Exceptionally Rare .30-06 Winchester Model 70 International Army Match, C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,375.00
WOA#: WY240916WOA001
Make: Winchester’s Custom Shop
Model: 70 International Army Match
Serial Number: G776063
Year of Manufacture: The receiver’s serial number indicates that it was made in 1965. The “G” prefix was added in or after 1968. This configuration was not cataloged by Winchester until 1970. C&R
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Internal Blind Magazine
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “-WINCHESTER MODEL 70 – 30-06 SPRG. -/ 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 “G776063”, the bolt is hand-scribed “G776063” on the bottom. The “G” prefix on the receiver is hand-stamped and not quite in-line with the numbers (see Our Assessment).
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 sight blocks installed toward the rear of the barrel and on the chamber ring. There is a pair of drilled, tapped and filled holes in the bridge. 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 in the belly and a 10″ accessory rail inlet to the bottom of the forend which has a sling swivel assembly installed. 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 minor marks with one more notable scratch on the left of the forend about 2″ in front of the receiver, one on the bottom between the trigger guard and the mounting screw and a nick on the bottom edge of the cheekpiece. The grip is cracked on both sides. The LOP measures 12 ¾” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttpad. The pad shows minor wear. Overall, the stock is in Good condition.
Type of Finish: Matte Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 98% of its metal finish. There is a tiny nick on the the top of the barrel and a patch of very minor discoloration from oxidation on the bottom of the barrel about 4″ in front of the forend. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition and would rate higher if not for the condition of the stock.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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. 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: None.
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. 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, each built on a pre-68 receiver with the “G” prefix added when the rifles were assembled. This is one of those four rifles.
An article in The Winchester Collector by Bill Grant, “Winchester’s Model 70 International Army Match and Ultra Match Rifles”, lists this as one of four observed .30-06 International Army Match rifles by serial number. This model wasn’t introduced to Winchester’s catalog until 1970, but the four rifles have serial numbers which would place their years of manufacture in 1965, 1966 and 1967. This not only pre-dates the model’s introduction, it predates the “G” prefix found on each of the four rifles which was added to the Model 70 serial numbers to comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968, indicating that the receivers had been made and serial-marked, but were assembled into International Army match rifles years later.
This exceedingly rare .30-06 International Army Match is in Fine-plus condition. There are only a few light marks in the wood and metal, but it retains a great bore and strong mechanics. The rifle has all of the correct features and markings of the International Army Match rifles and will make an addition to a Winchester collection or a collection of long range competition rifles that will enhance even the most advanced of such collections. With as few as four of these rifles made, an opportunity such as this doesn’t come by every day. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud