FN Winchester Model 70 parts made in Belgium, assembled in Portugal

[DANL2]

Winchester Customer Service recently informed me that since 2013 the Model 70 has been assembled in Portugal from parts made in Belgium. Has anyone any experience with one of these guns with regard to quality and accuracy?

I am looking to purchase a light .243 and am considering a Winchester Extreme Weather SS, Tikka T3 Lite SS, or Sako Finnlight SS. Accuracy with factory ammo is first priority. I am familiar with the features and price of each.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!

 

[wapiti25]

You can get good or bad from anybody it will depend on the barrel. you are looking for accuracy in factory ammo, all factory ammo is not the same. The military type ammo is usually bad for accuracy, ammo such as federal loaded with the 69gr Sierra match bullet is fairly good. Black hills has made good ammo. Others can be anywhere in between. you do not say what accuracy you want such as MOA @ XXX Yds

 

[wapiti25]

Buy the gun that you like the feel of and can you get better triggers for it. If it does not shoot to your requirements have a custom barrel installed. Most 223's come with a 12 twist barrel, but depending what bullet you want to shoot a tighter twist may be required such as the 69gr needs a 9' twist as a minimum. I like an 8" twist as it will shoot the 53's and 55's as well as 80's. I have 12's, 10, 9, and 8. I like the 8 twist or 12 for only the light bullets ( up to 60gr).

 

[DANL2]

Thank you for your reply. I am looking at .243, not .223.

 

[wapiti25]

Sorry my miss read same problems with factory ammo just different caliber. If you would want to shoot the 105gr or heavier ( longer) bullets you will need an 8 twist or faster barrel.

 

[DANL2]

Thank you. Good comment regarding heavier (longer) bullets in .243 requiring faster twist rate barrels.

For example, Nosler offers Trophy Grade Ammunition .243 Winchester 90 Grain E-Tip Lead-Free ammo with a bullet length requiring a 1:9 or faster twist rate. I have pointed out to Nosler that this presents a problem since most gun manufacturers' .243 barrels are slower 1:10 twist rates, thereby precluding use of this particular ammo.

So far we have had 43 views but no comments regarding the newer Winchester Model 70's quality, but my question has only been up a few hours. Maybe it's just too soon.

 

[Eddie Harren]

I have worked on or re-barreled several of the new M70 actions as well as the FN actions. They require very little work to true up and all have functioned and, most importantly, shot very well. I don't know much about the quality of their barrels. All that I have experience with have been aftermarket custom barrels.

 

[CaptainMal]

Dan...Welcome to the forum.

FACTORY ammo in a .243 is not something many on this forum deal with. Most of us immediately thing specialty handloads used in some kind of custom barrel. Some responses will show that mentality.

Model 70 actions have ben famous for the "claw" (Mauser-type) extractor design. Some Model 70's use a more Remington-like push feed. I do not know what kind of extractor that new Model. 70 has. If it's Mauser-like then you must push a cartridge down into and under that extractor each time you load. For general varmint and deer hunting, that's a pain-in-the-ars.

Your list of rifles shows some nice, up-scale brands. Each has merit. The accuracy level will be more a luck thing but should be fine with all of them. For light-weight I still have one of those Remington Mountain Rifles in 257 Roberts. It's kind of like a 243 and my factory version is sure light and accurate. Remingtons are also push-feed that load easily with just a drop of the cartridge. Savage makes rifles like that also and surely others do.

For factory simple rifles without a lot of expense but with almost no classic quality, I like Ruger American rifles. Out-of-the-box accuracy is unreal and today, they make a model in .243 with a shorter barrel that would be lighter.

I love Model 70 actions. Own and hunt with many. If you want a Winchester - get it . They have a good reputation.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Can't help with the 243 part of your question, but I have had 3 of the Win 70 Ext Weather rifles in 308. The first had the chamber slightly off-center from the bore, but after working with it for awhile it would shoot MOA with certain loads, the best of which was Hornady 155 A-Max factory target loads. I ended up selling that one to a friend who just had to have one of my rifles. The second rifle came in with a nice ring gouged into the neck portion of the chamber (I have a borescope). It went back to Browning & was replaced (not re-barreled) with the 3rd one, which is my primary deer rifle & has a very good, reasonably accurate barrel that doesn't foul. I really like the rifle even with the problems & think it is one of the better hunting rifle choices. The triggers are the new MOA unit & can be reworked into a very nice hunting trigger. I also have 2 other FN made M70 308 HB rifles, one a Stealth II that shoots very well, and a FN SPR in an A2? stock. I don't care for the chrome lined barrel & am having that replaced.

From what I have read the Tikka T3 Light makes a very good factory hunting rifle. Most all of the Sako products are pretty good to go from the factory. I would also support your checking out the Ruger American since I have read many positive comments on those, and you certainly can't beat the price. Good luck with your choice & be sure to look at the features each rifle has & handle them to see which package suits your personal needs/tastes the best.

 

[wvlongshot]

Go with the tikka t-3.

 

[Changeling]

I've never shot a Tikka rifle of any kind.

I have shot Winchesters (old ones) that were pretty good, I have also shot some newer ones that were pretty bad.

However I have never owned a Sako, but shot quite a few over the years belonging to friends and in a couple situations borrowed one. I have always been impressed with Sako quality, it was first rate and I have never seen a Sako that shot anything but good to excellent.
I believe they are now owned by Beretta and that's not a bad company in any way shape or form.

So, to answer your question I would go with a Sako for there quality and overall excellence in all categories.


Please pardon my spelling if I have made some stupid spelling mistakes, I was in a bad wreck on Aug 20 and have a bad concussion.

 

[dryhumor]

I had an Extreme Weather .308 that another member and I worked a trade on. It was accurate for me, and, it was accurate for him. It was made in South Carolina, and I actually bought it from an FNH employee. There were no issues with it, the chamber was cut to minimum (nice).

I have 2 FNH rifles/actions and 6 or 7 M70's. The M70 action with the integral recoil lug and flat bottom is more robust IMO.

I would think that the rifles made in Portugal would be just as good, if not better. I have not seen one marked Portugal yet. I think, but am not sure, that the Extremes you see may be ones made in the USA. I only see them online and haven't seen any in stores to look at. FNH owns Browning Arms, and they have been made in Portugal for many years.

The only thing I find less than desirable, is the MOA trigger. I like the old style much better.

 

[Changeling]

FN has over the years made some very nice rifles assembled great and with precision.

One question I would like to ask is as follows:

Since FN Belgium has been the home of some very well made rifles and is well known for this, WHY did Winchester of late have the parts made in Belgium, but assembled in Portugal ?
That means after making the parts correctly in Belgium they had to be packaged and shipped to Portugal and assembled into the final product, packed up and shipped again.
Rather than to have them finished in a country well known for there expertise in producing excellent firearms for many many years, Winchester could save some bucks by having them assembled elsewhere where precision assembly assembly wasn't as good but cheaper for them.
Why can't the young management get it through there heads that quality means a lot in the USA especially when it comes to firearms.

This is how I feel from lots of experience, friends, and current observations. If you disagree, don't bother sending me a PM, I know what I am talking about.

This is why I suggest SAKO to the OP, quality still means something there. Of course he could buy one of our US rifles and send it to a quality gunsmith and just say fix it, he'll know exactly what he is talking about.

 

[DANL2]

Apparently I was misinformed. The Model 70's will be assembled in Portugal from components made in the US. Someone wrote that he had purchased a rifle stamped as such.

For a number of years Browning auto shotguns have been assembled in Portugal from components indeed made in Belgium, and the result has been just fine.

In either of these situations, the language differences and logistics would present problems, which appear to have been overcome.

I am leaning toward the Tikka T3 Lite SS, which is made and assembled in Finland!

 

[MildBill]

make sure the t3 fits you well.

I have tried a couple of the t-3's, they are decent hunting rifles, but they just did not fit me well at all. too small.