Winchester Model 70 – «Атқыш мергеннің мылтығы» тарихы

The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has some design similarities to Mauser designs and it is a development of the earlier Winchester Model 54, itself being based on a Mauser 98–type action. The Model 70 was originally manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company between 1936 and 1980. From the early 1980s until 2006, Winchester rifles were manufactured by U. S. Repeating Arms under an agreement with Olin Corporation, allowing USRA to use the Winchester name and logo. Model 70s were built in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1936 to 2006, when production ceased. In the fall of 2007, the Belgian company FN Herstal announced that Model 70 production would resume. As of 2012, new Winchester Model 70 rifles were being made by FN Herstal in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2013, assembly was moved to Portugal.

In 1936, Winchester introduced the Model 70 bolt action rifle to the American market. The Model 70 was largely based on the Model 54, and is today still highly regarded by shooters and is often called "The Rifleman's Rifle". In 1999, Shooting Times magazine named the Model 70 the "Bolt action Rifle of the Century". Throughout its life, the Model 70 has been offered in many grades and styles.

The pre 1964 Model 70s were manufactured from 1936 through 1963, and gained popularity along with the .270 Winchester with the help of gun writer Jack O'Connor, after which time significant changes in the design and manufacture of the rifles were made. Pre 1964 Model 70s bring a substantial price premium due to a public perception that they were better, as they had several desirable features (Mauser type controlled round feed, cut checkering) that the post 1964 version did not. The best way to identify a pre 1964 Model 70 Winchester rifles is the serial number and the fore end screw to secure the barrel to the stock. Model 70 rifles with serial numbers below 700,000 are the pre 1964 variety. The receivers of these Model 70s were machined from bar stock steel.

The original Model 70 quickly established an excellent reputation with American sportsmen. It was a high quality action of considerable strength, with two forward locking lugs and a Mauser type non rotating claw extractor. The key benefit of the Mauser type extractor compared to later versions is that it more positively extracts the spent casing. This feature is often referred to as "controlled round feeding" (CRF) because the extractor captures the rim of a cartridge as it is fed upwards from the magazine and controls its journey forward into the rifle's chamber. Later designs, referred to as push feed, only capture the cartridge by the magazine lips and the chamber and the cartridge is not held to the bolt face until a spring loaded extractor is pushed over the cartridge's extractor groove. The smaller extractor of the push feed action may slip or break off a spent casing stuck in the chamber under adverse conditions. Therefore, the more positive extraction of the controlled round feeding action is favored by some shooters, especially those who pursue dangerous game, who require rifles to extract reliably. This function is necessary to allow subsequent cartridges to be fed and fired in a bolt action rifle with only a single barrel. The ejector on the original Model 70 was of the blade type similar to that of the Mauser 98, but considered superior as it did not require a Mauser type slot through the left locking lug; instead, there was a slot in the bolt face below the locking lug, leaving both forward lugs solid and hence stronger. The main benefit of the blade type ejector is it is simpler and perhaps more reliable (being considered less susceptible to ingress of foreign matter) when compared to the later post 1964 plunger ejector in the bolt face controlled by a coil spring. Other significant features of this action include a three position wing type safety (retained throughout Model 70 production), a cone breeching system that helps prevent bullet nose damage while loading a cartridge from the magazine, machined steel trigger guard and floor plate, one piece bolt construction, and a trigger adjustable for pull weight and over travel. The pre 1964 Model 70 rifle was officially declared as a state firearm of Alaska in 2014.

Competing as it did with the Remington Model 700, it was decided that changes needed to be made in the face of rising labor costs. Accordingly, in 1964, Winchester made a number of design changes to the Model 70. Few to none of these changes were popular with the rifle buying public, or with the US military. The changes included dropping the controlled round feed feature, a change to the basic stock shape and the use of impressed checkering rather than cut checkering. Jack O'Connor, long a proponent of the Model 70, wrote of the post 1964 version that "I was informed by Winchester brass that the Model 70 was being redesigned. I told them that I was glad to get the information so I could lay in four or five more before they loused the rifle up. Then I saw the pilot model of 'New Model 70'. At the first glimpse I like to fell into a swoon. The action was simplified, the trigger guard and floor plate made of a flimsy looking one piece stamping." Despite this initial reaction, O'Connor grudgingly went on to say, "Actually the post 1964 Model 70 is not a bad rifle in spite of the fact that rifle aficionados have never taken it to their bosoms the way they did its predecessor. It is a stronger action than the pre 1964. The head of the bolt encloses the head of the case. It has a small, neat hook extractor, which is adequate. With this extractor the cartridge is not as surely controlled as it is with the Mauser type extractor. However, the new model seldom gives feeding problems."

In 1968, further revisions were made to the Model 70 in part to address consumer concerns. An "anti bind" feature was introduced to make operation of the action smoother, which comprised a groove in an extended right locking lug operating on a rib on the right side of the receiver. This made the action noticeably smoother to operate and has been retained to the present day. A steel floorplate and stainless magazine follower were introduced, partially revoking changes introduced in the 1964 model. The alloy trigger guard was retained.

Starting in 1992, Winchester re introduced many features of the pre 1964 rifles, while also continuing to manufacture less expensive variants. The post 1992 Model 70 is an extensive rifle line that boasts nearly all of the features of the original line, but with some updated equipment, such as the Controlled Round Push Feed action and synthetic stocks. The popular Shadow variants feature black resin stocks, which reduce the price of the firearm significantly, and hold up better than wood stocks over time. Some of the modern rifles also use high performance McMillan, H. S. Precision or Bell and Carlson fiberglass stocks, though these rifles tend to be expensive. Particular models feature a one piece aluminum pillar block bedding for greater accuracy, and some models have fluting of the barrel to reduce weight and vent the barrel for additional cooling. Carbon fiber barrels are also found on select models to reduce weight and dissipate heat faster. Walnut stocks are still found across the line in satin finishes, and laminated walnut stocks are added to the mix for structural stability in extreme dry or wet conditions. The Model 70 is offered in all of the previous chamberings as the original, and is now supplemented with newer rounds, including the Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) and Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM) cartridges, which are magnum loaded rounds, but are shorter in length and wider in diameter, so spent cartridges take less time to eject and use less powder. However, these short magnum cartridges reduce magazine capacity and feeding reliability, due to their extra width and rebated rim.

In 1992, Winchester began producing a controlled round feed Model 70 that was marketed as the "Classic" model. This version reintroduced the CRF feature, while retaining the "anti bind" locking lug groove bolt guide of the 1968 push feed model. The use of modern CNC manufacturing techniques allowed Winchester to re introduce the CRF feature at a competitive price. Around this time, Browning, which is owned by the same parent company as USRAC, Giat Corp, of France, introduced the BOSS accuracy system. The term 'BOSS' is an acronym for Ballistic Optimising Shooting System. The device attaches to the muzzle end of the barrel and allows the natural harmonics, commonly known as barrel whip, caused during the bullet's passage down the bore, to be refined and controlled. By adjusting the device for optimum performance in the individual rifle, accuracy is brought to peak level. Winchester Model 70s equipped with the BOSS provide a significant improvement in accuracy for a production rifle. Currently, only Browning rifles are available with the BOSS. Later, Winchester expanded the Classic line, putting the Classic action on all their modern stocks, giving a wide range of choice in rifle types. This basically lets the buyer choose an action, then choose a stock to one's liking. Both pre and post 1964 versions of the Model 70 actions have their strengths and weaknesses. These rifles had shorter 24 inch barrels chambered for .30 06 Springfield. They were serial numbered in the 41,000 to 50,000 range and were fitted with leaf sights and checkered stocks with steel butt plates, one inch sling swivels, and leather slings. It has been reported that some of these rifles were equipped with 8X Unertl telescopic sights for limited unofficial use as sniper weapons on Guadalcanal and during the Korean War. Many of the surviving rifles, after reconditioning with heavier Douglas barrels and new stocks between 1956 and 1963 at the Marine Corps match rebuild shop in Albany, Georgia, were fitted with 8× Unertl sights from M1903 sniper rifles. The reconditioned rifles were used in competitive shooting matches; and the United States Army purchased approximately 200 new Model 70 National Match Rifles with medium heavy barrels for match use between 1954 and 1957. Many of the reconditioned Marine Corps match rifles were used by Marine Corps snipers during the early years of the Vietnam war with M72 match ammunition loaded with 173 grain boat tailed bullets. A smaller number of the Army's Model 70 rifles also saw combat use by Army snipers; and some were equipped with suppressors for covert operations in Southeast Asia. These Model 70 rifles never achieved the status of a standard military weapon; but were used until replaced by the Remington Model 700 series bolt action rifles which became the basis for the M40 series sniper rifle. One of the reasons the U. S. Marine Corps replaced their Winchester Model 70s was that the post 1964 variants of the Model 70 did not meet U. S. Marines' standards. Despite the introduction of the Remington Model 700 rifle, the pre 1964 Winchester Model 70 was still used by the US Marine Corps' scout/sniper teams during the Vietnam War alongside the Remington Model 700 rifle. The original wood stocks were found to be warping in both rifles after a few years of service and both rifles were given fiberglass stocks to remedy the problem. Existing Model 70s still in service have had their stocks replaced with a McMillan fiberglass stock, such as that found on the Custom Extreme Weather variant. One of the best known U. S. Marine Corps snipers who used the Winchester Model 70 during the Vietnam War was Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who used a Winchester Model 70 sniper rifle chambered in .30 06. It was this rifle, equipped with a standard 8×43 Unertl scope, that Hathcock used to kill a North Vietnamese enemy sniper by shooting him in the eye, through the scope of his Mosin–Nagant rifle. Hathcock's rifle is on display at the Quantico, Virginia Marine Corps Sniper Museum.