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JFK Winchester rifle
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October 11, 2024 - 8:29 pm
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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

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October 11, 2024 - 10:45 pm
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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

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October 11, 2024 - 11:29 pm
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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!

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October 12, 2024 - 12:16 am
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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

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October 12, 2024 - 2:09 am
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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.

1963-Catalog-p9-copy.jpgImage Enlarger

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.

M70-SN-500000-PS.jpgImage EnlargerM70-SN-500000-2.jpgImage Enlarger

Check it out next time you visit the CFM…

Lou

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October 12, 2024 - 2:17 am
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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

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October 12, 2024 - 2:22 am
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A few pics from the CFM display of this “unremarkable” rifle… Laugh

IMG_2320.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2321.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2322.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2324.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2325.JPGImage Enlarger

Cheers,

Lou

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WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters

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October 12, 2024 - 2:45 am
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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 

 

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October 12, 2024 - 3:04 am
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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

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October 12, 2024 - 5:35 am
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Lou, I hope to get to Cody next July and will check it out. Don

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October 12, 2024 - 1:08 pm
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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.

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October 14, 2024 - 3:53 pm
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Louis Luttrell said
A few pics from the CFM display of this “unremarkable” rifle… Laugh

IMG_2320.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2321.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2322.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2324.JPGImage EnlargerIMG_2325.JPGImage Enlarger

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

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October 14, 2024 - 5:43 pm
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If JFK wasn’t killed would Winchester have done more to it? Don

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October 14, 2024 - 7:32 pm
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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

Life Member TSRA, Endowment Member NRA
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Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe
I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call, Lonesome Dove
Some of my favorite recipes start out with a handful of depleted counterbalance devices.-TXGunNut
Presbyopia be damned, I'm going to shoot this thing! -TXGunNut
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