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June 24, 2021
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Browsing through a for sale site , there was advertised a 1961 264 WM Westerner Featherweight, I was lead to believe they where not introduced until mid 1962 , fake or possibly due to the anomaly with the oversupply of Short Magnum actions during that period
serial no was correct for 1961
Thanks in advance
April 15, 2005
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What is the serial number? What website is it listed on?
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 5, 2014
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Hi Gary-
Based only on serial number I suspect that the rifle is genuine. You are right that the 264 WIN MAGNUM Featherweight-Westerner didn’t appear in Winchester’s own catalogs until 1963, but they were available by at least mid-1962. For example they are listed for sale in the 1962 Gopher Shooters Supply catalog and their mid-1962 print ads. It makes sense that rilfes assembled in 1962 would, in part, be built using receivers made in 1961.
Roger Rule reported that (3116) Featherweight-Westerners were shipped in total. Looking at the M70 survey, to date we have (294) serial numbers recorded (9.4% of the total produced). Based on this sample, (2%) were made using 1960 dated receivers, (20%) were made using 1961 dated receivers, (73%) were made using 1962 dated receivers, and only (3%) were made using 1963 dated receivers. So it appears that nearly all of them were built in 1962…
Interestingly, of the small number from 1963, there are (6) recorded in 300 WIN. MAGNUM!!! None of the earlier Featherweight-Westerners are in that chambering, suggesting that Winchester actually did make a handful of 300 WIN MAGNUM Featherweights at the tail end of production, i.e. that they’re not all fakes… 
.
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
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