Now granted hitting a wild game animal is another ballgame all together. 

Sincerely,

Maverick

P.S. I'll also agree that most people can't hit the broad side of a barn! Let alone the door hinge screw on the barn door. 

I doubt that any of you contributing to this thread would qualify as "the average hunter" because you shoot too much! 

I don't have the opportunity to practice shooting at more than 200 yards and that has only been since last year. Public ranges where I live are limited to 100 yards and they are closing as urban sprawl moves further out each year. 

I thought this thread concerned Winchester Model 70 accuracy. My own experience has been limited to:

1. 1950 Super Grade 30/06 with a floated barrel that subsequently had a splot of bedding compound placed just aft of the forearm tip. With its Lyman 48 WJS, it will.shoot into between 1.25 to 1.5 inches with ammunition it likes. 3 shot groups from sandbags. I'm not the original owner. 

2. A 1956 Featherweight 30/06 with an unmessed with factory bedding. About 1.5 inches from sandbags, scoped.

3. A 1951 Standard .270 that had been shot quite a bit before I got it. Scoped and from bags, my best 3 shot group was 1.1 inches. 

4. A 1966 Standard 243. Scoped and from bags it would average closer to an inch. It was virtually new when I got it. 

A nicer 1960 Featherweight in 30/06 that hasn't been tested at 100 yards yet.

A 1948 Model 70 action rebarreled with a heavy 26" SAKO 22-250 barrel and bedded in a 1954 Super Grade stock I still need to get chamber cast! 

A 1980 375 Holland I haven't tried at 100 yards yet

A 1980 African I haven't shot at all. 

So, my experience in the field with a Model 70 is modest. With effort, perhaps a pre'64 in a major hunting caliber will shoot closer than mine will. 

But I don't think the average hunter, who shoots 10 rounds to check zero once a year, has any business shooting at game animals at long range. Long range for most is more than about 200 yards from a rest and probably 75 yards offhand. From what I have observed. 

The finest instrument any aspiring hunter can get is a good quality 22 repeater,  lots of ammunition, and lots of OFFHAND practice.  It will.work wonders, in time. 

antler1 said
"There’s no reason on a solid rest at 400 yards you should be about to cover up your thumbnail all day long with a scope on. As long as nothing is wrong with your rifle. " Maverick's Quote
  

and you said ?? 

I would lay money that not 1 in 1000 shooters could lay 3 to 5 shots into a thumbnail size group at 400 yds. Either misinformed or never tried it.

R.Marshall said
Thats awesome! Thanks for your help Bert. I guess I got lucky on this one. 
  

It is most certainly a fine looking Model 1894

antler1 said

Maverick said

Chuck said

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. 
  

I hope you gentlemen are talking about a 8 Inch Circle free-handed. And are we talking open sights or a scope?
There's no reason on a solid rest at 400 yards you should be about to cover up your thumbnail all day long with a scope on. As long as nothing is wrong with your rifle. Or yourself for that matter (eyesight being a huge factor). Depending on what part of the country you are in most people don't shoot past 100-200 yards, especially here in the south. Usually they don't have the land to shoot much further or its not open enough and has too much cover to see much past 100 yards. I have some places I hunt there are a mix of hardwood bottoms, piney woods, and open agricultural fields. 
I shot a 8pt buck year before last at 375 yards in a open cornfield and you'd thought I shot it off the moon the way some people around me hunt.
Each there own though. Certainly don't shoot any further or rather any distance at all that you're not comfortable doing so.
Sincerely,
Maverick
  

I would lay money that not 1 in 1000 shooters could lay 3 to 5 shots into a thumbnail size group at 400 yds. Either misinformed or never tried it.
  

why do guys like you have to get on the band wagon about that kind of accuracy ??? Who said that other than you ? I didn't and nobody else. 

R.Marshall said
sn# 359876 just misses getting a CFM letter I beleive. 
  

It does just miss the mark.  

Based on my research survey, I am now of the opinion that your rifle is 100% factory original. The picture below is a snap-shot of my survey file.  It appears that Winchester made a small batch of similar rifles in that serial range.

Bert

Bert

twobit said

Private Smith said
Thanks Bert. That's what I figured, and it's good to get confirmation from an expert.
I haven't encountered many '92's with a ramp front sight. It was the first thing that caught my eye while it was on the rifle rack.
Additionally, I've read somewhere that the numbers stamped on the lever, lower tang, etc, are bin numbers for factory redo's.  
Mine has 305 stamped on the lower tang and the lever.
  

Hello,
I have sampled 164 carbines with the ramp style front sight while working on my research survey of the Model 1892 rifles.  I do not have Good images of the proof stamps on of the rifles but 49 of them have Oval/P proofs designating non factory replacements.  71 rifles have just the W/P proof stamp indicating factory work.  The balance (44 rifles) have "no data" for the barrel proofs.
Michael
  

Thanks Michael for your update. Chris

Maverick said

Chuck said

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. 
  

I hope you gentlemen are talking about a 8 Inch Circle free-handed. And are we talking open sights or a scope?
There's no reason on a solid rest at 400 yards you should be about to cover up your thumbnail all day long with a scope on. As long as nothing is wrong with your rifle. Or yourself for that matter (eyesight being a huge factor). Depending on what part of the country you are in most people don't shoot past 100-200 yards, especially here in the south. Usually they don't have the land to shoot much further or its not open enough and has too much cover to see much past 100 yards. I have some places I hunt there are a mix of hardwood bottoms, piney woods, and open agricultural fields. 
I shot a 8pt buck year before last at 375 yards in a open cornfield and you'd thought I shot it off the moon the way some people around me hunt.
Each there own though. Certainly don't shoot any further or rather any distance at all that you're not comfortable doing so.
Sincerely,
Maverick
  

I would lay money that not 1 in 1000 shooters could lay 3 to 5 shots into a thumbnail size group at 400 yds. Either misinformed or never tried it.

Maverick said

Chuck said

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. 
  

I hope you gentlemen are talking about a 8 Inch Circle free-handed. And are we talking open sights or a scope?
There's no reason on a solid rest at 400 yards you should be about to cover up your thumbnail all day long with a scope on. As long as nothing is wrong with your rifle. Or yourself for that matter (eyesight being a huge factor). Depending on what part of the country you are in most people don't shoot past 100-200 yards, especially here in the south. Usually they don't have the land to shoot much further or its not open enough and has too much cover to see much past 100 yards. I have some places I hunt there are a mix of hardwood bottoms, piney woods, and open agricultural fields. 
I shot a 8pt buck year before last at 375 yards in a open cornfield and you'd thought I shot it off the moon the way some people around me hunt.
Each there own though. Certainly don't shoot any further or rather any distance at all that you're not comfortable doing so.
Sincerely,
Maverick
  

it varies in PA. 100 to say 300. Farmland quite a ways. My Bedded M70 .30-06 can shoot under an inch at 200. I was happy I found a M70 .270 WCF, I had one years ago I got rid of, a past friend found a 721 Rem for me, .270 with a 24 inch barrel, didn't spend much time loading for it, so don't know the potential.