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April 26, 2015
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Recently my brother showed me a nice Model 70 in .243 that he had in the back of his safe for at least 40 years. Serial number 354755 (made in 1955) has a heavy 26 inch stainless steel barrel that is a rough, dark blue with the face of the muzzle polished. I’ve never seen a barrel like that on a Model 70 and wonder what chemical process was used to produce the dark, almost gritty finish. Recently fitted with a Leupold, it’s a dream rifle to shoot.
Bruce,
It sounds like it is one of the Varmint grade rifles, and the barrels were plated with iron so that they could be blued.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 5, 2014
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I’m sure Bert is right.
Winchester introduced the “varmint rifle” with Monte Carlo standard stock and 26″ Medium Heavy (target weight) barrel in 1955 when they brought out the .243 Winchester (in Featherweight, Standard, Varmint and Target rifle format). The varmint rifle was only chambered in 243 WIN until about 1960, when the 220 Swift chambering was added. Thus, the early varmint rifles (243 WIN) have steel butt plates, while the later ones (243 WIN and 220 Swift) have composition butt plates.
The stainless steel barrels could not be blued using any process available at the factory prior to the early 1960s. The expedient solution was to bead blast the surface of the barrel to get a uniform matte surface, iron plate the barrel, then apply conventional blue finish. The plating sometimes flake off these barrels in spots revealing the stainless steel underneath. The muzzle was protected during the finishing, so is polished and ‘in the white’.
Cheers
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
April 26, 2015
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Thanks so much! You fellas have perfectly described the rifle right down to the Monte Carlo stock. I’ll forward your comments to big bro. Also, that steel buttplate is a thing of beauty!
Thanks again, Bruce
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