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Hello to All on this Forum:

I have been a Winchester owner since 1967 when, at age 19, I bought a 1947 Model 70 .30 Govt. 06 Ser.# 68XXX from an older man who was a mason working where I had a summer job.  I had wanted a .30 06 and he offered me his for $350.  Back then, that was real money, but I didn’t appreciate what I had until later.  It came with an old scope with the reticles so fine you could barely see them, so I knew I had to replace that scope.  For years I hunted it with a Redfield 3×9 variable and used it for deer in PA, TX and Maine.  In 1969 I got a nice 10 point mule deer with it at what today is the Big Bend State Park, but back then was a private cattle and deer hunting ranch of 300,000 acres.   I also used it with 130gr. handholds for woodchucks here PA.  It was a 3/4 minute accuracy shooter if I did my part.  I stopped using it when I got busy with law school and a career then marriage so it lived in my closet for a while.

We were burgled in 1982 and the burglar got it.  I went out to see if I could replace it but there was nothing on the market exactly like it, so I settled for a brand new Winchester “Westerner” push-feed .270 See #G156xxxx.  At least the traditional stock looked similar to the 1947 model and it was accurate.  I hunted that rifle in PA., in TX and in CO with good results, but still pined for a “real” Model 70.  With the onset of computers and online markets for firearms, I was able to get a 1946 Model 70 .30 Govt. 06 Ser.# 53xxx (which cost a LOT more than the old one) and I am working it up for hunting in PA or CO.  I am debating whether to put a Leupold Vari XII 2×7 on it or a classic Weaver K4.

In the interim, I acquired a 1903 vintage Winchester 1895 in .35WCF ser# 41xxx.  This rifle had belonged to my grandfather who stored it in the “camping closet” on the third floor of his home.  He was not much of a hunter and it has good bluing, is is as tight as a brand new rifle with bright bore and sharp rifling.  Probably less than 100 rounds have been through it. I loaned it to a cousin in CO and he told me that with some some 220 gr Nosler handholds he shot an elk and it went right through him like a freight train, the elk dropped like he had been poleaxed.  I still have not had it to the range. This is definitely on my short term to do list. It has a Lyman peep sight on the side. 

That same cousin gave me his pre-64 .220 Swift Ser#425xxx with a 4 x 12 scope which I have yet to take to the range.  It is a beautiful rifle in near perfect condition.  If I can find somewhere with a surplus supply of woodchucks I will take it out.

I also picked up a 1953 vintage Eastern Style (no saddle ring) Model 1894 in .30 30 and it is a peach with near perfect blueing and a near pristine stock.  I don’t think more than a box or two of ammo has ever been through it.  I have fired it at 50 yards with good accuracy and plan to use it on deer this year in PA.

So I am hoping to learn more about these rifles, their history and use.  It is obvious that all the members of this forum are knowledgable and experienced, and I have no doubt I will pick up some gems of information.  

In addition to single malt scotch, my other interests are fly fishing for trout in PA and CO and for Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi and Restigouche Rivers in Canada.  I collect and fish with bamboo fly rods and have about 50 of them in various lengths and weights.  Like the rifles, they are satisfying just to look at and admire when the weather is lousy.  They all bring back memories and dreams of future good days.

Best wishes to all.

Dave Wood