Winchester XPR appeals to Model 70 fans, costs less

Firearms bearing the Winchester label have been part of American culture since 1866. It was then that Oliver Winchester bought control of the New Haven Arms company and changed its name to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

The first rifle to bear the Winchester name was the Model 1866, a lever-action rifle with a brass frame that garnered the nickname “Yellow Boy.”

While the military was slow to embrace lever-action technology, the private sector was a little more open to innovation. This was especially true of miners, ranchers, farmers and settlers making their way out west. They had little trouble recognizing the advantages of a repeating firearm over a single-shot rifle.

Two of the best known Winchester products are the Model 1873 and the Model 94, brainchild of John M. Browning. Through the years, Winchester’s lever-action rifles proved to be effective tools for harvesting big game. Even now, there are hunters who use modern versions of the lever-action to pursue their quarry, especially where animals are found in thick cover and one must be on game quick to put meat in the freezer.

While the lever-action rifle put the Winchester name on the map, perhaps the company’s greatest contribution to the world’s collection of sporting rifles is the Model 70. Introduced to the world in 1936, it was Winchester’s first bolt-action rifle produced specifically with the hunter in mind. The rifle met with immediate success and soon could be found across the Unites States and Canada and even on African safaris. They still can.

In 1964, Winchester made some changes to the rifle’s original design, but the platform remained the same. Those rifles produced before 1964 became known as Pre-’64 Model 70s and are considered a real prize.

The rifle has been labeled by some as “The Rifleman’s Rifle” and by others a legacy. It was the last bolt-action rifle introduced by Winchester, until now.

At the 2015 edition of the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in January, Winchester introduced its new bolt-action platform — the XPR. But with the ongoing success of the Model 70, one can’t help but ask why now?

“Because times have changed,” Winchester spokesman Glenn Hatt said. “The Model 70 is such a great, incredible, I mean it’s the Rifleman’s rifle. So you can’t mess with that, I’m not going to change that, but there is a demand for a lower-priced rifle that still gets good performance.”

At the same time, there is still a demand for the Model 70 in all of its configurations; so Winchester will continue to produce it, but it also will offer the new XPR platform. This, Hatt said, will allow the company to be more competitive moving forward and to provide a rifle “a younger shooter might be looking for.”

The only thing that ties the XPR to the Model 70 is the MOA trigger system, which the company touts as having zero take-up, zero creep and zero overtravel.

The difference is that the trigger system on the XPR is comprised of steel components versus stainless steel on the Model 70.

To enhance accuracy, the muzzle includes a recessed target-style crown to protect the rifling from nicks and dings that could affect downrange accuracy.

While I found the rifle’s action to have a solid, quality feel, the stock felt a little too much like plastic for my taste. But then, I still prefer the feel of wood to synthetic material. Perhaps it is a generational thing.

That said, the firearm does have a nice look, feels quick, and the price won’t be too tough on your wallet.

You can expect the XPR to show up at your favorite firearms dealer in April. The rifle will carry a price tag from $500 to $550. By contrast, the Featherweight version of the Model 70 retails for $940 to $980, depending on the caliber.

Speaking of caliber, the XPR will be available in four — the 270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum and 338 Winchester Magnum.

Perhaps the XPR will help some folks get started.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.