In 1935, the first Model 70 rifles began to emerge from the Winchester workrooms. Nineteen guns were produced in that year, though they did not leave the factory. In 1936, the first production guns (reaching Serial No. 2,238) were warehoused, and the Model 54 was, to all intents and purposes, a thing of the past, though it formed the basis for the new rifle. In 1937, deliveries were made to the trade.
Model 54 features that were continued in the Model 70 included the Springfield-type coned barrel breech and non-rotating extractor, dual front locking lugs, and receiver-mounted ejector. The machined receiver itself was originally about the same as that of its predecessor, including the double radiused form of the rear tang, which was restyled in 1947 to a simpler shape that eliminated the stock splitting which had occurred earlier.
Repositioning the front guard screw allowed better bedding and resulted in better potential accuracy. The action of the Model 70, then, was superior to but not much different than the Model 54. Barrels and stocks were basically unchanged, but the following six points turned Winchester’s bolt-action rifle from an adequate competitor in the field to what has been called the finest production bolt-action ever made; (1) a gas port was added to the right side of the receiver ring, thus decreasing the chance of gas escaping from a punctured primer from traveling back through the receiver and striking the shooter’s eye; (2) the military-type safety was abandoned in favor of a bolt-sleeve safety which worked on a horizontal plane and made the mounting of a telescopic sight far easier and more practical; (3) the stamped, one-piece trigger guard/floorplate was replaced with a new assembly, including a hinged floorplate with plunger release; (4) the bolt sleeve itself was given a more attractive contour, made possible by the new safety; (5) a receiver-mounted bolt stop, separated from the trigger mechanism, enabled the latter to be greatly improved and removed one of the major deficiencies of the Model 54; (6) last, and best, the new trigger mechanism, relieved of its necessity of supporting the bolt stop, was adjustable for weight of pull and overtravel and was, to a great degree, responsible for the many competition records which the Model 70 took and held.
Full story: The Model 70 Story: The Early Years