I was at the local gun store last week and asked to see a Model 70. My buddy told me that they didnt stock them as nobody bought them any more because they were junk. WHAT? It Shocked me. I havent owned one in about 10yrs but always thought that they were some of the best rifles ever made for the money. What did I miss? Did Freedom Arms buy them too and they are so bad you dont have 1 on the shelf? I've had 2 in the family and both were great guns I regret ever saling.

Model 70's went downhill when Olin bought Winchester...I personally, am not a Winchester fan of anything...not due to the quality going down, which is why they're sort of 'shunned' now...But due to the powder problem Winchester caused with the early AR15s in Nam....

Hell no they ain't junk. I have a couple of the newer extreme weather model 70's that are very nice. Somebody probably told your buddy that a tikka is the guest gun in the world.

Funny you should say that as he did say Tikkas were best on the market for the money. But there are a lot of tikka lovers on her including myself. I'm glad to here you say they aren't junk. I'd hate to know that was reality.

The lower end Model 70's are junk.

They aren't junk at all, that's ridiculous. There are a glut of $500 rifles right now that offer a lot of value for the money, but they aren't the quality level or proven reliability of a M70.

My M70 Extreme Weather will be around for my son to use too. I wouldn't bet on that for all the $450-$500 rifles being sold now. I think the reason they aren't moving is that most people aren't going to buy a $900 rifle that's an older poorly advertised design. There's just a lot of competition at that price point.

You do know that they sell Model 70's at Walmart for $3-400 dollars don't you? Those are junk.

I have an early 90's m70 Ranger (youth model) that is my go to gun. I have other high end rifles, but I like my old tool. It will shoot about 2" at 200yds. If you can hit a pie pan, you can kill a deer.

My earlier comment was addressing the OPs general question, not your comment. But no I didn't know that. I can't believe they can produce the M70 action for that price. I'll have to check that out, I'm curious.

Ask Carlos Hathcock AKA "White Feather" and numerous other old military snipers about old Model 70 Winchesters and Model 700 Remingtons. Those were the two preferred weapon models of choice. I have a Model 70 that was purchased by my father in 1975 that has not missed a season and is still a tack driver. Furthermore, how can walmart sell the same model so much cheaper unless they are specifically made that way so that they can sell them cheaper ?

I won't buy a gun from Wal Mart, they have producers cut corners.

I did buy a Beretta 391 from Wally World 8yrs ago for about $500. Its probably had 2-3000 rds down it and hasnt missed a beat. However, I would not buy a model 70 or a hunting rifle from WalMart.

Both Winchester and Remington have entry level rifles that I would consider junk. So do a lot of other companies. In today's economy $1000 = $500 15 years ago.

Slightly off topic but to me the absolute best shooting rifles out of the box in that price range are the savages. My savage 11 (.308) is a tack driver. Sub-MOA in the hands of a capable shooter.

I had a m70 270wsm i bought from wal mart years ago.Didnt seem to junky to me.It was very accurate and i never had a problem outta the thing.Hunted with it for about 5 years then sold it cause i got an Abolt 7mag.

Winchester has been backing up since 1964 IMO.

I don't know about the new ones. I have an 80s M70 Ranger in 270. I love that it's the push fed, too. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a M70. JMO

The ones I've handled that were made more recently in the SC plant were really nice in my opinion. I think they are being moved to Portugal of Belgium now. I'm interested to see how they change.

My 1sr rifle was a M70 Featherweight .243, circa 1983 Conn. production, was an out of the box shooter and with years of my not not being able to leave well enough alone syndrome, it is sub-MOA.

Last year I bought my daughter one of the new FN Columbia, SC production M70 Featherweight compacts in .243 for her first rifle. As much as it pains me, the new rifle is significantly better made than the Olin guns. The trigger, floating, bedding, and crown are all aftermarket quality. The FN plant where they are made is the same none used for military production and is very modern with tight QC specs. I have also had a SC made .300 wsm M70 for several years and it has the same quality components and is a lights out shooter, quality and function equal to some more expensive brands I have.

My take, the SC/FN M70s are top notch quality, American made with all metal components, and, unlike Tikka, a short action is actually a short action.

pre 64 wins are known as the best...but I have a 270 set up as a long range gun and have owned it over 30 years , and I have a 3006 i traded with Norton on here that shoots GREAT too. I like em