(GunReports.com) — One of the 2013 SHOT Show auctions features the very last .270 Winchester Model 70 Jack O’Connor Tribute Rifle, which may be bid on at GunBroker.com. The 2013 SHOT Show is set to run Jan. 15-18 in Las Vegas.
As a key component of celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the iconic Model 70 bolt action rifle, Winchester announced the production of a very limited edition Model 70 Jack O’Connor Tribute Rifle to honor the tremendous career of the outdoor writer Jack O’Connor.
For generations, O’Connor was a leader in the gun writing community as gun editor for Outdoor Life magazine. It’s been said that no gunwriter in history ever did more for a rifle and caliber combination than Jack O’Connor did for the Model 70 in .270 caliber.
The limited edition of 500 Jack O’Connor Tribute rifles sold out quickly but Winchester set aside the very last gun in the tribute series, Serial Number 35CZY12599, so that it might be made available to Jack O’Connor fans and .270 Model 70 fans as a featured 2013 SHOT Show rifle.
“It is my pleasure to provide this Letter of Authenticity attesting that the 2013 SHOT Show rifle-a .270 caliber Winchester Model 70, Serial Number 35CZY12559 is the very last Jack O’Connor Tribute rifle manufactured by Winchester Repeating Arms.
We are also able to attest that the Leupold 4X Mountaineer rifle scope mounted on this rifle is an original 1950s-era Mountaineer scope from the vaults of Leupold and was made available to this project by Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
Winchester is indeed proud that the auction of this historic firearm as a 2013 SHOT Show rifle will provide important funding to support the hunting and shooting sports traditions that were so important to Jack O’Connor and remain vitally import to Winchester Repeating Arms today.”–Travis Hall, President
The special rifle has been hand-engraved by the artisans at Baron Engraving under the watchful eye of Winchester executives. In addition to a majestic whitetail buck on the butt plate, the rifle features a rendition of the North American Sheep “Grand Slam” on the magazine floor plate. This is in recognition of O’Connor’s achievements and dedication as a sheep hunter. O’Connor’s signature is re-created in gold on the trigger guard and the rifle features the inscription “If the hunter does his part, the .270 will not let him down” emphasizing O’Connor’s great respect for the .270 cartridge.
The rifle features free-floating barrel with Featherweight contour and Target Crown.
The Stock for this SHOT Show rifle was hand-selected by Winchester executives and is AAA Grade Claro Walnut with Ebony forearm tip and Shadowline cheekpiece.
O’Connor’s personal favorite Model 70, which he called his “Number 2”, is now on display at the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage & Education Center in Lewiston, Idaho. This historic Model 70 is scoped with a then state-of-the-art Leupold 4-X Mountaineer scope.
Thanks to the good people at Leupold, this very special Jack O’Connor Tribute rifle is also equipped with an original and new 4-X Leupold Mountaineer from the Leupold vaults.
High bidder will also receive a custom-embroidered case and a Letter of Authentication from Winchester documenting this historic rifle as the last Jack O’Connor Tribute Rifle manufactured by the company and set aside for special treatment as this 2013 SHOT Show rifle.
This rifle will be displayed at the SHOT Show, Jan. 15-18, 2013. All guns displayed at the show must have firing pin removed so the rifle will be returned to Winchester after the show to have firing pin installed. The gun will be available for shipping to high bidder approx. Jan 28, 2013.
Last Winchester Model 70 Jack O’Connor Tribute 2013 SHOT Show Rifle
