Gentlemen,
I bought and still own a featherwieght classic model 70 in 6.5 swede. For the most part, its is very viable platform, points and packs well, but there were a few flies on it. Please bear in mind that i have become a perfectionist in terms of my equipment, and all of the difficulties that i mention, i have either fixed or am living with, as i think enough of the rifle to keep it, and do not intend to get rid of it.
Firstly, squeezing the trigger was akin to making the last turn on a sardine can key, and before the timmeny was put on there, best i could shoot was 1.5 @ 100 yards. The timmeny operation was succesful, alhtough i did have a hard time finding a guy in Kentucky that worked on Winchesters, and he was an older gentleman that didn;t work much, so he held onto the rifle for about 6 months.
Secondly, the leaf spring magazine was not intended for tapered cartridges like the 6.5, whose head is wider than the shoulder. On one side, sometimes cartirdiges would kindly nose up, and the bolt would skip over the case head, leaving the chamber empty. The leaf srping is evidnetly not capable of placing pressure throughout the length of the cartridge, more so in the center and less so the head and shoulder, kindly causing a "pivot". Reckon it would be a much better platform if they had a scissor type mag spring like the A-bolt i owned in 92. I have downloaded the mag by one round, and thus far, it has fixed the trouble.
Although not a Winchester feature, this rifle has a really long lead to accomidate varying sized military ammunition, and where i have no real idea how that effects its accuracy, there are some bullets/powders/ combinations, that it loves, and some that i couldn;t hit a bull in the butt with at 50 yards. I have found that load development for this rifle is a ongoing propisition, and I to date have two loads that are very accuratte, and one more that is suitable. The rest I am hammering out. I shoot it allot.
Lastly, there is one point on the forearm where the stock contacts the barrel, only on one side. I thought this was just my rifle, and i picked up another winchester, it had the same problem, the next one i picked up, was like that, only on the other side. It was no practical effect on accuracy, like i said, but it was noticable and bothersome initally, and evidently not a unusual winchester maledy.
It is accurate, (120 sierra matchking best is less than .5 in, 120 nosler ball tip consistantly at .75 in) and it is a very attractive and well handling piece. It has become one of my favorite rifles, despite those noted difficulties.
Good shooting,
Steve