Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 .30-06 Springfield 24 Inch Bolt Action Rifle, Manufactured 1948 C&R
Archival record: Specifications and condition reflect the firearm as listed at the time of auction.
Final Auction Price: $1,433.99
Few American sporting rifles have achieved the reputation of the Winchester Model 70. Introduced before World War II and eventually earning the famous nickname “The Rifleman’s Rifle,” the Model 70 became a benchmark for American bolt action sporting rifles. This pre 1964 Standard Rifle was manufactured in 1948 and chambered in the quintessential American .30-06 Springfield cartridge. It features a serial matching bolt and is currently equipped with a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x scope, with its original rear sight and front sight hood also included.
Identification
MMA#: 260622EC001
Make: Winchester
Model: Model 70 Standard Rifle, Product Number G7004C
Serial Number: 81462
Year of Manufacture: 1948
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Magazine and Hinged Floorplate
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Sights / Optics
The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed into a textured ramped base. The original rear sight has been removed from the barrel, leaving its sight cutout empty.
The left rear of the receiver is drilled and tapped, with two screws currently filling the holes.
The receiver is fitted with scope bases and rings holding a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x scope with a duplex reticle. The view through the optic is clear. The power, focus, and parallax adjustments function correctly.
The scope assembly shows a few small scrapes, and the ring screws exhibit use.
The rifle’s original blade and riser rear sight and a front sight hood are included.
Stock Configuration & Condition
The checkered hardwood stock has a pistol grip, two sling studs with loops, a fluted straight comb, and a replacement Pachmayr rubber recoil pad.
The wood shows several scrapes and scratches. There is discoloration toward the rear of the butt adjacent to the recoil pad. The pad and spacer also show discoloration, while the pad itself exhibits moderate wear.
Length of pull measures approximately 13 1/2 inches from the front of the trigger to the rear of the recoil pad and 12 1/4 inches to the rear of the wood.
The stock has been refinished.
Overall stock condition: Very Good Plus as refinished.
Finish & Overall Condition
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Refinished
This rifle retains approximately 90 percent of its metal finish as refinished.
The metal surfaces show scrapes and scratches. The barrel has small areas of finish thinning associated with cleaned surface erosion as well as scattered spots of oxidation. The bottom metal exhibits additional thinning and discoloration from oxidation.
The action shows normal operational wear. The screw heads show use, while the markings remain clear.
Importantly, the bolt is serial matched to the rifle, though the matching serial marking is light.
Overall condition: Very Good Plus as refinished.
Bore & Mechanics
Bore Condition: The muzzle and grooves are semi bright and the rifling remains deep. Fouling is present. There is erosion at the muzzle as well as scattered light erosion within the remaining grooves. In the original evaluator’s opinion, the bore rates 8 out of 10.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly during mechanical evaluation. The rifle was not test fired. As with any previously owned firearm, suitability for use should not be inferred solely from a mechanical function check.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories
Included are:
Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x scope and mounting assembly
Leather sling
Original blade and riser rear sight
Original front sight hood
Our Assessment
The Winchester Model 70 is one of the defining American sporting rifles of the twentieth century. Introduced in 1936, it combined features valued by serious riflemen with the refinement expected of Winchester’s premier bolt action sporting rifle. Its reputation eventually produced one of the most enduring nicknames in American firearms history: “The Rifleman’s Rifle.”
Among collectors, the rifles manufactured before Winchester’s major 1964 redesign occupy a category of their own. The term “pre 64 Model 70” has become shorthand for the original production design and the workmanship associated with Winchester’s earlier manufacturing era.
This rifle dates to 1948, placing it firmly within that classic postwar period.
Its .30-06 Springfield chambering is especially appropriate. By the time this Model 70 was manufactured, the .30-06 had already accumulated decades of American military and sporting history. Its combination of power, versatility, and widespread ammunition availability helped establish it as one of the dominant American big game cartridges of the twentieth century.
The 24 inch barrel and traditional walnut stocked configuration are characteristic of the Model 70 as a serious sporting rifle. The internal magazine with hinged floorplate and substantial bolt action reflect the practical design that helped build the Model 70’s reputation among generations of American hunters and riflemen.
This particular rifle has undergone changes during its life and should be understood accordingly. Both the stock and metal have been refinished, and a replacement Pachmayr recoil pad has been installed. The rifle has also been configured for scoped use, with a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x optic currently mounted. Its original rear sight and front sight hood have fortunately remained with the rifle and are included.
Of particular interest is the serial matched bolt. Matching components are an important detail when evaluating vintage rifles, and the bolt on this example retains its matching serial marking, although that marking is light.
Condition is Very Good Plus as refinished. Approximately 90 percent of the refinished metal finish remains, with scratches, areas of thinning, oxidation, and normal operational wear. The bore retains deep rifling and rates 8 out of 10, though fouling, muzzle erosion, and scattered light erosion are present.
The refinishing means this rifle occupies a different collector category from a high condition, completely original pre 64 Model 70. What remains, however, is an authentic 1948 Winchester Model 70 with its matching bolt, classic .30-06 chambering, original sight components, and a quality Leupold optic.
For the collector or enthusiast interested in the Model 70 as an American sporting rifle rather than solely as an untouched investment grade specimen, this rifle retains much of what made the pre 1964 Winchester famous in the first place.
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Every firearm featured in the Mt. McCoy Auctions Vault is professionally photographed, carefully cataloged, and thoroughly documented to preserve its history and condition. Our archival records provide collectors with detailed information regarding originality, condition, mechanical function, and historical significance, creating a lasting resource long after each auction has concluded.
