Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Just came across an interesting ad. In the Apr 60 issue of Guns Magazine: http://www.gunsmagazine.com/1960issues/G0460.pdf
At page 63. A Gopher Shooting Supply, Fairbault, Mn. ad under the heading of “Something Special”, for a run of Winchester Custom Shop Mode 70 Featherweight rifles. The barrels are without sights and the dovetail cut has been eliminated. Rifle illsutraton with Monte Carlo stock. Chamberings in 30-06, 27 Win and 243 Win. Priced at $134.95
Interesting and poignant reminder of ‘never say never’!
My take
I have the .270 and .243 in this configuration.
It only took me 5 years of pestering my friend to finally have these.
To think he wanted 10x this amount for each….
Larry and I have them listed in the Red Book of Gun Values as “Gopher Specials”, manufactured between serial numbers 440793-465040.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Gopher Shooters Supply was a rather large distributor that sold firearms and reloading supplies in Faribault, MN. It was owned, I believe, by Clarence Perdie. Back in the 60’s, going there was akin to going to Herter’s in Waseca which was probably about 30 miles away. Clarence also started Bonanza reloading dies and presses which are now owned by Forster. The company didn’t last long after his death.
November 5, 2014
Offline
Thank you Iskra for this post. I’ve been looking for something containing that ad for the Gopher Shooter’s Supply “Something Special”, a.k.a. “Gopher Special”.
And thank you Bert for the serial number range. Is there a specific (publicly available) source of that (and any additional) information on the Gopher Special order?
I gather that neither factory nor distributor records exist documenting the exact number or serial numbers of the Gopher Specials. What I’ve picked up from other sites/sources (right or wrong) is that there were something like 300-400 rifles in all in the Gopher Shooter’s Supply order, made up in the first half of 1959, and sold late-1959 through early 1960s. All, as the ad says, were in 243, 270 or 30-06 (no 308 WIN) with Monte Carlo stock. I’ve also read they all had composition butt plates, and Rule’s book suggests the change from aluminum to composition butt started around 445,000, which would fit with Bert’s information. If anybody has anything more, I’d love to know.
I happen to own a ‘sightless’ M70 Featherweight s/n 422990x (duplicate serial number) that I believe is authentic. 270 WIN, Monte Carlo stock, aluminum butt. It came from a relatively large private collection and is in about 98% condition (lightly used, but used). The s/n application date would have been about December 1957. Too early to be part of the Gopher Special order, but according to Rule the factory had been making sightless M70s on order for a while. ‘No metallic sights’ as a catalogued special order option did not appear until 1960, after the Gopher Shooter’s Supply order had been filled.
One thing that has interested me about that ad is the scope/mounts. Since my non-Gopher Special had a scope on it at one time, I’ve wanted to find that scope/mount combination. The mounts are Weaver and I have the correct early Weaver bases (no longitudinal striations on top). The scope is definitely of Kollmorgen/Redfield origin, based on the three rings on the ocular bell. It is fixed power, based both on the absence of a Redfield style power adjustment ring and the fact that Redfield didn’t produce a variable in 1959 (when they bought Kollmorgen’s tooling and moved it from Brooklyn to Denver). The additional fact that the objective bell is larger diameter than the ocular says it’s a fixed 6X. Either a late Kollmorgen Bear Cub (the position of the adjustment turret excludes a Kollmorgen/Stith 6X ‘Double’) or a real early Redfield 6X made from the same tooling. Well I’ve got one of those Kollmorgen 6X Bear Cubs. Thing is it’s a 26 mm tube diameter scope. The Redfield 1″ tube came later. And I’m having a heck of a time finding Weaver 26 mm rings. Who knew they were so hard to come by… 
Cheers
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Vince
Southern Oregon
NRA member
Fraternal Order of Eagles
“There is but one answer to be made to the dynamite bomb and that can best be made by the Winchester rifle.”
Teddy Roosevelt
November 5, 2014
Offline
Yup… Those are the ones (with the roll mark saying 1.023″ across the top – not on the side). The last set of these I saw on Ebay (a couple months ago) ended up selling for like $125.00. And I wasn’t even the second-high bidder!!! For Weaver scope rings. Who would have guessed…
We’ll have to see what these go for…
Thanks, Vince (and TedK)!!!
Cheers
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
November 5, 2014
Offline
Having FINALLY acquired (from an Ebay seller in Canada) the nice set of Weaver 1.023” rings I was whining about not being able to find, I thought I would follow up on my earlier ramble by posting a photo of my attempt to replicate the “Something Special” Ad:
The M70 FWT is SN 422990x, as noted above too early to be a true “Gopher Special”. The 22” sightless barrel looks to me to me authentic. The rifle has an aluminum butt plate, whereas my understanding is that the rifles in the Gopher Shooter’s Supply order all had composition butt plates. The scope is a Kollmorgen 6X “Bear Cub”. For a 1958 manufacture rifle the Kollmorgen seemed the better choice. Redfield bought the tooling in 1959 and manufactured the same 26 mm tube scope as the Redfield Bear Cub for a while. The mounts/rings are Weaver with the large knobs.
If anybody has any more data on the “Gopher Specials” I’d love to hear it. 
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Lou,
Very nice and a great effort in making it look perfectly correct!!
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 5, 2014
Offline
Thanks, Bert
‘Shopping’ for very specific (and not easily encountered) gun parts and accessories is a whole lot cheaper than buying the guns themselves. Provides hours of low(er) cost fun!!!
Interestingly, after iskra’s original post I found a nice copy of the April 1960 issue of Guns Magazine (on Ebay, of course). So I have a copy of the original ad as well!!!
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
1 Guest(s)
