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I purchased a beautiful Model 70 this past week (it just arrived this morning) and I assume it is the Heavy Target version vs. a Bull. There is a slight taper just ahead of the receiver and I can only assume the Bull has no taper. Is this correct? It is a 30-06. The stock forend is much wider than my 1950 NM. I can load photos this evening.
If you are not familiar with the differences between the Bull and target, easiest way to differentiate is to measure length of barrel. The ’06 target will be 24″ long, the ’06 Bull will be 28″ long. The Bull barrels are always 28″ regardless of caliber.
Steve
Hi Earl-
If it helps, the first picture is a 30-06 Target Model (from 1948) and the second is a 30-06 Bull Gun (from 1957):
Like Steve says, they’re not hard to tell apart. The 28″ barrel on the Bull Gun is a muzzle heavy beast. The later “Heavy Weight Target” model with the 24″ barrel was what Winchester called the “Target Model” after it was brought back into the catalog in 1955. Still the same 24″ medium heavy barrel as the Target Model first introduced in 1937, only the muzzle had two 6-48 D&T holes for a front sight block instead of a dovetail like the earlier guns (as pictured above), and they did not come from the factory with metallic sights.
FWIW… The width of the fore end on a Marksman stock was 2 3/8″ – 2 1/2″ wide whether the rifle was a National Match, Target Model, or Bull Gun, and did not get narrower towards the muzzle (except for some really early guns). Only the weight of the barrel varied, not the dimensions of the stock.
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
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