Ruger 1A marked "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty"
cal. . 30-06. Like new condition very decent walnut, I'll have to get some pictures up.
cal. . 30-06. Like new condition very decent walnut, I'll have to get some pictures up.
- Thread starter teddy12b
- Start date
Pre-64 M70 all the way. .270, .30-06, .300H&H, your choice although the former two are more affordable and easier to acquire. Several years ago I found my “forever rifle” at a pawn shop in the form of a 1956 M70 fwt. 30-06. All original and in good condition, 2018 price too!
It wore a Lyman All-American 4x, although cool in its own right, utter garbage by today’s standard just as @Terry Cross said. I re-torqued everything, cleaned the barrel, and checked the headspace before loading up some 150gr softpoints and shooting them into 1.5” off a bag with the Lyman and original aluminum buttplate…ouch. Into the back of the safe it went.
Fast forward a few years, hunting/target rifles have come and gone, but the pre64 has always stayed. I was unsure of what to do with it until I found a pre-inlet stock for it in McMillan’s bargain bin. Buying this stock jump started my mental build up. Full teardown, ultrasonic cleaning, packed the wood FWT stock away, assembled with parts bin mounts, and a Burris FFII 3-9x40. When I stepped back from the bench I said “Holy shit. This is it”.
The McMillan and scope upgrade took the same 1.5” load to an inch, and is a hell of a lot easier on the bum shoulder. The rifle is just under 8lb all up, and the 150s are tame in this setup. I’ll get Chad at LRI to bed it, and tune the trigger before working up a load with 168gr TTSXs. I’d like to go on an elk hunt at least once in the next 10yrs, and hopefully an African plains game trip when I retire, one certainty is this rifle will go with me if these wishes come true.
There are several solid choices presented in this thread that meet your criteria. I’ve made my case for the pre64, so has Terry, and several others. Whether you keep it original, go full custom, or just upgrade the ergos and fine tune like I am… you can’t do wrong with the Rifleman’s Rifle.
It wore a Lyman All-American 4x, although cool in its own right, utter garbage by today’s standard just as @Terry Cross said. I re-torqued everything, cleaned the barrel, and checked the headspace before loading up some 150gr softpoints and shooting them into 1.5” off a bag with the Lyman and original aluminum buttplate…ouch. Into the back of the safe it went.
Fast forward a few years, hunting/target rifles have come and gone, but the pre64 has always stayed. I was unsure of what to do with it until I found a pre-inlet stock for it in McMillan’s bargain bin. Buying this stock jump started my mental build up. Full teardown, ultrasonic cleaning, packed the wood FWT stock away, assembled with parts bin mounts, and a Burris FFII 3-9x40. When I stepped back from the bench I said “Holy shit. This is it”.
The McMillan and scope upgrade took the same 1.5” load to an inch, and is a hell of a lot easier on the bum shoulder. The rifle is just under 8lb all up, and the 150s are tame in this setup. I’ll get Chad at LRI to bed it, and tune the trigger before working up a load with 168gr TTSXs. I’d like to go on an elk hunt at least once in the next 10yrs, and hopefully an African plains game trip when I retire, one certainty is this rifle will go with me if these wishes come true.
There are several solid choices presented in this thread that meet your criteria. I’ve made my case for the pre64, so has Terry, and several others. Whether you keep it original, go full custom, or just upgrade the ergos and fine tune like I am… you can’t do wrong with the Rifleman’s Rifle.
Excellent thread. I have a 1954 era Winchester M70 in 30-06 with a Canjar single set trigger. I upgraded the 4x scope to a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32. Going to do some load development with 168 gr TTSX as soon as I get my bench back together. Have a Wyoming hunt booked in 2025…
I might have missed it but did the OP pick and purchase a gun?
I got lazy and did not read pages 2 & 3 and knew it was a stupid mistake.
Ya just went back Mod70 feather weight.
What McMillan is that? I have a Pre64 270 in the safe that I’m gonna tune up next year to be my main hunting rifle and what you did to yours is exactly what I wanna do with mine.
Perfect thank you
Teddy,
A TTSX at .30-06 velocity at that distance most likely passed through without expanding, or blew up completely. Slow them down for close range, or try a cheap lead core 150-165gr bullet on those pigs.
I know I’m a couple months late but fuck it. Nothing is more American than a M70 in 30-06. New Haven built of course.
Last week I had lunch with a friend of mine and was telling him about the new rifle and hunt. He thought he had something similar from his father in law that he kept in the back of his safe that he never shot. Over the weekend sends me pictures and turns out its a '56 -57 serial number in mint condition that's probably had a box or two of ammo through it in 30-06. I told him he just found a diamond laying on the ground and to make sure he and his son hunt with it before passing it down to his grandson. That rifle would easily hunt in the hands of four generations and beyond.
