Make: Winchester
Model: 70 Standard Rifle, Product Number G7004C
Serial Number: 47473
Year of Manufacture: 1942
Caliber: .30 GOV'T. '06 (.30-06 Springfield)
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Hinged Floorplate Magazine
Barrel Length: 24" Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to a hooded, textured, ramped base forged to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "U" notch elevator sight dovetailed into the barrel. The top of the chamber ring is drilled, tapped, and filled for an optic mount (none present). The bridge is not drilled. The left-rear of the receiver is drilled, tapped, and filled for a receiver sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is one-piece checkered walnut with a pistol grip, straight comb, sling swivels at the front and rear, and a checkered steel buttplate. The stock has only a few scattered minor marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures approximately 13 5/8" from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The buttplate has strong finish with well defined checkering. Overall, the stock is in about Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original, the bolt is serial-matching.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is infrequent minor erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates an 8 or 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 98% of its metal finish. The action shows minor operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. There is a safety mounted on the top-rear of the bolt. Pushed to the rear, the safety is OFF. If pushed forward all the way, it locks both the bolt and the trigger. If pulled back half-way, it blocks only the trigger. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 70, known as the “Rifleman’s Rifle”, is one of the most iconic American sporting rifles ever made. It was introduced in 1936 as Winchester’s new and significantly improved bolt-action rifle chambered in big calibers, firing high velocity cartridges capable of taking big game, and for use in so-called big-bore target matches. The Model 70 has been prized by hunters and shooters alike for nearly 90 years, and is one of the benchmarks by which all bolt action rifles are measured. Pre-64 examples of the Winchester Model 70 are held in particularly high esteem.
This Rare, Wartime US WW2 Era Winchester Model 70 Standard Rifle was made in 1942 and is chambered in .30-06.There were not many Winchester Model 70 sporting rifles made during WW2, as the demand for M-1 Carbines and M-1 Garand service rifles for the US military took precedence by a wide margin. Indeed, by July 1942, Winchester had been ordered to halt all production of Model 70 Standard Rifles in .30-06 by decree of the War Production Board. Additionally, US Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock, the legendary USMC sharpshooter of the Vietnam War, used a Winchester Model 70 Standard Rifle (scoped of course) chambered in .30-06 as his primary sniper rifle during the early stages of Vietnam. All of those Model 70s in the Marine Corps’ inventory during Vietnam were pre-WW2 or early WW2 manufactured examples that had been purchased by the Corps during WW2. In fact, this rifle falls in the known serial number range (it’s not one of the rifles listed by serial number, but there were many more rifles ordered than serial numbers recorded) of 1,000 Winchester Model 70s in .30-06 ordered by the US Marine Corps in 1942 for “sniper rifles, team guns, and match shooting awards”. The .30-06 cartridge served the US military well for much of the 20th century, and also became one of the most popular sporting cartridges in the nation. This rifle is in Excellent condition, retaining 98% of its original blued finish, a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling, and strong mechanics. This is a beautiful example of an early production Winchester Model 70 Standard Rifle manufactured in 1942, in the dark, early days of US involvement in the Second World War.
RIFLE