Winchester to move Model 70 production to Portugal in 2013
Winchester has recently admitted on its Facebook page that 2013 will see Model 70 rifles assembled in Portugal instead of South Carolina. Winchester states that the change will allow them to increase their output of Model 70 rifles to meet demand. Parts for the rifles will still be made in the U.S.A., but will be shipped to Portugal for final assembly and fitting before being shipped back to the U.S.A. for sales and distribution. SX2, SX3, and Model 101 over/under shotguns are already manufactured according to this model, so it must be more efficient than it sounds. Winchester aficionados already differentiate between pre- 1964 and post- 1964 manufactured Model 70 rifles. Will this change of final assembly point add yet another line in the sand for collectors to debate over? Only the finished product will determine if there is any significant difference in quality between the South Carolina assembled rifles built through 2012 and Portuguese assembled rifles built starting in 2013…
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I notice that there is no original source for this "information" other than a supposed Facebook page (which certainly doesn't have any such reference now). Since they were very forthcoming with the information about the closing of the New Haven plant it seems odd that they wouldn't be about this. Here it is almost a third of the way through 2014 and still no announcement from the company. All internet sources merely quote your "information" which is still waiting to be confirmed.
I was just informed by Winchester Customer Service that since 2013 the Model 70 rifles are assembled in Portugal from parts made in Belgium.