They are a decent rifle
Some of them are very fine. I have a post 64 (G prefix ser#) model 70 Varmint in .22-250 that will match anything in its class, and beat some of them.
The three "big 7" guns are the Model 70 Winchester, the Remington Model 700, and the Ruger model 77. I can't tell you about them after they went to stainless and synthetic stocks, but I know these guns from back in the 60s and 70s when they were made of blued steel and wood. All three are fine rifles. They have their good features and the less good features, and which is which is mostly a matter of opinion. People like one model over another for the feel and the features, not because any one of them is clearly superior to the others. Any one individual rifle may shoot better (or worse) than any one individual rifle of the other brand, or even the same brand and model.
The model 70 was available in a number of configuration, including a "featherweight" version, a varmint model (with a heavy barrel), and there were also less expensive versions based on the model 70 action as well. Model 70s were used by marine snipers in Vietnam for a time. Jack O'Connor, longtime editor of Field & Stream was a big fan of the model 70, calling it the "rifleman's rifle". He was speaking of the pre 64 gun, but the post 64 guns are not junk, even if they are not the same as the earlier ones.
What caliber is the one you are holding for your son?
