I don’t think I’ve seen this done here before but I would like to start a picture gallery of everybody’s pre-64 model 70s and if you can a little story behind the gun. Since this website is mostly rifle shooting oriented I thought it would be nice to give the time honored “rifleman‘s rifle” some recognition here.
I will get things started with my favorite pre-64. It is a last year of cataloged production 1949 standard grade 250-3000 Savage.I’m sure many of you have seen this rifle on other posts that I have answered about model 70s so forgive me for looking at it again! I had been looking for a pre-64 model 70 in 250 savage for probably 20 years. Really the only place I ever looked was at gun shows. This is only the third one I have ever seen. I was going through a nasty divorce in 2001 when a friend and I went to a gun show in Pittsburgh. I would always remind him keep your eye open for a model 70 in 250 savage. He probably thought yeah yeah good luck with that. We had split up during the gun show and bumped into each other as the day went on when he told me about a guy that had one on a table for sale that looked pretty good. I did not believe him at first. So reluctantly I went with him and sure enough the guy had eight or nine model 70s in hard to find calibers and they were all in good shape. There was a Winchester collector that was there at the show Bill Hice I believe was his name and I asked him if he would be so kind as to look at that rifle and give me his honest opinion. He said everything looks correct it is a shooter grade rifle and he thought the price that was being asked was within reason. I made the guy an offer and after he stewed over it for 15 minutes or so he excepted my offer. I had a little extra coin in my pocket hidden from my soon to be ex so I figured since she was putting me through heck that she would want me to have a nice divorce present! Anyway, the gun shoots exceptionally well with the correct bullet. It is a 1-14 twist so it shoots the light bullets better. Loves Speer 87 grain hot-cores and will put five of them under an inch at 100 yards easily.I know I have shot at least a dozen deer with it. I’ve had a few other pre-64 model 70s but have sold them and only this one remains. I just pray that my kids when they get a hold of it they sell it to somebody that will cherish it as much as I have, and actually use it.


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