doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Win M70 with side mount

To those interested.
The photos are an early (1937) M70 with all the attributes of a super grade, without the so marked floor plate. At one point in its life someone drilled and tapped the side for a side mount. (Pattern doesn't match the typical G&H system, more later, see question at bottom). Because of the drilling, which affected its collector value without the side mount, I was able to get the gun for an excellant cost. The gun came with the Lyman 48 and is in 300 H&H, an iconic caliber.
Well long story short I made the new QD side mount based on the typical G&H but set up so both the scope and peep can be used. This eliminates the need for the dummy slot in the 48 and then the problem of how quick can you lose the lyman peep insert.
Any way here it is:




A question concerning the original side mount, the typical G&H screw pattern has been, screw, dowel, screw, dowel, screw. This gun was dowel, screw, screw, screw, dowel. I would be curious if anyone may know what the original mount was?

Didn't the Echo mount use that setup?

Thanks
I looked on the web and all the examples I could find have the same pattern as the G&H. Not saying it wasn't an Echo, just can't verify it.

Everything in life is a tradeoff.

The mount allowing the Lyman 48 and the scope to be present simultaneously seems to place the scope too high for quick instinctive shooting and probably gives little or no "check weld". The typical Griffin & Howe mount places the scope lower, sometimes much lower, and avoids these drawbacks. It's all a question of shooting style. European style shooters would have no problem with the high scope.

True the Lyman 48 slide can get lost in a typical G & H setup, but not if it's is placed in the trap butt plate, as it should be, when not mounted. G & H sporters of any vintage often still have them stored there.

Nice job, I have an early G&H set up this way. I shoot with my head up so your scope would not be to high for me.

I don't recognize the pin and screw pattern which means little because many did not seem to have any pattern.

LRF, How did you decide the value of the rifle with 5 extra holes? I have a 1950 supergrade with a Jaeger side mount, and an engraved winchester 1895 deluxe special order with the same mount that was made in 1901 (the things my grandfather did...)I'm not sure how to value them.

Older otherwise original Winchester rifles with side mounts are part of the charm and history of our collecting hobby. They are achieving more cult status every day. We can't all be Michael Petrov in the collecting game. Some of us are happy with drilled rifles as long as we also have a totally original example or two. Who can resist a gunbroker ad for a prewar Model 54 with a Lyman Alaskan in Griffin and Howe side mounts?

I am fairly sure that in the 30s and 40s Winchester, for one, would send a 70 straight from the factory to G&H for scope installation, if the buyer ordered it. I have a 65 .218 Bee deluxe (no such catalog item but it is like a 71 deluxe, checkering, grip cap, swivel bases, etc.) that supposedly went straight from Winchester to Stith for a Weaver 440 in custom Streamline mounts. No papers (there never are) but anecdotal oral history. For collectors, such rifles arguably ought to be considered factory original.

I was told by a Model 70 collector that the G&H mounts were fitted at Winchester on the 70's. Also told that Winchester left the screws visible were G&H ground them off flush then blued.

Because there are no factory records on the Model 70's there is no way to know for sure who did what to whom. There are way more rare Model 70's then ever left the factory.

I saw one of Dr.Smith's custom model 70's when it came from his estate,.250 Savage carbine engraved and in a leather case and it had the G&H mount with scope on it. Unreal nice and priced at $5500 in the 70's.Engraving was the typical Winchester work with gold inlays and the stock was the feather crotch with the fluer de lis checkering.There was an article in a 50's sporting magazine that showed Winchester artisans working on similiar M70's.