steve004 said
For me, the key here is that it is a takedown rifle.
This was ordered as basically the opposite of ordering a rifle with two barrels/front ends.
And when a rifle was ordered with two barrel/front ends, those front ends were never identical (e.g. different chamberings and/different barrel lengths).
In this case, the stocks were different.  And as was suggested, maybe one for display and one for hunting.  
And of course, rather than the task of needing to use a screw driver to change the stocks out, the extra receiver was already attached to the buttstock, so the simple operation of the takedown mechanism made the task quite simple.
  

Very possible... and undoubtedly a "one-of-a-kind" special order.

Bert

This was ordered as basically the opposite of ordering a rifle with two barrels/front ends.

And when a rifle was ordered with two barrel/front ends, those front ends were never identical (e.g. different chamberings and/different barrel lengths).

In this case, the stocks were different.  And as was suggested, maybe one for display and one for hunting.  

And of course, rather than the task of needing to use a screw driver to change the stocks out, the extra receiver was already attached to the buttstock, so the simple operation of the takedown mechanism made the task quite simple.

I see you already corrected the typo... S/N 436105 is a 1958 gun.  So 68 years old is right...  

You're not thinking it was a factory custom job are you?  If it were factory it would have been engraved by John or Nick Kusmit.  The deep relief engraving and engraving/carving patterns do not look "factory" to me.  Winchester would not have put that much time into carving a stock with wood that plain... Pauline Muerrle could provide a definitive answer if there's a question.

IMHO the value of an aftermarket embellished gun (whether the engraving increases or hurts value) is dependent on the taste of the prospective buyer... If you like it, then adds value... Otherwise not...

Best,

Lou

I'm not the best one to comment on prices... For all the M70 surveying that I do, I rarely pay any attention to prices.  The last 300 H&H Magnum pre-64 M70 I bought had the (rare) factory stainless steel barrel and it was pricey...

The way I look at it, any high condition intact unaltered pre-64 M70, even a Standard rifle or Featherweight in 30-06 (the common guns) are going to cost $1600 to $2000 these days if buying from a dealer or via an auction.  Like your Son, many people think the 300 H&H Magnum is pretty cool, and they go for more, maybe 50% more...  I wouldn't consider the $3000 low estimate on that RIA gun to be too high given its condition, it's all the added costs (premium/tax/shipping) that would push it beyond what I'd be willing to pay.

If you're specifically looking for a 300 H&H Magnum, one thing to be aware of is that they did NOT come with a recoil pad and the bridge was NOT factory D&T until around s/n 170,000. The gun I pictured above is a n Alaskan (338 WIN MAGNUM) and those did have pads... An added pad or D&T bridge on a 300 H&H Magnum is a 50% reduction in value (IMHO), so paying the kind of prices I'm talking about above for an altered one is a bad move...  So get to know what an unaltered one looks like... 

As for where to find one...  I guess the "usual" places...  Depends on whether participate in auctions or GB/GI.  They are not "rare"... Any more, RIA seems to be relegating pre-64 M70s to their "On-Time" (internet only) auctions and sometimes there will be a dozen or more pre-64 M70s in a single auction.  Likewise LSB, Amoskeag, Morphy, Richmond, Redding, etc.  If Dave Morris (Frontier Guns) lists one on GI it's probably a good gun...  I recommend just being patient... 

Curious what others think about prices and where to shop...

Lou

Al