This is the straight story. I have all major actions. My go to bolt gun is my mid 80s Winchester 70 in .243. Pencil barrel lightweight, laminated stock. Rifles just don't shoot or function any better than this.I know collectors get crazy about tradition, but if you are looking about functionality of a machine with no emotional involvment, pre-64 does not mean anything.
Pre -64 the bolt head space was hand fit, mostly due to the fact that the manufacturing equipment could not hold close enough tolerance. After the equipment was better, that was not needed. It was not like they shipped thousands of rifles that were out of spec. People just decided that mass produced must not be as good as one fit by a fine gunsmith. Of course the "hand fit" ones were fit by production line workers who may have only been hired yesterday.
The conrolled round feeding and extraction, (like a mauser) is over rated in my book. When was the last time you needed to work a bolt action hanging upside down? The push feed models worked flawlessly. I pumped several different push feed Winchesters in rapid fire against semi automatics for years in National Match competition. I NEVER, EVER called for an alibi because my rifle misfeed. Almost every rapid fire event had someone call an alibi because their AR did not work. (even when I shot an AR my stuff worked too)
The extractors even on the "lesser desired" push feed Winchesters are superior to the Remington bolt actions also. Far stronger, makes a lot more contact with the brass, and unlike the Remington part, no one has ever seen one fail on during a match. Most serious bolt gunners have the Rem bolts modified to a SAKO extractor that functions like the Winchester push feed system.
Model 70's are good actions, no matter what the year and model.
I love the knowledge we have here on INGO. While there are MANY guns I don't know too much about I can always learn something from the people here. As for the one in the trade, I have found out that it is a G2 serial number (which means '91 or '92) I believe and is chambered in 270wsm. Knowing the bit I do, that research saying 91-92 must be wrong if this gun was produced in 270wsm as the round has not been used for that long..