I have a question about the recoil pad installed on my Winchester Model 70 pre-64 S/N 101202. This pad was on the rifle when I bought it a long time ago. Always wondered about this pad. I did see one on a Winchester shotgun. Is the pad a Winchester original pad or a reproduction? Any and all comments welcomed. RR
Just to answer an obvious question. The plugs were removed prior to my ownership so I do not know if anything is marked on the backside. Did not want them look any worse. RR
November 5, 2014

Hi Win61-
Others may have more knowledge, but the presence of the (R) “registered trade mark” symbol suggests that the pad is considerably more recent than the rifle. At least on their M70 boxes, Winchester didn’t start consistently using (R) in place of the words “TRADE MARK” until somewhere around 1960. So I suspect it’s a genuine Winchester recoil pad, but probably of later manufacture than the rifle. Let’s see what others know…
As you know, the common solid red recoil pad used on Model 70s is the one with the June 6,1922 Patent Date…
Best,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Lou-
I knew that you would be the man to ask. I was wondering if anyone would have seen this pad on other rifles. I bought the rifle in 1993 with the pad on it so have no idea as to when it was installed. A prior owner removed ( dug out ) the plugs damaging the plugs. The caliber of this rifle is 257 Roberts. I have shot three elk and five Deer with it.. Also my son shot several deer with it. Very accurate rifle, one of my favorite.
Thanks Lou. RR
I have shot three elk and five Deer with it.. Also my son shot several deer with it.Win61 said
And you did it with (I’m assuming) a Lyman Alaskan, which looks so right on a Model 70; my favorite big-game scope! (If that’s an old photo, & it now wears a glossy aluminum 2-20 with a 3″ objective…please don’t tell me.)
Sorry Clarence but it wore a 3.5-10X Leupold up until a couple of years ago when we decided to retire it from hunting, me included. It is now wearing the excellent 2.5X Lyman Alaskan with original mounts. I take it out once in a while to clear the cobwebs. Due to age and shoulder problems, I have resorted to my model 70 22H and a Sako 222Rem for prairie dogs and paper. I do have a Model 70 post 64 Classic 22-250 but that is another story. RR
November 5, 2014

Hi RR-
That’s a very nice rifle. IIRC it has a type II (transition) receiver (cloverleaf tang and smooth factory D&T bridge) and the bolt has the late (dogleg) safety. What Roger Rule calls a “Type II-2″… Am I remembering this correctly?
Among the standard (not H&H) receivers, the last batch of appear to have been serialized in the 100,000-102,000 range (well after they started making the Type II oval tang receivers). Curiously, most of this block of late Type II receivers appear to have been used to assemble M70s in 257 ROBERTS. I have S/N 100313, and it too is a Type II-2 in 257 ROBERTS…
As for the pad, I really can’t date it. The (R) symbol was in commercial use as early as 1946, which would be contemporary with your 1949 rifle. I just do not know when WINCHESTER started using it on anything other than their packaging materials, e.g. boxes. That wasn’t until around 1960. Also, about half of the 300 WIN MAGNUM barrels have a roll mark that incorporates the (R) symbol, so they started marking gun barrels (only the 300 Win Magnum) that way around 1962. But recoil pads?
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
November 5, 2014

Hi Old-Win-
For reference, the OAL of the (7/8″ tube) Lyman Alaskan is about 10 3/4″. The Weaver K2.5 (1″ straight tube) is about 10 3/8″; the Weaver K4 (1″ tube with objective bell) is about 11 3/16″; and the Stith/Weaver S4 (4X 1″ straight tube) is the same OAL as the K4. Obviously, OAL varies slightly depending on how the ocular bell is focused.
Stith made Install-It-Yourself and Quick-Easy-Detachable (QED) mounts to attach each of these to a M70, but each mount was scope specific. The hard-to-find mount for the S4 has built-in windage adjustment, since the scope was only adjustable for elevation.
Hope this Helps,
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
Louis Luttrell said
Hi RR-That’s a very nice rifle. IIRC it has a type II (transition) receiver (cloverleaf tang and smooth factory D&T bridge) and the bolt has the late (dogleg) safety. What Roger Rule calls a “Type II-2″… Am I remembering this correctly?
Among the standard (not H&H) receivers, the last batch of appear to have been serialized in the 100,000-102,000 range (well after they started making the Type II oval tang receivers). Curiously, most of this block of late Type II receivers appear to have been used to assemble M70s in 257 ROBERTS. I have S/N 100313, and it too is a Type II-2 in 257 ROBERTS…
As for the pad, I really can’t date it. The (R) symbol was in commercial use as early as 1946, which would be contemporary with your 1949 rifle. I just do not know when WINCHESTER started using it on anything other than their packaging materials, e.g. boxes. That wasn’t until around 1960. Also, about half of the 300 WIN MAGNUM barrels have a roll mark that incorporates the (R) symbol, so they started marking gun barrels (only the 300 Win Magnum) that way around 1962. But recoil pads?
Lou
Lou- Yes your right on with your description of my Winchester Model 70. As I read in Roger Rule book it is a Type II-2 receiver.
As for the pad I have no idea when it came out. I bought the rifle in 1993 and it was on it at that time. The only other pad like it, I saw on a Winchester shotgun. It was sometime ago and I do not remember the Model of the shotgun. Darn (old age — my excuse).
You mentioned that my rifle was a 1949 rifle “which would be contemporary with your 1949 rifle.” I thought that it was made in 1948. Am I wrong or was it a typo error in your statement.
Thanks Lou – for your comments and willingness to share your vast knowledge in the Winchester Model 70 area.
Lou –
You mentioned that my rifle was a 1949 rifle “which would be contemporary with your 1949 rifle.” I thought that it was made in 1948. Am I wrong or was it a typo error in your statement.
My mistake on the date mfg. Lou was right (1949). I was going by Roger Rule’s production dates ( sorry! Bert). The barrel is marked 1948 as I recall. RR
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