doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com novice help with some model 70s

I have recently decided to sell some of my guns to get some more desirable or collectable guns. My real love is shotguns and I don't really have any particulars other than they need to be in great shape. Now my delema. I recently sold some guns and was going to buy an engraved Superposed, but I was at a customers house and he was trying to sell his Model 70s so I asked if I could see them. They were all pre 64s. Well they were in really great shape,beautiful accually, all original and he wanted to sell them all at once, so with money in my pocket I couldn't say no. They are a 270 Super Grade 1951, a 375 H and H Mag 1951 with a full box of period shells, and a Featherweight 30-06 1956. I really only wanted the 270 but he would only sell them together. I had plans on selling the other 2 but they are in such nice shape that I am getting kind of attached to them. I think I paid him a fair price and hope I didn't overpay too much. It was my biggest gun/guns purchase to date. I paid $6000. I realize these are only 55 or so years old but are these collectable guns? I don't think I would ever use the 375.
Sweep

They are very collectable! I'm not sure the Featherweight is worth $2000, but the other two are likely worth more than $2000 each. Wish I could afford the .375 H&H.

I think you did okay, but didn't cheat your friend. They are very desirable guns. As Don said, the featherweight isn't worth anywhere neear 2000, but the others are worth a fair amount more. Overall, you probably have at least $500 more value than you have in them.

I have a early 50's 30-06 featherweight in 90% blue condition. I came into it for a reasonable price, and offered it for sale because collectors are always complaining about practical types like me using collector grade guns as the basis for custom rifles. I couldn't sell it for $875 last fall, so broke it down for the parts and am building a custom rifle on the pristine action. The barrel, aluminum buttplate and bottom metal, and stock are worth enough to buy new ones that suit what I want better, and the action is unbeatable for smoothness and quality. That's the real shining point of these old pre-64 winchesters. With a custom barrel with express sights and a stock made to fit me, it will make an excellent .375-06 hunting rifle, and will function better than any new action I could buy today for the $600 or so the action is worth.

dave

Sweep,

Provide that the guns are as clean as you describe and "unmolested", you should be able to keep the .270 for a lot less than it's worth.

Good shooting.

They are IF the .270 Supergrade is really a Supergrade and not a counterfeit- I have a Supergrade in .270 made in 1947- a "transition gun" with the older "cloverleaf tang" and the stamped SuperGrade on the magazine plate is as shown in Rule's book- also, ALL pre-1960 (last year for SuperGrade in the quality pre-64 series) SuperGrades will be so marked- on the barrel receiver area, but you have to remove the barrel & receiver group to see it.

The featherweights don't shootgroups like the std. wt. barrels made before 1953- from 1937 to 1953- aprox. the Model 70's has single point hook cut rifling- took about 11 minutes for a 24" barrel- when they brought out the "cheaper" Featherweight in 1953- they went to a lighter 22" barrel (in .308) with broached rifling, they also went chinsy with an aluminum trigger guard and floorplate and aluminum buttplate, instead of the forged steel- plus the anodized aluminum made it look "cheap"-still a pre-1964 M70 though. If you don't have a copy of Roger Rule's "Bible" entitled "The Rifleman's Rifle" you need one, now that you are the proud owner of the best Mauser long extractor BA factory production rifle ever made in the US of A (and Jack O'Connor agreed, and you'll love the .270.

I have a std. grade M70 in 30-Gov't-06 my late father bought new in 1940-I like the '06 due to greater variety of loads and bullet styles, neither are for sale- If you can't find a copy of the Rule Book, I have a second edition I'd sell for $400 plus insured USPS. It also covers the semi-great M54 predecessor, and even treats the post-1964 POS WRA tried to "foist off" on the American gun buying public. Last FUBAR they made was in 1903, when Ed Bennett told John M. Browning to "piss up a rope" with his (Browning's) request for a royalty on his new Auto-5 shotgun, and we all know how WRA set the shotgunning world on its ear with the M1911, M1940 and other "clunkers"- RWTF

Years back I weighed the FW floorplate and guard and my recollection is that there was about 4oz difference from the steel parts. This was enough so that I put them on every pre64 that passed through my hands while I had the rifle. My grand old 1941 Super Grade '06, that I have owned for over half a century, weighs 9 3/8 lbs with steel parts and an Alaskan in Stith Streamline mounts. This was overmuch even when I put the FW bottom on and I had a 1947 receiver built into another '06 by Cloward, using a Van Patten rebored Swift 26" barrel, FW bottom metal, and a Leupold 1.75-6x. This came to exactly a pound less. This too began to seem weighty and I went to Ultra Light for a .270 with 26" barrel and another Leupold, a 2.5-8x, which is 6 7/8 lbs. I am too lazy and decrepit to hunt much any more but still have and occasionally shoot all three rifles. It is curious that the UL even with hot light magnum ammo seems to kick distinctly less than either of the heavier rifles with standard loads.

Forgot to say that the Cloward rifle has very well shaped Pacific Research plastic stock.

Thank you all for the replies. I think I'll try to sell the 375 at a local gun show. And maybe the Featherweight (not sure on that one yet). RWTF The guy I bought these from bought them new (or so he told me) but I have no reason to think he wasn't telling me the truth. I'll have to try and find Mr. Rules book.
Thanks again
Sweep

Sweep- you'll have a long hard look for that book by Roger Rule. Try Collector's Firearms on Fondren Ave. in Houston for starters-I read all the ads in Gun List-have never seen a copy. Did find one on E-Bay at $750.00 My offer for me MINT second edition at $400 plus $25 shipping insured stands to you ONLY for 30 days. Advise by PM if you are interested. The .375 is very desireable, the .358 scarce as hen's teeth- but I have a G&H custom on a pre-64 action in .35 Whelan that is a nice "split" between the hard kicking .338 Win Mag and the much better .375 H&H Mag. If I didn't have the .35Whelan (and I get Rem 100 grain Core-Lokt shells around $25.00/box locally) I might be tempted to make you an offer on that .375. Be very careful of the "wolves in sheep's clothing" at gun shows- more hucksters there than at a P.T. Barnum hosted Friday night poker game-- RWTF

Suggest you try Interlibrary Loan for the book. Our local library lets me submit a request on the computer and when the book arrives they send me an email.


The Rifleman's Rifle
by Roger C. Rule
# Publisher: Stackpole Books (November 1982)
# ISBN-10: 0811714241
# ISBN-13: 978-0811714242