It IS a curio. Any firearm that can be proven to be 50 years old or older is a curio if in its original configuration (some minor exceptions allowed such as refinish, added scope, change in grips, etc.) conforming to its original shadow outline. A shortened barrel immediately eliminates the curio status. The extra scratches on the butt and replacement grips do not take it out of the curio status. So, if made in 1970, it IS a curio. The ATF C&R list is a guide that is NOT all inclusive; they do not do yearly updates. When each update was printed, it had items that were NOT 50 years old but gained ATF curio status due to some unique feature or historical significance such as Ernest Hemmingway's pistol being on the list. The Ruger website (shows as 1970) provides many manufacture dates as does Chad Hiddleson's Reference Guides (shows as 1970). Hope this helps.