Used Winchester 70 Stealth II ?

Mahamari

New member
I ran across a lightly used Winchester M70 Stealth II in .243 WSSM at the local gun shop the other day. I've never owned a Winchester but have always wanted one and am thinking that this might be a good one to look into. I guess my question is, who owns one (in any caliber) and what do you think of it? What are some of the shortcomings of this rifle? The asking price is $550 w/ a cheap scope on it, so I'm thinking $500 without the scope. Does this seem like a reasonable price if the gun is in good condition?

I'm hoping it will make a good "reach out and smackk em" rifle!

Mahamari
 
Great gun, but the caliber you cant give away. The WSSM's in 243 and 223 never flew. You can purchase one new yet at CDNNinvestments.com for about the same price. They have been trying to unload these for a couple of years now.
 
shells are high dollar,brass for reloads almost aren't any cheaper.I just got rid of the same rifle,at a salvage price.Don't get me wrong the 243 wssm does a good job,but shells sure ain't cheap for it.
 
I love model 70's but for more practical reason's I would probably agree that a wssm is kind of a farce unless used in an AR platform.
 
Ok, so it seems that the rifle is favored but the caliber is less than desireable. In an AR platform the caliber seems to be pretty popular, so why the negative views of it in a bolt gun? I've read the reviews that it brings nothing new to the table over the 6mm and that there have been some feeding issues in some bolt guns with the short and fat cartridges. Besides those issues and the cost of brass (which isn't much worse than my 25-06), what are the drawacks, limitations of this caliber? The purpose of this rifle would be spot and stalk coyotes and 600 yards or so for kill shots on coyotes (probably beyond my abilities, but I'd rather be limited by me, than the rifle). Thanks for the replies!

Mahamari
 
It's popular in the AR platform cause you can fire a highpowered cartridge on the smaller ar15 frame without buying an AR10 which used to be ALOT more money then the ar15. But the Remington R25 has made the AR10 platform more affordable. I would say you nailed it's short commings in your post. Feeding problem are not what you want in the field. Its not much better then a standard .243, you can get .243 shells anywhere 243 wssm is gonna be harder to find and cost more. Plus $500 dollars isn't really a bargin on that rifle. You can get a Remington 700 sps (better in my opinion) at Walmart with a bushnell scope for less then $400.
 
Quote:
shells are high dollar,brass for reloads almost aren't any cheaper.I just got rid of the same rifle,at a salvage price.Don't get me wrong the 243 wssm does a good job,but shells sure ain't cheap for it.



So why all the popularity for the cartridge in the AR platform? Same shells, same brass, same reloads...

I see the brass for $28 / 50 all the time. Once you have the brass, you have the same components as you do for any .243 so that is not an issue.
 
Here are 2 reason's to be cautious in this purchase: it's a Winchester and it's in a wssm caliber.

To clarify the above statement, I have had personal experience with a Super Shadow in 223wssm, my son's rifle. This is the worst rifle I have ever encountered, for accuracy. Feeding was fine, but we got 6-10" groups, with some larger. Also, an aquaintance of mine purchased a Stealth in the 243wssm. Every once in awhile I would ask him how load developement was going, and he always said not good. In the end, both my son and aquaintance sold these rifles, my son getting a Browning Abolt in 223wssm, which is a shooter.

These barrels are chrome-lined, and it appears that Winchester did not do a good job with that. The chrome lining was not applied evenly in the barrel, which should lead to pressure changes.
 


So why all the popularity for the cartridge in the AR platform? Same shells, same brass, same reloads...



Cause you can get a highpower centerfire in a smaller semi auto frame. It's not that people like the WSSM. If a standard .243 length case would fit in a ar15 type rifle no one would have a wssm upper. But it doesn't previously if you wanted a highpower centerfire you had to buy an AR10 which was about 3 to 4 times of the price of the AR15 platform. In a standard bolt action your not limited to such a short length, so why not get a standard .243 and save money on your ammo and life on your barrel. Brass doesn't last indefinatly. Your gonna have to buy more someday and it will still be more expensive the standard .243 if they even still make it. The cartridge is not been very popular. Only Browning currently chambers it.
 
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Ok, I'm gonna chime in here with a different view. I have a .243 WSSM Stealth and althought it took a lot of rds to get it "broken in" it groups pretty darn good. I bought it for $450 new(plus shipping).

Now the .223 WSSM Stealth was another story, it stunk! It now has a 1x8 Krieger barrel on it chambered in .243 WSSM, throated for 95gr bullets. Haven't had the chance to shoot it yet.

Ole
 
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