In an effort to meet every model 70 owner's needs, we are pleased to offer rifle parts which span this broad spectrum of conditions. In the early 1940s, says a Marine Corps spokesman, we were advised that a Unertl 8X scope on the Winchester Model 70 was the best sniping combination, but the 03 was available in quantity, so we used it.The Model 70 rifles sent to Vietnam for use as sniping arms were from the stocks originally procured for Marine Corps match use, chiefly from George Van Orden. A one of a kind rifle! The stock is nicely figured American walnut with checkered forearm and pistol grip and has the Winchester semi-gloss varnish finish. The fact that the guys using this rifle shot at distances exceeding 800 yards (1000+) on human sized targets, is a great accomplishment in itself. He and other Marines who were riding on top of the vehicle were sprayed with flaming gasoline caused by the explosion. A handful of the original USMC model 70 riflessurvive to this day, and 76 years later hold enormous collector interest. Most of the Model 70 sniper rifles issued by the Marines to snipers in the early stage of the Vietnam War were pre-war or early WWII production Model 70 .30-06 Standard Rifles purchased during WWII. "[41][42] A sniper range named for Hathcock is at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In two tours in the 1960s, he wandered through the big bad bush in the Republic of South Vietnam, and with a rifle made by Winchester, a heart made by God and a discipline made by the Marine Corps, he stalked and killed 93 of his countrys enemies.. I have a 53 heavy barreled action that needs the same treatment. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The group started running towards Hathcock and Land. "White Feather" as he was called by the North Vietnamese . Regardless, the fact that there were a number of Model 1903 Marine Corps match rifles, along with spare parts, already on-hand resulted in the idea of a standardized Model 70 sniping rifle being doomed from the start.Despite the Marine Corps firm rejection of the Model 70, some of these rifles did, in fact, serve overseas in combat, albeit on an unofficial basis. The sniper system shoots the M72 match ammunition loaded with 173-grain boat-tailed bullets (.30-06). Land, Jr., who served in the . The Model 70s also drew the attention of USMC snipers and their chief sponsor - Brigadier General George Van Orden. The 1,047 rifles, U.S., caliber .30, M1903, Snipers Equipment on hand at this Depot are believed to be superior to the subject rifle both in accuracy and durability.. Officially, Carlos Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills. Winchester Model 70 "standard Rifle" manufactured in 1941 with medium-heavy target barrel and "U.S.M.C.-SNIPER" Unertl telescopic sight. It was this . As a sniper of a modern era, I am truly amazed at what the guys were able to do using what they had at the time. "The only difficulty I had with Carlos was that he'd stay out there too long. He grew up in Wynne, Arkansas, living with his grandmother for the first 12 years of his life after his parents separated. This is yet another example of the truism that a great civilian firearm does not always equate to a great military rifle. Hathcock's first round disabled the bicycle, the second struck the enemy soldier in the chest. FOLLO .more .more 2.6K Dislike Share Indian Gunner 26.3K subscribers. As part of his legacy, the gun was donated to the National Museum of the . http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Wi392204?hash=item465d61a98c:g:VPMAAOSwCGVX~6vg, The Snobbiest Town in The Snobbiest State in the N, https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2011/3/21/the-military-model-70/, Jim Cloward built Winchester Model 70 308 McMillan Urban Camo stock. He managed to achieve an astounding kill record of 93 - including an impressive shot through an enemy sniper's scope, but it was with the M2 that he was able to take out a Vietcong soldier pushing a bicycle loaded with ammunition at . This is an example of a very rare post-64 "U.S. PROPERTY" marked Winchester model 70 target rifle that was manufactured in 1967, that is fitted with an even rarer "USMC PROPERTY" marked Lyman Super Targetspot rifle scope. [2] Hathcock married Josephine "Jo" Bryan (ne Broughton; 19302016) on the date of the Marine Corps birthday, November 10, 1962. I was quickly brought back to reality when shooting this system. Springfield Armory's M-21 and M-25 are the highest quality precision rifles built on the M-14action. Two months later the Marine Corps replied to Winchester in a memo which stated: Based on the Marine Corps response, the door appeared closed to the Model 70 ever seeing use by the US military during WWII. He purchased a Winchester Model 70 and fitted it with a Unertl 10 power telescopic sight to test his theories. He also used on occasion a Remington M40, basically a Remington ADL Varmint 308 rifle that was produced specially for the USMC in 1965 or so. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. To avoid contributing to the prolific problem of counterfeit rare model 70s,we decline to build replica model 70s of any kind. who placed a bounty on him during the Vietnam War ) used primarily a Pre-64 Winchester M. This is an original military issue Remington M40 sniper rifle brought back from Vietnam by a Marine officer, who later had it signed by Carlos "White Feather" Hathcock in 1992 at a Former Marine Association event. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! The medium-heavy target barrel is a post war replacement. [6] The Viet Cong and PAVN called Hathcock Lng Trng, translated as "White Feather", because of the white feather he kept in a band on his bush hat. Wiley Clapp in 1965. April 30 marks the 41st anniversary of the fall of Saigon (since renamed Ho Chi Minh City) and the end of American military involvement in that country. Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 February 22, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. [38] He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. The Army's most accomplished Vietnam War sniper, Sgt. Lacking a suitable precision rifle for issue, the Corps quickly scoured its stateside arms rooms and soon a small quantity of Model 70 target rifles were in the field in South Vietnam, taking the fight to the enemy. I am hoping to have one built myself someday. Awesome to hear/see when someone has their shit together. I just passed down my Win 70 .30-'06 Featherweight to the next generation. During the closing stages of the war, the M1903A1/Unertl was replaced by the semi-automatic Garand M1C sniper rifle, which was soon followed by the M1D. The subject rifles are not considered suitable for general service use for the following reasons: (a) Not sufficiently sturdy;(b) Parts are not interchangeable with M1903 and M1 parts; (c) Replacement parts will be difficult to procure; (d) Not fitted with sling swivels. It might be possible it's real as it came from a Marine officer who served back then, but I don't know how you could ever prove/authenticate one unless you had a document with the serial number on it. The second lot of rifles used by Land and his teams in Vietnam were also Winchester Model 70 target guns in .30-06 Sprg. Due to the extreme injuries he suffered in Vietnam, he was in nearly constant pain, but continued to dedicate himself to teaching snipers. Likewise, many of the 300-plus Model 70 rifles purchased by the Marine Corps during World War II remained in inventory and, except for the handful diverted for unofficial sniping use, continued to be used by Marine marksmen for match use throughout the 1950s. The rifles were a special order spec sent from Winchester to Evaluators Limited of Triangle, VA, where they were fully accurized to meet Van Orden's detailed sniper specification. The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt action sporting rifle. At the direction of Van Orden, USMC armorers began modifying some of thesporter weight rifles, fitting them with heavy Douglas target barrels and Unertl 8X scopes. George H. Hurt of the 3rd Marine Divisions newly formed sniper school at Da Nang, Vietnam, checked the 8X Unertl scope mounted on a Winchester Model 70. [44] Turner Saddlery similarly honored Hathcock by producing a line of leather rifle slings based on his design. Thanks. He went on about five [operations] one time before I could get a fix on him. The late Marine sniper set the record in 1967 with a M-2 .50 caliber Browning machine gun.. Carlos Hathcock holds the Marine Corps record for the longest confirmed sniper kill shot. As events transpired, the Model 70s pressed into service as sniping arms, especially during the Vietnam War, were really never meant to be more than a stop-gap or interim measure until a standardized sniper rifle could be procured. 134,606 views Dec 6, 2020 Winchester Model 70 (.30-06) rifle review in Hindi. His longest confirmed kill was 2500 yards. During trips to Mississippi, he started developing an interest in hunting and long-range shooting. ][21][22] He was not informed of the details of the mission until he accepted it. The only sound in the sweltering stillness was the buzzing of flies and gnats as. The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle.It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". Many of these were subsequently rebuilt between circa 1956 and 1963, primarily at the Marine Corps Match Rebuild Shop in Albany, Ga. His parents separated so he grew up with his grandmother in Geyer Springs, Pulaski County. Hathcock's career as a sniper has been used as a basis for a variety of fictional snipers, from the "shooting through the scope incident" to the number of kills he made. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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