Winchester Model 70 International Army Match .308 Win. Bolt Action Rifle
SOLD FOR: $1050
LSB#: 220112WG012
Make: Winchester’s Custom Shop
Model: 70 International Army Match
Serial Number: G1193307
Year of Manufacture: 1975
Caliber: .308 Winchester
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Blind Magazine
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “-WINCHESTER MODEL 70 – 308 WIN.- / MADE IN NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A. WINCHESTER PROOF STEEL”. The top-rear of the barrel is marked with an ovalled “WP” and there is an ovalled “WP” on the top-left of the chamber ring. The left side of the receiver is marked “WINCHESTER / -TRADE MARK-”. The right side of the receiver’s chamber ring is marked “G1193307”, the bolt is hand-scribed “1193307” on the bottom.
Barrel Length: 24″, Heavy Profile with Counter-Bored Muzzle. Approximately 1.14″ at the front edge of the receiver tapering to 0.83″ at the muzzle.
Sights / Optics: There are no sights installed or included. There is a pair of drilled and tapped holes at the muzzle-end for mounting a front sight. There are pairs of drilled, tapped and filled holes in the rear of the barrel, the chamber ring and the bridge for sight/optic mounts. There is a pair of drilled, tapped and filled holes at the left-rear of the receiver for a receiver sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is a distinctive International Army Match style. The stock is one-piece smooth walnut with a deep, but fairly narrow forend, contoured pistol grip, monte-carlo comb with cheekpiece, serrated black rubber Winchester buttpad, a sling swivel on the butt and a 10″ accessory rail inlet to the bottom of the forend. A combination sling swivel and contoured alloy hand-stop is installed on the accessory rail. The receiver and chamber section of the barrel are glass-bedded with the barrel free-floating forward of the chamber. The wood shows scattered scuffs & handling marks. The left side of the grip has lost a small section of the finish. The grip shows scratches and small compression marks on both sides. The wood shows scrapes at the edge of the ejection port. The left side of the stock shows tape residue under the receiver. There are no chips or cracks in the wood. The LOP measures 12 1/2″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttpad. The pad shows light wear, mostly at the heel. Overall, the stock is in Very Good Plus to Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Matte Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. The grooves near the muzzle are semi bright. There is infrequent faint erosion in the grooves near the muzzle. Our gauge shows an ME of about 0.2.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 97% of its metal finish. The metal shows scattered scuffs & light scrapes. The most prominent scrapes are on the rear of the receiver. The barrel and receiver show dried oil residue around the screw holes from previously installed sight blocks. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads show light use. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good Plus to Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
There are two holes in the top-rear of the receiver for the externally adjustable trigger. There is a safety mounted on the rear of the bolt. Pushed to the front, the safety is OFF. Rotated back all the way, it locks both the bolt and the trigger. If pulled back half-way, it blocks only the trigger.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a printout of the The Winchester Collector article “Winchester’s Model 70 Post-1963 Target and Varmint Rifles” by Bill Grant.
Our Assessment: The International Army Match is the rarest of the post-1963 Winchester Model 70 cataloged configurations. Available only on special order basis and constructed by Winchester’s Custom Shop, there were only 179 of these rifles made in the 10 years they were offered (1970-1979). Designed specifically to conform to the International Shooting Union’s Big Bore Standard Rifle specifications, the International Army Match has a couple of rare features found only on a few other Model 70 configurations and a very unique stock.
Like the Palma Trophy Match and the Ultra Match rifles, the action and the rear of the barrel were bedded with the remainder of the barrel floated and the International Army Match had an externally adjustable trigger. Its 24″ heavy barrel has a deep counter-bore to protect the crown. Given its blind magazine, somewhat necessary due to the depth of the forend, it is nice that the receiver has a clip-guide allowing feeding via stripper clips. .308 Winchester was the only chambering offered in the Winchester catalog for the decade this model was produced (though there have been at least four examples known to be chambered for .30-06).
This example is chambered for .308 Winchester and is in Very Good Plus to Fine condition. There is some light wear which is consistent with the rifle’s intended use, but it retains a strong bore and mechanics. The rifle has all of the correct features and markings of the International Army Match rifles and will make an exceptional addition to a Winchester collection or a collection of long range competition rifles. With such a limited number of these rifles made, an opportunity such as this doesn’t come by every day. Please see our photos and good luck!