A couple of years ago a customer contacted us about building a truly unique rifle - a .338 Winchester Magnum on a transition era (1947-1948) receiver. Winchester developed the .338 WM cartridge in 1958, being tailor-made for use in the model 70. In mid-1959, Winchester introduced the .338 chambering for the model 70 with a new and unique 25" barrel, announcing it to the world in a mid-year flier that designated the rifle an “Alaskan” model. The .338 used the new "short magnum" receiver that had just been developed for the new .458 Winchester Magnum cartridge. This receiver had the same opening and magazine length as the standard .30-06 receiver but had some internal modifications to help with the feeding of the fatter magnum cartridges. The transition era receivers had the cloverleaf tang of the pre-war design but had the latter style rear bridge that was designed for scope mounting. Converting this era of receiver to function with the magnum cartridges requires some minor machining. We eagerly took on this project and the result was this gorgeous and unique rifle, with all new finishes. Unfortunately, the customer has developed some arthritis that prevents him from shooting his larger caliber rifles and he offered this rifle back to us to put in the hands of a shooter who would use and appreciate this fine rifle.
The metal finish is outstanding at 98% (re-blued). There is virtually no notable edgewear, fading, or scratches to the barrel. There is a small rub on the bolt handle (scope contact), and a small scratch on the trigger guard. Additionally, the are a few very small, very shallow pits (freckling) in the bottom metal that were blued over but are still visible.
The bore of the 25" original Winchester barrel is in very good to excellent condition; we rate it as a 9 out of 10. Borescope verified.
The refinished low comb stock is in excellent condition with a reproduction Winchester recoil pad. There are a few scuffs in the recoil pad, along with a few small dings in the grip. The stock has no other notable cracks, dents, gouges or other damage. The checkering is crisp with no major blemishes. The stock has not been bedded or otherwise modified.
NOTE: This item can only be shipped directly to you if you are an FFL or C&R license holder. If this is not the case, the item must be shipped to an FFL holder near you who can complete the transfer. If needed, we are happy to assist you in locating an FFL holder near you who can assist in this way.
This item is only available for shipping to US addresses.
