Winchester and the Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center have teamed up for a really special tribute rifle that will be unveiled next week at the SHOT show. The rifle will commemorate the Diamond Jubilee (75th anniversary) of the Winchester Model 70 in a fitting tribute to the man who arguably had the largest role in making it popular and the legend it is even today.
This rifle, naturally in .270 Winchester caliber, will be built in two grades and comes as close to matching Jack's famous pet "Number 2" rifle as factory production will allow.
The barrel will be a 22" Featherweight pattern, with steel floorplate (engraved with one of Jack O'Connor's sheep heads) and trigger guard with Jack's signature in nickel silver. The grip cap will be steel, with light engraving as well.
The best part of the tribute rifle will be the stock, which is patterned after the Number 2 original (Al and Roger Biesen gave the permissions to use their stock design, and Bradford O'Connor actually shipped the Number 2 rifle to Winchester to make a pattern). Even the checkering pattern will closely resemble the original. Sling swivels will be of the Super Grade style; a black fore end tip will be on both grades.
The big difference in the grades will be the wood quality. The standard grade ("standard" is probably a disservice to a factory rifle of this quality) will feature figured wood with a rubber recoil pad, while the deluxe version will be dressed up with fancier wood and a Neidner-type blued steel buttplate, the same pattern as found on the pre-64 Model 70 standard rifles.
Here's an initial announcement from Winchester:
Here is some of the prototype hardware (the small rendition here doesn't do the sheep engraving justice; a larger picture of it looks great):
Pricing has yet to be made final, but expect retail to be under $1,500 for the standard grade to around $2,000 for the deluxe. The Jack O'Connor center will get a cut for each rifle sold. Winchester says the rifles should hit dealer shelves in late spring 2012.
Kudos to many folks for making this project happen, not the least of which should go to Bradford O'Connor for his personal involvement and commitment as well as Glenn Hatt of Winchester for pushing the project through the corporate end.
Bradford has contacted a number of our modern day scribes about this rifle, and expects lots of interest and press from the SHOT show next week.
So, Jack O'Connor fans, time to start squirrelling away the pennies for one of these rifles; they will be special.
Here is a link to the Jack O'Connor center in Lewiston, Idaho:
http://jack-oconnor.org/
This rifle, naturally in .270 Winchester caliber, will be built in two grades and comes as close to matching Jack's famous pet "Number 2" rifle as factory production will allow.
The barrel will be a 22" Featherweight pattern, with steel floorplate (engraved with one of Jack O'Connor's sheep heads) and trigger guard with Jack's signature in nickel silver. The grip cap will be steel, with light engraving as well.
The best part of the tribute rifle will be the stock, which is patterned after the Number 2 original (Al and Roger Biesen gave the permissions to use their stock design, and Bradford O'Connor actually shipped the Number 2 rifle to Winchester to make a pattern). Even the checkering pattern will closely resemble the original. Sling swivels will be of the Super Grade style; a black fore end tip will be on both grades.
The big difference in the grades will be the wood quality. The standard grade ("standard" is probably a disservice to a factory rifle of this quality) will feature figured wood with a rubber recoil pad, while the deluxe version will be dressed up with fancier wood and a Neidner-type blued steel buttplate, the same pattern as found on the pre-64 Model 70 standard rifles.
Here's an initial announcement from Winchester:
Here is some of the prototype hardware (the small rendition here doesn't do the sheep engraving justice; a larger picture of it looks great):
Pricing has yet to be made final, but expect retail to be under $1,500 for the standard grade to around $2,000 for the deluxe. The Jack O'Connor center will get a cut for each rifle sold. Winchester says the rifles should hit dealer shelves in late spring 2012.
Kudos to many folks for making this project happen, not the least of which should go to Bradford O'Connor for his personal involvement and commitment as well as Glenn Hatt of Winchester for pushing the project through the corporate end.
Bradford has contacted a number of our modern day scribes about this rifle, and expects lots of interest and press from the SHOT show next week.
So, Jack O'Connor fans, time to start squirrelling away the pennies for one of these rifles; they will be special.
Here is a link to the Jack O'Connor center in Lewiston, Idaho:
http://jack-oconnor.org/