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thanks Tolly, I am probably going to end up going with the 30-06. If Carlos Hathcock can kill 93 gooks in Nam with an old Model 70 (a variant of the 700), at very far distances, I say that the 30-06 is a caliber to be reckoned with. I went by Dick's Sporting Goods today and they said they would call and see about ordering me one on Monday. I am really looking forward to getting the 700 xcr.

Well, Mr.Hathcock was a hell of a shot, and the Remington Model 700 is an excellent rifle, but it's not a variant of the Model 70 Winchester. No more so than them both being bolt actions anyway.

When you start talking Model 70s you are talking my game brother. They are my first love even before knives. The original Model 70s have a 3-position safety and are what is referred to as "controlled round feed". They have a claw extractor that controls the round from the time it picks it up to the time it is ejected. That is why almost ALL dangerous game rifles you will ever see are built on Model 70 actions or other controlled round feed actions and not push feed actions like the Rem 700.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Rem 700, and some folks(especially benchrest shooters) will tell you that the Rem 700 will make for a more accurate rifle for a few reasons that I won't get into here unless asked about. That is not really tru though. As you noted Mr. Hathcock did pretty well with his Model 70.

To make things even more confusing, not all Model 70s are "CRF". There were many years that Winchester made the Model 70 as a push feed action. They lost a lot of customers so they reintroduced the "CRF" Model 70 calling it a Model 70 Classic. If you buy a Winchester (which I always recommend <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) you want to find either a Pre 64' Model 70, a Super Grade, or a Model 70 Classic. If you ever operate a "CRF" Model 70 you will never want anything else. They are smooth as silk and they function very well when dirty too.

Once more I want to make it clear that the Rem 700 is an excellent action as well.


"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13