I've owned a couple Winchester Model 70s but most of the Winchester products I've had were lever actions. I didn't know much about the Winchester bolt 22's, other than I'd really like a Model 52 ! But the 52 is out of my price range.
I was at a gunshow last week and there were a few tables of rifles from an estate sale. I spotted a Model 75 Sporter that was affordable, because it had been D&T'ed on top for Weaver scope bases, and it had an aftermarket, light colored, plain wood stock. It was priced at $450, so I took it home.
Serial number shows this one to be a 1950 make.
This one came with the big Lyman 57 peep, and a Lyman 17 globe in the front ramp dovetail. The stock that it came with was well fitted and comfortable, but looked like a late war SKS or 98 Mauser, sorta like pine 2x4 grain. I knew I was going to be looking for an original stock.
The Model 75 was made from 1938 to 1958, over 300,000 of the Target model were produced, but only 70,000 some of the Sporter, so the Sporters are worth much more. An un-modified Sporter in good shape brings $1000 to $1500 today.
The Target version had a heavier 28 inch barrel, and a plain Walnut target style stock. Sporters had a slimmer 24 inch barrel, nicely figured and checkered wood with pistol grip cap and grooved steel butt plate, and the trigger guard was engraved with the word "Sporting" just in front of the magazine well.
Both the Target and Sporter had an action based on the Model 69A, but with refinements. The bolt was carefully head spaced to the action for a tight fit and bolt were engraved with the rifles serial number. The barrels had a tighter Match chamber and were lead lapped from breech to muzzle.
Triggers were adjustable for weight of pull from 3 to 6 pounds, but there are ways to get them a bit lighter.
5 round magazines were standard, but there were/are 10 round mags available.
Both Target and Sporter were drilled and tapped on the barrel for Unertl style block cope bases, and most were also drilled for the Lyman 57 peep sight. The Sporter had a hood on the front sight, mine must have gone missing when someone put the Globe sight on the front ramp.
Since I'm not going to shoot much paper, and my eyes are not getting any better, I took off the peep sight and mounted an older Weaver V7 on the Weaver bases.
I had to change the parallax on the Weaver from 100 yards to 50 yards, and it is a bit big looking, so I have a Weaver RV9 on it's way, along with some lower rings.
I'd really like a gloss Leupold 2-7x Rimfire scope for it, but since they discontinued the gloss version, they are getting $300 plus for them.
Stocks for the 75 Sporter run close to $300, but no one showed any available. A guy on a rimfire forum, who jut happened to live 45 minutes from me, had a nice grained stock that he was willing to trade for my Lyman 57 receiver sight. Someone had cut 1/2" off, it's not too bad for LOP but I might put a leather lace-on extender or fit a red Pachmayr pad on it.
My trigger is set at 3 pounds and breaks like a glass rod. I haven't found any Match ammo to try in it, but good hunting ammo like Mini-Mags and RWS HVHP groups into 1/2" - 5/8" clusters at 50 yards.
I ordered some parts from Numrich, a couple spare magazines, a repro hood to replace the missing front sight hood, and a couple of new trigger guard screws to replace the marred up ones.
Here it is as it now sits, the new scope and lower rings should be here in a few days:
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