Winchester Model 70 Alaskan .338 Winchester Magnum
Model: 535205136
Winchester Model 70 Alaskan .338 Winchester Magnum
Model: 535205136
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Alaskan is the Model 70 aimed at big animals and bad weather. It is a 25-inch barrel in .338 Winchester Magnum on the pre-'64 style action, with the claw extractor and controlled round feed that keep a cartridge on the bolt face at any angle, and it carries iron sights in case something happens to the scope. It weighs 8.5 lbs bare and has an MSRP of $1,679.99.
The stock is Grade I black walnut with a Monte Carlo comb and cut checkering, which looks the part and asks to be dried off and oiled in the weather the rifle is named after. Cartridges sit in a hinged floorplate, so emptying it is a latch rather than a magazine release. The muzzle is not threaded, so a brake or a suppressor is gunsmith work, and the receiver is drilled and tapped rather than railed, which means bases and rings before the first shot.
The Ruger Hawkeye Hunter in 7mm Remington Magnum is the other walnut-stocked magnum at this level, with an MSRP of $1,499, a 24-inch barrel and a 20 MOA Picatinny rail already on it. The Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06 Springfield is the same action in a 112 oz trim with an MSRP of $1,369.99, and it takes five in the magazine.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The three-position safety has a middle setting that locks the firing pin while still letting the bolt be worked, so a chambered round can be unloaded with the striker blocked.
- Iron sights are fitted from the factory, which is rare on a new bolt-action magnum and is the reason many guides still ask for this configuration.
- The receiver is forged steel with an integral recoil lug and is bedded at both ends, so the barreled action is not relying on a block of polymer to hold its zero.
- Three rounds in a hinged floorplate is the whole supply, and topping it up means opening the action rather than swapping a box magazine.
- No muzzle threads at all, so a brake on a hard-recoiling cartridge is a lathe job.
- Walnut and brushed-polish steel want wiping down after a wet day, which is a real chore on the kind of trip this rifle is named for.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does it come with iron sights?
Yes. There is a hooded brass bead front sight and a folding adjustable rear, both fitted at the factory. The receiver is also drilled and tapped if you would rather mount a scope.
Is the barrel threaded for a brake or a suppressor?
No. The muzzle is plain, so fitting either one means having the barrel threaded.
What does controlled round feed do for me?
It holds the cartridge against the bolt face through the whole stroke, so the rifle feeds with the muzzle pointed up, down or sideways. Winchester uses the pre-'64 style claw extractor to do it.
Does it use a detachable magazine?
No. It has a hinged floorplate, which drops the cartridges out the bottom when you release the latch.
How is it different from the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight?
The Alaskan is the heavier, longer-barreled rifle built around magnum cartridges, and it is the one with sights fitted. The Winchester Model 70 Featherweight is the lighter walnut sporter in standard chamberings.