OK, I just finally have to ask this...

K

k77/22rp

New member
I have been wondering for a long time and could probably find out by doing a search but am too lazy.

WHAT happened in 1964??? As in Pre-64 Model 70's what is so special about them and if there so great then why has winchester stopped manufacturing them as they were before 1964?

Thanks alot guys this has been bothering me for quite a while.
 
A

Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
Lazy? Yeah, "Too sorry, even, to steal tools." :D

After 1964, they went to rolled or stamped checkering instead of cut checkering. Changed to push-feed. Changed the safety. Generally less "final finish" effort.

No loss of accuracy insofar as a shooter, however.

Tha's all I'm agonna tell ya, 'cause I'm lazy, too.

:D, Art
 
J

James K

Member In Memoriam
The Winchester 70 was based on the Winchester 54, which was based on the U.S. Model 1903. The Winchesters had the same type of extractor and cone breech as the '03.

The real bummer about the post-64 rifles was that some bean counter decided that one stock should fit all, so the barrel channel was made the proper size for the thick .375 H&H barrel, leaving a huge gap for thinner barrels. Winchester tried to pass this mess off as "free floating", but no one fell for that one.

The stock itself had a thick plastic finish, and used awful impressed checkering with big diamonds and an ugly border. All in all, it was bad, and looked worse when compared with the pre-64 rifles. Winchester lost sales by the hundreds of thousands. Most buyers went to Remington, which had a better looking product, even if it also used impressed checkering.

The guns shot, though, and the "floating barrel" might even have helped. Winchester also made a mistake leaving the bottom of the receivers rough from the forging to save money, so most buyers thought the receivers were cast. In fact, they were (and are) forged, while the pre-64 receivers were machined from bar stock.

Jim
 
S

Sylvilagus Aquaticus

New member
Pretty much what has been said before is it. I bought my First New Rifle in 1975, a Winchester M70 in 30-06 manufactured that year. Actually, my Dad bought it for me, as a Christmas present. Push feed, with that funky plunger ejector and pressed checking equal only to that you might find on a high-grade Glenfield. I did, however, admire the plastic end caps and slick white-line spacers, but hey, it was the '70's.

Took a bit of manipulation to get it to shoot; eventually I shimmed the forend with a business card for a little upwards pressure on the barrel; it also might, maybe, help in identifying it if it ever got misplaced and the serial number vanished under a Makita. Still got it; shot my first deer with it... from 15 feet, while it was browsing under the tree limb I was sitting on. So much for 3x9 variables and the splendid long-range ballistics of 30-06!

Regards,
Rabbit.

"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started..."
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
I seem to recall that they also changed the metal in the Model 94 rifle to a higher nickle content steel.

This led to the "purple" Model 94s that appeared when guns were reblued.

I know a lot of people don't like the post-64 guns, but the Winchester 1200 pump shotgun was one hell of a good gun for the price.
 
A

AZ Jeff

New member
The reason for the purple hue on the color of 1894 receivers has to do with the base material. As part of a cost reduction for the M94, Winchester changed from conventional steels to a cast steel in the receiver. This cast steel won't take blueing the sameas the old bar stock steel, and often has this purple hue to it.

If someone with some metallurgy background is on TFL, maybe he can elaborate on exactly what grade of casting alloy Winchester switched to on theM94.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top