Not trying to argue, but did the owner verify 1969 as the build date? According to the link you provided, the first two letters on the barrel are the build date, which in this case appear to be KM and would indicate a 1992 build date. I believe the checkering on the stock verifies that date, as the earlier models had a much different design.
Even if the XS is the date code, it could also men '98, which is also possible.
Thank you for the reply, either way. It's not a huge deal, but I prefer the earlier 700s.
It sure looks to be a nice rifle, I can't imagine you'll have any trouble selling it.