Winchester Model 70 Featherweight

About the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight

The Winchester Model 70 Featherweight is a bolt-action rifle chambered in .270 Winchester, introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1952 as a lighter, trimmer hunting variant of the classic Model 70. Built around the Pre-'64 style controlled-round-feed action with a Mauser-type claw extractor and three-position safety, it feeds reliably even when the bolt is worked slowly or with the rifle inverted. The slim 22-inch free-floating barrel and lightweight Grade I walnut stock with a Schnabel fore-end keep the rifle around 3175g (7 lb), making it easy to carry over long days afield without sacrificing the accuracy potential of the .270 Winchester cartridge. The tuned M.O.A. trigger system offers a clean, creep-free break, while the jeweled bolt body and cut checkering reflect the traditional craftsmanship the Model 70 is known for. Popularized by writer Jack O'Connor, the Featherweight in .270 Winchester remains one of the most respected all-around North American big-game hunting rifles.

The Model 70 Featherweight in .270 Winchester is closely tied to gun writer Jack O'Connor, whose lifelong advocacy of the pairing turned it into an icon of American mountain and plains hunting. Light enough to carry all day yet accurate and flat-shooting, it became the archetype of the classic walnut-and-blued-steel sporting rifle.

Winchester Model 70 Featherweight specifications

The Featherweight was first offered in 1952 and helped establish the lightweight sporter niche. The .270 Winchester chambering was made famous by outdoor writer Jack O'Connor, who championed the Model 70 in .270 for decades. Current production rifles are manufactured by Miroku in Japan under the Winchester brand and retain the Pre-'64 style controlled-round-feed action reintroduced with the Classic series.