Chuck said
Burt, nice letter.  What is meant by "Winchester high velocity"?
  

The "Winchester high velocity" indicates that the barrel was Nickel Steel versus the standard high strength steel, and that the sights were regulated for smokeless powder versus the standard black powder sights.  Usually, the entry in the ledgers was "W.H.V."

This is an example:

Bert

Zebulon said
 A 2 minute rifle will easily stay within an 8 inch circle at 400 yards. Four hundred yards is just one hell of a long way to be shooting at a live, unwounded game animal. 
  

I believe if you have a good rifle and load and you have practiced at 400 yds or further, 400 yds is not too far.  Most hunting rifles can shoot well out to 400 yds.  I don't hunt anymore but I do shoot way farther than 400 yds every week.  I'd feel comfortable beyond 400. 

tionesta1 (AL) said
The pistol grip looks like the I checkering pattern, but the forend is not a factory pattern.
  

This is factory I-pattern on a pistol grip... noticeably less total coverage.

Bert

The factory would fit Super Grade style detachable sling swivel bases on special order.  When they did, they installed the front swivel base like they did on a Super Grade, meaning that two knurled nuts were set into the barrel channel for the base machine screws, and there is no center hole and inletting for the standard sling swivel.  It's easy to see if you can pull the barreled action out of the stock.

The SG butt stock swivel base was positioned such that the eye of the swivel base sat in the same place as the fixed loop of the standard swivel.  Most people adding SG bases to an existing standard stock would use the existing hole as either the front or back hole for the two SG base screws.  The result is that the SG base is either too far forward or too far back, which is obvious.  If they positioned the swivel base correctly, drilling two new holes, there is a vacant hole in the center that shouldn't be there if it was a factory job.  You'd have to remove the swivel base and look.

It is possible to find M70 standard grade rifles or Featherweights with factory SG swivel bases.  It's just that most were installed aftermarket. 

Lou  

The 1964 Model 70, for all its cosmetic faults, is provably more accurate out of the box. The barrel is floated and the action is stiffer. 

The pre-64 and later versions of the Model 70 are more than accurate enough as hunting rifles in any reasonable circumstances. They are capable out of the box of far more inherent accuracy than nine out of ten hunters are capable of reaching, much less exceeding. A 2 minute rifle will easily stay within an 8 inch circle at 400 yards. Four hundred yards is just one hell of a long way to be shooting at a live, unwounded game animal. 

Darrin Smith said

Burt Humphrey said
This one is pretty unique with the rifle butt, capped pistol grip, full magazine and in great original condition.
  

Very nice Burt. Pretty sure I hadn't seen the configuration before. What cal. Is it?
  

Mark

Burt Humphrey said
This one is pretty unique with the rifle butt, capped pistol grip, full magazine and in great original condition.

Very nice Burt. Pretty sure I hadn't seen the configuration before. What cal. Is it?

That is a 220 Swift Standard (not Varmint) rifle.  Standard contour, not Medium Heavy, barrel.  Hence the forearm screw is factory. The 220 Swift was added to the Varmint rifle in 1959, but it was available in the Standard rifle throughout this time.

The SG swivels are probably added aftermarket...  There are ways of determining this, but they require seeing the barrel channel with the action removed and/or the butt stock swivel base be removed...

Best,

Lou

Chris D said
Show us the lower tang. You cannot get a letter showing its configuration, ony serial number date