The showing off guns thread got me thinkin'

[bwhntr350]

 I own a very valuable rifle and have owned it for 10 years. I never plan on selling it, nobody sees it. I am not worried about theft as it is harbored at a very trust worthy and good friend's house. So, what is the point of having it?

 Might as well show it, I guess, but most will not care about it unless you are into Pre-64 Winchester's.

 Cruddy photo's. Have had them a while and I am not good at taking pictures of guns, obviously.

[bow-n-head]

Wow I haven't seen a nicer one 458 to boot

[sirmissalot]

Very cool, have you shot it? I may need a 458 someday

[blackveltbowhunter]

Dandy!!!

[Huntbear]

Awesome rifle!   

Not many rifles compare to a Pre 64 Model 70. 

[bwhntr350]

 Never have shot it. My late Grandfather went to Africa in both 1971 and '72. He wanted to take an elephant. So, later in '72 he bought this gun. He never went back and never fired the gun.

 There are wear marks on the bolt just because the gun gets cleaned every 6 months. There is a primer mark on the face of the bolt. I understand that the pre-64's were shot one time before leaving the factory but I do not know if one shot, 50 years ago, would be enough to leave that sort of mark. It could be that the first owner shot it but have no idea. My Grandfather was under the impression it had not been fired since leaving the factory but even he may have been speculating or misled.

 He passed in 2003 and left me his collection of model 70's. This one here in nearly "like new" condition is definitely the cream of the crop, as it should be.

[Blacktail Sniper]

 

[huntnphool]

It's definitely a womper.

[JLS]

Wow, what a neat gun.  Too bad you don't have the box for it.  I'd be really tempted to load it up and hunt elk with it.

[bwhntr350]

Wow, what a neat gun.  Too bad you don't have the box for it.  I'd be really tempted to load it up and hunt elk with it.

Haha, I am not even tempted to shoot it.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Man you gotta at least send a few down the pipe, that is a classic rifle right there!   If nothing more than just to feel like a bad a**! I would never sell it either, anything given to you by family is off limits to sell.

[Arnbo]

Priceless!     Do you have pics from his Safaris?

[marlin]

That's a beauty!! .458 win mag.. WOW.
A friend of mine's grandfather passed and left him a Pre-64 Model 70 in .264 Win Mag.. its a beauty too, and I actually got to shoot it with him. I offered him $1200 and he refused. Winchester is making some new model 70's as a tribute to the pre-64, and Cabela's has a .264 win mag.. Its nice, but now I'm broke.. Maybe someday.

[jyerxa]

I have my dads old 06 mod 70. But boy is it brush worn. Defiantly a pre 64. He said they were collectors items 20 years or so. And the condition yours is in. Wow!!! 

[kentrek]

Priceless!     Do you have pics from his Safaris?

 

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

That's a beauty!! .458 win mag.. WOW.
A friend of mine's grandfather passed and left him a Pre-64 Model 70 in .264 Win Mag.. its a beauty too, and I actually got to shoot it with him. I offered him $1200 and he refused. Winchester is making some new model 70's as a tribute to the pre-64, and Cabela's has a .264 win mag.. Its nice, but now I'm broke.. Maybe someday.

Been drooling over that one myself.  If much rather find a pre 64 though.

[bwhntr350]

Priceless!     Do you have pics from his Safaris?

 You know, I do not. Before he died, he gave me a bunch of old photo's of him back when he logged. Back in the late '30's and '40's.

 Grandma, who is now 95, has their hunting photo album from Africa. She keeps it in their game room. You can see the pictures and then find the animal on the wall. I have never really thought any too much about this stuff until you guys brought it to my attention. I really should make it a point, asap, to get up to Gram's and get that album and start making some copies.

 I know the other model 70's that were left to me were taken to Africa. I have not shot any of them. For some reason, they seem sacred to me, but I do not know why. I have ammo for all of them.

 As far as the .458 goes, I could not shoot that one. One of the guns he left me is a Model 70 pre-64 .375 H&H and it has a crack in the wrist. If I fired the .458 and something gave way like that it would really bum me out.

[jyerxa]

Priceless!     Do you have pics from his Safaris?

I know the other model 70's that were left to me were taken to Africa. I have not shot any of them. For some reason, they seem sacred to me, but I do not know why. I have ammo for all of them.

I don't shoot dads either. I'll let my brother take it hunting. I feel I am more or less the guardian of it. It is just what you do with heirlooms. 

[bwhntr350]

 My Grandfather also had a pistol carried by Harry Tracy. It was left to my brother, along with some other pistols. Tracy was not really known for his pistol work, but instead his 30-30 was his go to gun. I, suppose, it is very possible that he killed with his pistol, but not like he did with the 30-30.

 I offered to buy that pistol, a 1871 Colt SA, I believe it is, from my brother but he turned me down 

 There was an article in a northwest magazine back in the early '80's that ran a short story on Tracy and then a full page article, with his picture, of my Grandfather. Some guy in Colorado seen the story and he happened to own the rifle. He called and offered to buy my Grandpa's pistol so that he had the complete set that Tracy carried. My Grandpa turned him down but offered to buy the rifle. Of course, the guy said "No."

 For anyone who has not heard of Harry Tracy, pretty entertaining reads on him. I remember finding, online, stories on him in the Seattle Times, I think, keeping up, daily, on Tracy's doings. I will try to find them and add a link for those interested.

 Here is a pretty good account:
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/htracy.htm

Harry Tracy. Does he look cold blooded?

[bwhntr350]

WOW!!! I found this while looking for the Times articles.

http://www.wrvmuseum.org/journal/journal_0498.htm

 It claims that there was another pistol that somebody donated to a museum and that it was Tracy's. The men mentioned here are my two Grandfathers.

 William Massey was from upstate N.Y. He was my Dad's  step dad until he passed away in the 90's. He had sold that gun, with authentication that this was indeed Tracy's pistol, to my Mother's Dad, Del Huggins. That is who left the guns to my brother and I.

 My brother has the written documentation for this pistol. Weird. If the first part of this story is true, and my Grandfather did not own Tracy's pistol, then that makes a liar out of me. Intriguing plot!

[jyerxa]

Wow, that is kind of cool to find out that stuff isn't it. 

[coachcw]

I'd shoot a animal with it in grand dads memory !

[JLS]

My Grandfather also had a pistol carried by Harry Tracy. It was left to my brother, along with some other pistols. Tracy was not really known for his pistol work, but instead his 30-30 was his go to gun. I, suppose, it is very possible that he killed with his pistol, but not like he did with the 30-30.

 I offered to buy that pistol, a 1871 Colt SA, I believe it is, from my brother but he turned me down 

 There was an article in a northwest magazine back in the early '80's that ran a short story on Tracy and then a full page article, with his picture, of my Grandfather. Some guy in Colorado seen the story and he happened to own the rifle. He called and offered to buy my Grandpa's pistol so that he had the complete set that Tracy carried. My Grandpa turned him down but offered to buy the rifle. Of course, the guy said "No."

 For anyone who has not heard of Harry Tracy, pretty entertaining reads on him. I remember finding, online, stories on him in the Seattle Times, I think, keeping up, daily, on Tracy's doings. I will try to find them and add a link for those interested.

 Here is a pretty good account:
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/htracy.htm

Harry Tracy. Does he look cold blooded?


I read a book that had a chapter on the Tracy brothers.  They were some stone cold killers.

[runningboard]

That's a beauty!! .458 win mag.. WOW.
A friend of mine's grandfather passed and left him a Pre-64 Model 70 in .264 Win Mag.. its a beauty too, and I actually got to shoot it with him. I offered him $1200 and he refused. Winchester is making some new model 70's as a tribute to the pre-64, and Cabela's has a .264 win mag.. Its nice, but now I'm broke.. Maybe someday.

Been drooling over that one myself.  If much rather find a pre 64 though.

guy @ the Spokane gun show has a 264 pre 64, last 2 shows IIRC he was asking$1300