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March 15, 2020
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A friend gave me a SPORTING CLASSICS magazine autumn 2022 issue. An article mentions that the Winchester custom shop was building a rifle for JFK at the time of his death. Understandably they retained the rifle. Anybody know what became of it? Don
November 7, 2015
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86Win said
A friend gave me a SPORTING CLASSICS magazine autumn 2022 issue. An article mentions that the Winchester custom shop was building a rifle for JFK at the time of his death. Understandably they retained the rifle. Anybody know what became of it? Don
You can see this rifle at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
Mike
April 30, 2023
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TXGunNut said
86Win said
A friend gave me a SPORTING CLASSICS magazine autumn 2022 issue. An article mentions that the Winchester custom shop was building a rifle for JFK at the time of his death. Understandably they retained the rifle. Anybody know what became of it? Don
You can see this rifle at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
Mike
I mustve missed that one, but not a shocker. It was a lot to see on a first visit!
August 27, 2014
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86Win said
A friend gave me a SPORTING CLASSICS magazine autumn 2022 issue. An article mentions that the Winchester custom shop was building a rifle for JFK at the time of his death. Understandably they retained the rifle. Anybody know what became of it? Don
pp. 270, 282, 283, The Rifleman’s Rifle
“If you can’t convince them, confuse them”
President Harry S. Truman
November 5, 2014
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Hi 86Win-
Winchester held back Model 70 receiver S/N 500,000 to be built as a presentation piece said to have been intended for President Kennedy. As Mike said, the gun is on display in the Cody Firearms Museum, as it was never presented.
The rifle was built as a Super Grade Featherweight Westerner. Chambered in 264 Win Magnum, fancy stocked with Style B carving (omitting black fore end tip), and engraved/gold inlaid by John Kusmit. It featured prominently in Winchester catalogs late in the game, for example pic from the 1963 catalog.
For unknown reasons, I came to acquire an original Winchester Kodachrome taken of the rifle, along with a few B&W photo prints. Must have been a special format camera as the positive color slide is about 3″x8″ give or take.
Check it out next time you visit the CFM…
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
November 7, 2015
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Jeremy P said
TXGunNut said
86Win said
A friend gave me a SPORTING CLASSICS magazine autumn 2022 issue. An article mentions that the Winchester custom shop was building a rifle for JFK at the time of his death. Understandably they retained the rifle. Anybody know what became of it? Don
You can see this rifle at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
Mike
I mustve missed that one, but not a shocker. It was a lot to see on a first visit!
It’s not a very remarkable rifle other than the circumstances. Can’t recall the section it was in last. Embellished weapons?
Mike
November 5, 2014
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A few pics from the CFM display of this “unremarkable” rifle… 
Cheers,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
January 20, 2023
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Lou, from your images the barrel appears to be the 22″ light contour version that was standard for the Featherweight. When chambered in 264 Win. Mag., those guns were notorious for recoil and ear-splitting muzzle blast. I’ve never owned one but have sat next to a pariah who tried to sight one in at a local range. Tried.
It has always been a mystery to me why savvy guys like Dave Carlson and Tom Henshaw didn’t scream bloody murder about putting such a stubby barrel on a lightweight gun that was going to ignite huge quantities of the slowest powders available to force a long skinny bullet through such a small bore!
It is an uncomfortable coincidence that WRA settled on a 6.5 bore for the President.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
July 17, 2012
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Zebulon said
It is an uncomfortable coincidence that WRA settled on a 6.5 bore for the President.
Wow, I never thought of it that way, weird coincidence for sure!
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
March 15, 2020
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Lou, I hope to get to Cody next July and will check it out. Don
August 8, 2024
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I have always admired the “JFK” Model 70, and thought that it was a shame that He did not receive it. I have a friend of mine that has been taking his Feather Weight Westerner to my hunting camp in Spring Creek, Pa for years. He uses 100 Grain hand loads, and has no problem getting his venison each year with it. I don’t find the recoil severe, but the muzzle blast is quite loud! They don’t call this gun the Flame Thrower for no reason.
November 7, 2015
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Louis Luttrell said
A few pics from the CFM display of this “unremarkable” rifle…
Cheers,
Lou
Lou-
Must admit I kinda let the cat out of the bag when I hinted it was in the Embellished Weapons section. Actually it does seem a bit plain in comparison to some of the guns in that section.
Mike
March 15, 2020
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If JFK wasn’t killed would Winchester have done more to it? Don
November 7, 2015
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86Win said
If JFK wasn’t killed would Winchester have done more to it? Don
The impression I got was the rifle was completed prior to JFK’s assassination on 11/22/1963.
Mike
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