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Manufacture date of a winchester model 70

44K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  JWSmith1959 
#1 ·
Can anyone tell me what year my Winchester Model 70 was made.The serial number is #G16767xx.Thanks in advance,Butch



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#2 ·
Winchester Repeating Arms Company's last M70 was serial number 1,525,323 on 20 JUL 1981 (per Roger Rule in his book "The Rifleman's Rifle".  Yours was made by USRAC, but is an early one.  They might could tell you the exact date of mfg.  You could estimate it though, and be plenty close; WRA averaged 45,851 post-64 M70's per year from 1964-1981.  If USRAC held to that average it would put yours as being made somewhere around 1983.  Odessa
 
#3 ·
Butch,

Odessa's correct, your M-70 was made in 1983. 1982 started at serial number 1,537,134 and there were 49,307 made.
1983 would have begun at 1,586,441.
Technically, rifle 1,525,323 is a USRAC, they took over from Winchester on July 1, 1981.
 
#13 ·
Welcome dbaer. The XTR's are nice rifles; not sure about the 'XTR' AND featherweight designation? I have an XTR from the mid-70's in 25-06; good rifle. Anything post-'64 with 'featherweight' label I associate with a schnabel forend, not the black forend tip w/whiteline spacer that the XTR's have, but I could be wrong about that.
 
#17 ·
I just reviewed the 'Blue Book of Gun Values', in the post-'64 section for Win bolt actions, under 'Model 70 Featherweight (USRA took over in 1981; these models made from 1981-1994), 'This model had an "XTR" suffix until 1989'. The classic CRF was being made starting in 1992.
 
#15 ·
Don, does it kick like a mule? :p

A friend has a .270 featherweight that is brutal at the bench. It is also very picky on ammo; perhaps a consequence of the light barrel?

Sounds like a nice rifle for climbing the mountains.....
 
#20 ·
Very nice looking rifle there!! Is that a 2-7 Leupold on top?
 
#23 ·
Winchester didn't start using the G prefix until 1970. Your serial number seems low though. Again....gun auction sites to help with value.
 
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