See how it shoots first. Who cares if it’s got a cheap plastic stock on an already cheap rifle. If it hits what you point it at what more can you ask for?
I hunt most of my white tails in South East Michigan (The Thumb) . The last few years with a .450 Bushmaster Ruger American. Before that mostly with a .50 cal muzzle loader.
My wife hunts with a Savage 220 shotgun. All three are moa.
I haven’t had any experience with merino in cold weather. I do have a lot of cold weather hunting here in Michigan and Ohio but most of it is being able to come in at night and put fresh stuff on the next morning.
Go to the site gunvaluesboard.com. There is a Winchester specific forum there that is run by a historian with ties to the Cody Museum. They have most of the stamping room records for Winchester from when the serial numbers were applied to the rifle.
It’s a very interesting website.