Winchester model 70 - sporter vs featherweight?

[mummel]

Anyone know what the diffs between these two are?

I’m looking for a whitetail rifle, either in .243 or .308, for treestand hunting in the northeast.

Which one would be better and why?

Also, how is the durability of the sporter. The model 70 has an all weather model (stainless barrel, synthetic stock), but it costs $300 more.....

Would the model 70 sporter hold up getting pulled though dense brush,briars? Any rust issues with the barrel? Thanks!

NOTE: the only difference I can tell between is two is the stock. Sporter has maple and Featherweight has walnut.

Which wood costs more? Which one will hold up better against wear & tear? Thanks.

 

[JLS]

Any blued rifle will rust if not properly cared for. I had one slightly pit when I forgot and left it in a rifle scabbard overnight.

 

[mummel]

Any blued rifle will rust if not properly cared for. I had one slightly pit when I forgot and left it in a rifle scabbard overnight.

Both of these are blued so equal. But thanks for the tip. What if you’re hunting in the rain? Just wipe down when you get home?

 

[JLS]

Both of these are blued so equal. But thanks for the tip. What if you’re hunting in the rain? Just wipe down when you get home?

Yeah. Get it dried off good and wipe it down with oil.

 

[mummel]

Yeah. Get it dried off good and wipe it down with oil.

And the stainless barrels and synthetic stocks? is the $300 premium worth it? Can you just forget about the rain and store it wet?

 

[SmTN]

And the stainless barrels and synthetic stocks? is the $300 premium worth it? Can you just forget about the rain and store it wet?

Any gun needs to be cleaned before storage if you want it to stay in good condition. SS will resist rust better than blued but they’ll all rust eventually if exposed to moisture for long periods of time.

 

[JLS]

And the stainless barrels and synthetic stocks? is the $300 premium worth it? Can you just forget about the rain and store it wet?

My Mountain Rifle was wet for 48 hours straight on my last bear hunt and didn’t rust. It’s SS. There was a tiny bit starting but it wiped off.

 

[Bambistew]

I'd get the featherweight, much better feeling rifle in the hand than the sporter.

For brief outings, a blue/wood rifle is fine, just take care of it, and it will last a lifetime. Where stainless is better, IMO, is on extended trips where the rifle will get wet/dry repeatedly, such as a multi-day backpack trip in a wet climate. I suspect the $300 more for you're talking about the "extreme weather" or what ever they call it, its a Bell and Carlson stock, and not cheap plastic and is arguably better than the wood stock. I think they are a decent platform, but the featherweight will likely point and feel better in your hands, the sporters feel clunky to me.

 

[geetar]

I had some trouble with surface rust on my blues guns. I started used a Birchwood Casey product called Barricade on all the blued surfaces and have not had that trouble since. I even put it on my 1911 because during summer trips to the range my hands sweat on it. Makes a difference.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I personally think the featherweight is one of the prettiest rifles being made.

 

[Cogreeny]

I’d pay the extra and buy the extreme weather just my 2 cents

 

[slatebuilder]

I have feather weight in .270, it carries well, shoots well, and I love it. I wouldn’t mind a .243 or .308 just like it, can’t go wrong with either.

 

[wa_archer]

I have an older Featherweight .270 and have loved it since the day i got it when i was 15. It shoots great is a nice weight and a pretty gun. The differences on mine are there is a bolt whichi is visible that goes through the stock and action, the jeweled bolt, checkering on stock and lighter weight. I hunted for years in western WA with mine and like others have said dry it off and I wipe it down after dried with a anti rust wipe. I've carried it around enough the drop plate is worn down pass the blueing. Call me old fashion but I love the way a wood stock, blued barrel looks.

 

[Steve O]

Featherweights usually have 22” barrels, sporters 24”. Slimmer profile on the featherweight barrel and stock as well. I’ve owned dozens of M70s of all shapes and sizes. Featherweight would be my pick with your description. I’d split the calibers and go 7mm-08 though.

 

[RevJim]

I use simple ol Outers Tri-Lube on all outside metal. Wet it down, let it dry overnight. When in camp, end of day, wipe it down. I like Howards Feed N Wax on the wood. Rub some in, let dry, wipe it off, good all season. I recently got an Alpine Gun Slicker for my pretty rifles to use in a downpour or heavy snow day. Pretty neat liitle item. I too favor the Featherweight Mod 70. The Sporter is a better rifle for use out in the wind blown prairie as its easier to "get still", ha Have a ball Pard!

 

[44hunter45]

There is some good advice on this thread!

It is important to use a wax based product to protect blued metal because oil based products are simply lifted off the metal by moisture, just as oil floats in water. This is why military guns are stored in Cosmoline.
Petroleum based products will eventually cause a wood stock to rot. You can Google up some good videos on the Midway site about why wax works.

Get in the habit of putting electrical tape over the barrel. Then still push a patch or pull a bore-snake through it at the end of a humid outing.
You will be surprised how blue-green a patch will be from copper and carbon in the bore after a rainy day.

I stopped buying blued guns for hunting 20 years ago. But I still love the look of them.

BTW - The Sporter M70 only comes with a walnut stock. The featherweight has what they call the "Dark Maple" option. The highly figured maple stocks come on the Super-Grade, which is the most expensive option.

I prefer a beefier fore end. So I lean toward the Sporter.

I own a New Haven Vintage Stainless Classic. It's a wonderful rifle.

Were I in the market today, I would buy the Featherweight stainless, pull the wood stock and fit it with a $175 pillar bed or $250 full bed Hogue overmolded stock. Now you have a better version of the Extreme Weather for less money.

 

[noharleyyet]

The FW had me at Schnabel....

 

[OleRedbeard]

I love my featherweights. I have two, one in a 270 and one in a 308. Both are wonderful shooters. For the price difference on the weather warriors and stainless stuff you can have a blued one cerakoted for around 100 bucks give or take. Im not suggesting blasting off a perfectly beautiful bluing job in exchange for cerakote but if its got some worn bluing and is not a collectible that may be an option. 44Hunter45 makes a good point on using wax based products too.

 

[Boarmaster]

I would go with a synthetic stock and stainless barrel. i have a 700 xcr2 that has a stainless barrel with a black Nitride (?} coating. Its pretty much bullet proof from what I can tell. Been using it for about 6 years in rain and humid conditions. Im not exactly mr maintinance. I,put it in an Mc Millan classic edge stock but really the stock it came with was not bad at all. I was just ready to have what I really wanted.
several times I left it wet or damp in my case for a few days and no rust whatsoever. i really like the look of the black metal vs stainless so this rifle suits me.

 

[longbow51]

Keep your beautiful rifle the way it is. Use Renaissance Wax Polish which will protect the bluing (probably other waxed-based ones as well, but this is used by NRA museum). Took a blued rifle to Alaska and to many remote elk camps and a little TLC at the end of the day and all is well. Carbon steel knives ditto.