"Social distancing" and an old Winchester

[jwood1284]

Covid19 downtime has allowed me to dust off my "good camera" and hone some skills. This time the subject is my 1956 Featherweight .30-Gov't-06. A rifle that's been around the block countless times, but the vast majority of its history is a mystery to me. Everything is still here, from the front sight hood to the original buttplate. I imagine the Redfield Jr. base and rings have been with the gun for a minute, and the M8 4x28 Compact since 1979 as the serial dates. A previous owner probably upgraded from an old Lyman or Weaver 4x. The eyebox is a little tight, but the gun comes up fast, and the duplex is right there. Fresh rounds go in feeling like air. It ejects every time. The trigger is considered heavy by most, but it breaks exactly when the brain expects it to. Creep and over-travel have been tuned out at some point. It likes 150, 180, and 200gr bullets, and accurate loads are easy to come by. 8lbs-2oz as you see here, lighter than 90% of the guns in my safe. The heavies can get stout, but 150-165 class loads can be shot all day long, even with the aluminum buttplate. It doesn't get carried much, and I can't think of a good excuse as to why. That's going to change. One more thing to look forward to on the other side of this crap.

I'm still planning on getting to Africa; if there is a rifle of mine that deserves to go...

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I have one just like it, made in 58. Sweet rifles.

 

[shootist~]

Great looking rifle and your picture skills are outstanding.
Lets hope we all get to go to Africa at some point.

 

[crs]

Nice M70.
Mine is only 3 years older and just well broken in! Fwt .308 loves 165 -169 grain Hornady Superperformance. Still shoots sub MOA. It is light, but MagnaPort job stopped muzzle jump making repeat offhand shots easy. Fortunately, second shots are rarely needed unless dumping more than one hog per flush.
Deer hunting with my kids made it look older than it is, so I had it reblued and the stock refinished 15 years ago. That is an M8 4 power that has not needed adjustment for 20 years.


BTW, your rifle will be fine for African plains game, leopard and varmints.

 

[Ray B]

Above is a pre-70, pre-54 Springfield Model 1903 Mark I, somewhat modified from its original form. It retains the original 30-06 barrel but shortened to 21" and stock replaced with full Mannlicher. The scope is a Lyman Alaskan 2.5x. I would have preferred that the stockmaker installed a steel buttplate rather than the recoil pad, but when it was done the pads were all the rage.

 

[RayAtkinson]

You just described my 1953 Win. mod 70 fwt 30-06 to a T, even the mounts rings an bases and the 4x28 Leupold, other than mine has lost most of its blue, and the stock is fancy grade driftwood with flat worn checkering....Its been to Africa and other parts of the world no less than 20 times, shot all the Plainsgame and even a buffalo and two Hippo..a number of deer and elk locally...Im a gun whore and will sell most any gun on a given day, but this one will be handed down in my family..All in all its about the perfect rifle for 95% of most peoples hunting..I have many guns but I could get by just as well with this old 30-06 and my .375 Ruger