Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New Winchester 70 Extreme Weather SS .308

I read your post above. The only part you're claiming isn't USA made is the stock. Maybe true with the wood stocks, but the EW has a B&C stock on it not wood. And I'm not even certain I agree about the wood stocks. The stocks on the newer rifles is certainly "different" than those made prior to the move to Portugal. The difference is subtle and you have to hold them side by side to see and feel the difference. Not necessarily good or bad, just different.


But I do agree that it wouldn't matter to me where they are made as long as they are well made. I can find no fault with the Portugal guns.

JMR,
How would you describe the differences having held them side by side?
I couldn’t tell a difference but I did not have them both in hand at the same time. Appreciate it.

I have the same question. I have BACO FWTs made in 2008, 2012 and 2016. The stocks all feel the same to me.

Due to popular demand, I'll try and pull the barreled action from the stock and weigh the stock tomorrow. ;-) I will add that I have a 2003 New Haven Classic in .30-06 that shoots well, but this new Extreme Weather SS seems to me to be better built. I have no issues with it being made/assembled in Portugal. Quality is quality, and I don't care where it comes from as long as it's built well. Of course the proof's in the pudding and we'll see later this week how it shoots. Stay tuned . . . .

I have the same thing burbin 30-06 asnmy back up/all around/moose rifle. Talley lightweight lows and a meopta meopro 3-9x40 scope it comes in at 8lb 2oz.

Point taken about yours with the B&C. Actions and barrels are still, as far as I can determine, still made here, not Portugal though.

Funny how some look at this stuff (not you). For years after a couple of Winchester shotguns were made in Japan, some guys swore that all, or a lot of the Winchester line was made in Japan. Now the leverguns actually are, and the 101 that started the rumors, is made in Belgium. People love Finnish and German rifles, Italian, Austrian, Spanish and even Turkish shotguns, but get all hinky because a favorite rifle is kept in production at an affordable price by doing the final assembly in a long-established FN factory in another European country. Some would, apparently, rather have it just go away for good.

While we're at it, the much-reviled safeties on most of the leverguns were demanded by the USRAC folks, not Miroku. The 73s don't have them, thankfully, or the 1885s. We can only hope that someday FN will make them go away. Miroku has redesigned the 94 just a bit for smoother operation, I've read.

Those EWs really make me drool. If not for the Barrett on its way, I could really go for one. Have to be content with the Ultimate Shadow
I just found at Whittaker, for now anyway.

Good points Pappy. I own and hunt with 2 Winchester M70 SS Featherweights. One is a 6 digit New Haven gun. The other is a SC BACO gun. I wish both were BACO guns, trigger and all. RJ

So I just pulled the stock and weighed it. My scale's pretty accurate, but just to eliminate any error (there wasn't much), I weighed it a number of times and averaged the weights. The average for my .308 stock comes in right at 32 oz. Not surprising considering the amount of aluminum in the Bell & Carlson stock. While I was at it, I weighed the bottom metal, including the follower and spring. It came out to 4.55 oz. Hope that helps.

Akpendude, my New Haven .30-06 with Leupold rings/bases and a Leupold 2.5-8 comes in at 8.6 pounds. It shoots well, but it's a bit of a beast. Definitely not a mountain rifle.

Never had a problem with the old triggers, but that ship has sailed. Only quibble I have with the current models has been around since 1964, when they began using a separate bolt handle. Reliable people have reported it coming loose under hard use. Doubt if that will be an issue for me, and it can be fixed by a little welding if anyone feels it's a problem.

Got one of those stocks on a Mauser and it's pretty beefy. Good value for the money though, and easily obtainable.

My Knight ML wears one of their Kevlar stocks. Like to see them sell those for bolt guns.

Yeah, knock a pound off that rifle and you can carry it anywhere...🤔


My old Tupperware stocked 22" M70 w/ dual dovetails and a VXIIc 3x9 is 8lb 1oz...FWIW

I agree about the trigger. My New Haven .30-06 has one of the old triggers. It's okay, but I need to take it to a good gunsmith to get rid of the excess weight and creep. The new rifle had a pretty darn nice trigger right out of the box, and once I adjusted the weight down to around 3.25 pounds, it's darn near perfect. Maybe not quite the level of perfection as a good Timney, but very very good.

Thank you for taking the time to do that. Same weight as the “old” SC stock.

Thanks for weighing your stock, I will weigh mine for chits and giggles when I get it this week.....Hb

So you think the stock has not been changed and made slimmer?.....Hb

I can't say that. But that is exactly what I am trying to ascertain. Haven't had the two side by side. I personally couldn't tell a difference handling one at lgs then coming home and handling a 2009. JMR stated the difference was subtle and he had the two side by side. Perhaps he will chime back in. I can say that per OP's weight of the new stock, it is the same as the old (at least for these two samples, both SA.)

VA Hillbilly, what caliber is yours in?

Mine is a chambered in .300 WSM....Hb

I have never handled them side by side either but the difference in feel to me is significant, for Myself the new grey stock feels much slimmer than the stock on the first generation EW ......Hb

Congrats on the rifle. Can’t see you being disappointed in that rifle. I’m a little sour on the Portugal part but all I have looked at have been well put together. If I can’t find a P64 Featherweight 308 id do a new EW as my next choice I think. Can’t wait to see some groups from it. Good luck.