a huge Model 70 fan I'd love to be able to examine the rifle to see what's what.

If, you can find out what you need to make the rifle shoot, the best place I know of for Model 70 parts is Jack First in Rapid City SD.

I'm not sure they will ship international, they might. Some parts they will only sell to a dealer, or put on themselves.

An example I needed a safety. Since I'm not a dealer, they would only sell it to me if they installed it. Stating Liability Reasons.

I don't really understand that, Model 70 safety's are relatively simple.

Anyway I'm sure there is some one in Norway who can examine the rifle and tell you what it needs to make it a shooter. Almost in possible to do without examining the rifle.
 
With the exception of the first seereies of post 64 M70..

the post 67/68 had the bolt lug slottted as a "anti-bind" device.
The first seriis post 64's didnot have the slotted lug as coul fit the pre 64's actions.

The first series post 64's didnot have a "G" precede the SN, the series series post 64 [67/68] did have the "G" which continues to this day.

Hope this helps and post more pictures.
 
Any chance it's a Model 70 barrel on some other make of bolt action rifle? It's sounding less and less like a Model 70 all the time...

Tony
 
Need more pictures, especially of bolt and bottom of receiver. All pre 64 actions were the "long receiver". All pre 64's could use a 375 H&H cartridge if the bolt face was opened the correct amount for a belted round, if the magazine box was the correct length, and the extractor ring does not have a stop. Shorter cartridges required an extractor ring stop which shortened the bolt throw. Shorter cartridges used a smaller magazine.

Since this thread has no posts from the OP since 1 July, I expect he has found the answer he wants.
 
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