Winchester 70 pre-64

distinguishedgirl

My husband was gifted a Winchester model 70. The vet that gave it to him said it was from 1937. We are relatively new to gun collecting and wondered exactly how much of a gift this was. I tried to do some basic searches on google and although I did find out the pre-64 model 70s are worth more than the post 64s, the prices I found were wildly different. Anything from 850.00 to 20,000.00! It looks to be in excellent shape and has a small scope on it. Can anybody give me a little more ballpark figure? There are five digits in the serial number starting with 12 Thanks!

BT99

A little more information would be helpful. Such as Caliber. Two identical rifles in different calibers could be priced miles apart. Such as, a standard grade in 30-06 is not worth what the same rifle in
300 savage, or 35 Remington would be worth. Second, is it a standard grade or super grade. A suggestion would be picking up a copy of the "Blue Book", to get started. The Blue Book would also give some hints relative to grading the condition.

Herschel

Welcome to the forum. According to The Rifleman's Rifle by Roger C. Rule, a model 70 with a 5 digit serial number starting with 12 would have been made in 1938. In this case a difference of one year in manufacture date is not important. The existence of a scope on the rifle suggests there MAY be aftermarket holes drilled in the barrel and/or receiver. Such holes detract from the value of these rifles. Photos would be most helpful. A person not accustomed to seeing original finish model 70's could have trouble recognizing a reblued rifle. Reblued rifles can look new but the value is much less than one with original finish. The questions BT99 asked are important in determining value. Whether the stock is original and unmodifed is another factor in determining value. A lot of things could have happened to that rifle in the last 69 years.

Regardless of any "warts" it may have, it was a very nice gift.