Custom Winchester Model 70 Palma 26″ .308 Win. Bolt Action Rifle, 1969 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,366.00

LSB#: WY240714SE005

Make: Winchester

Model: 70, Custom-built using Palma Trophy Match-style components.

Serial Number: G932044

Year of Manufacture: 1969

Caliber: .308 Winchester

Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Hinged Floorplate Magazine

Markings: The top-rear of the barrel is marked with an ovalled “WP”. The left side of the receiver is marked “WINCHESTER / -TRADE MARK-”. The right side of the receiver’s chamber ring is marked “G932044”, the bolt is hand-scribed “932044” on the bottom. 

Barrel Length: 26?, Extra Heavy Profile with Counter-Bored Muzzle

Sights / Optics: The front sight is an Al Freeman globe-style sight which accepts interchangeable inserts, only the installed clear aperture insert is included. Each side of the hood is drilled and tapped with horizontal posts installed bracketing the aperture. There is a pair of drilled, tapped and filled holes in the top of the barrel toward the rear for a sight block (none present). The chamber ring and bridge each have a pair of drilled, tapped and filled holes. The left of the receiver is drilled and tapped with a Redfield mount holding a Redfield Olympic aperture sight installed, adjustable for windage and elevation. An 8-position Redfield adjustable size aperture is installed.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is a Marksman-style one-piece smooth walnut with beavertail forend, pistol grip, straight comb, serrated black rubber Winchester buttpad, a sling swivel mounted to the butt and an inlet 10 3/4? accessory rail in the forend. The receiver and chamber section of the barrel are glass-bedded with the barrel free-floating forward of the chamber. The stock has a few scattered light nicks and scratches. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/4? from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttpad. The pad shows infrequent minor wear, most notable at the toe. Overall, the stock is in Fine condition.

Type of Finish: Matte Blue, Black Anodized Trigger Guard

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is some stubborn copper fouling. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 96% of its metal finish. The action shows light operational wear. There are a few scattered minor scuffs and handling marks on the metal. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with usable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Fine condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly.  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. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards. 

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The installed sights are included.

Our Assessment: The Palma Trophy Match is one of, if not the most prestigious long-range rifle competitions in the world. Its history goes back to 1873, when the first International Long Range Rifle match was hosted by the Creedmoor Range in Queens, New York. Teams from Ireland and the United States participated in this first match with a second match held in 1874 at the Dollymount Range in Ireland, with the United States winning both matches. The National Rifle Association of America organized the first Palma Trophy Match in 1876 to celebrate the American Centennial, commissioning a massive seven and a half foot trophy from Tiffany’s for $1,500 (nearly $40,000 in 2022!). The name was taken from the trophy, a replica of a Roman standard which had “PALMA” replacing “SPQR” across the top of the standard, Latin for “victory/valor”.

The matches consist of strings of fire at distances of 800, 900 and 1,000 yards. The first matches were fired with muzzle-loading rifles and there were simple overall weight and trigger weight restrictions. Matches were held intermittently with the rules for the 1901 match updated to require each nation’s team to use a domestic military rifle and in 1968 the rules were updated again to require that the team’s rifles be identical guns provided by the host nation. In 1968, 1971 and 1976, the United States hosted the Palma Trophy Match and selected the Winchester Model 70 for the rifle to be used by all competitors.

These rifles were not standard Winchester Target models, but rather rifles specially built by Winchester’s Custom Shop. The Palma Trophy Match Model 70 was never cataloged and never offered for sale to the public, only provided to the teams at the U.S. hosted Palma matches (with one possible exception!). The barrels used for the 1971 rifles were longer, heavier profiled and had counter-bored muzzles. Their actions and the chamber area of the barrels were glass-bedded to the stocks with the remainder of the barrels free-floating. Intriguingly, their receivers are slotted for clip-loading and the bolts were factory-jeweled. The 1971 model differed from the 1968 by having an upgraded front sight which incorporates a bubble-level, a matte finish on the barrel and an externally adjustable trigger. It also received a new Palma Trophy Match roll-mark on the right of the barrel celebrating the National Rifle Association’s Centennial.

This is a fascinating rifle as it was made in 1969, showing some features of the 1968 Palma guns with the barrel profile of the 1971 guns, but with no marking on the barrel apart from a Winchester proof. Our consignor asserts, consistent with the hang tags on the trigger guard, that this rifle was built specially for Winchester executive Ted E. Hazelwood. Hazelwood was an interesting man in his own right, serving in the Marine Corps during WWII, playing football for the Chicago Hornets (previously the Rockets) as well as the Washington Redskins. He would then go on to hold a number of different executive positions at Winchester. We were not able to get a timeline of his different positions, but at one point he was the Director of Marketing of Winchester Canada, possibly during 1969 when this rifle was built and Canada hosted the Palma Trophy Match. He also worked for some time with the Winchester Custom Shop and may have been involved in development for the 1971 rifles. This will make a truly exceptional addition to a Winchester collection or a collection of long range competition rifles, possibly the only one of its kind. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud