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Stock fit

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willtim

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
211
Location
South Carolina
I have a Winchester Model 70 338 WM. It's stainless, CRF, and Boss. It has a Jewell trigger added by the previous owner. I hated the plastic stock so I bought an HS Precision with an aluminum bedding block. The trigger would not fit so I used a Dremel to remove some aluminum. It seems to fit now but here's my problem. When I lightly tighten the mounting screws ( there are three) the bolt and trigger cycle and fire with no issues. However when I torque them to 65 lbs the bolt won't hold the firing pin. I can loosen the rear screw and the firing pin will engage and the trigger works. Obviously I'm no gunsmith. Help? Thanks.
 
Try:
50 in/lb on front screw
25 in/lb on rear screw
5 (yes, 5) in/lb on middle screw

You are bending your action at the rear tang with too much torque back there, allowing the firing pin to fall when you lower the bolt.

But what the rifle is really telling you is it needs to be glass bedded front and rear to achieve a "stress-free" bedding situation for your action. You wouldn't think this would be necessary due to the aluminum bedding block, but your rifle is telling you otherwise.
 
I would be looking at bolt protrusion into the tang (rear screw) before I did anything else. Next would be binding of the mag box, it needs a little wiggle room. I had to spend hours getting my HS Precision stocks correct on older Classic (90's) era rifles because of your same issues. Bottom metal fitment was also another issue altogether.
Here's mine finished.

Cheers.
 

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Frog4aday said:
Try:
50 in/lb on front screw
25 in/lb on rear screw
5 (yes, 5) in/lb on middle screw

You are bending your action at the rear tang with too much torque back there, allowing the firing pin to fall when you lower the bolt.

But what the rifle is really telling you is it needs to be glass bedded front and rear to achieve a "stress-free" bedding situation for your action. You wouldn't think this would be necessary due to the aluminum bedding block, but your rifle is telling you otherwise.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, including the middle screw(if your "particular" Model 70 has one…). I had a similar issue with a Model 70 stock replacement. Before bedding….. It's quite possible that your Jewel trigger is still binding, but only when the stock is fully torqued. Your replacement stock was cut for use with the OEM trigger. You may still need more clearance. Check for contact areas with some red lipstick on your trigger assembly to determine if this is the case, and, if so remove additionsl stock material in this area.
If this is not the issue, and you need to re-bed, it is particularly important that the recoil lug face/bottom, and flat where the front bedding screw hole where it contacts the stock, is also bedded. Be sure the bedding screws and holes have a release agent applied. When the barreled action is placed in the stock with the bedding compound applied, the screws should be attached with little to no torque, for alignment only….do not tighten them until the bedding is fully cured.
 
Over 20 years ago, I helped a customer with a self-installed Jewell in a Win70.
The problem was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The sear ( the piece that holds the firing pin until trigger release) was contacting the front end of the oval slot that the trigger sits in,
Check for contact. Remove the trigger. Use a square file to square the corners of the trigger slot until contact is eliminated and then remove a smidge more,

I like Jewell triggers.
 
The search function on "action bedding" revealed a product called Accu-Riser from Ernithegunsmith.com. It was recommended for a Model 70 in an HS Precision stock. Anyone familiar with this product?
 
After more investigating ( obviously I'm not a gunsmith ) the sear will not engage the firing pin when the rear screw is tightened. Also, the action will rock very slightly back and forth. I did the lipstick trick and there is no contact around the trigger.
 
I would say contact HS Precision but since you had to dremel the stock to get clearance for your trigger, you are 'stuck' fixing this on your own. A glass bedding job at the recoil lug and rear tang area should sort out your issue. Tons of write-ups on this site and lots of YouTube videos on how to do it yourself. If you aren't 'mechanical' then paying a gunsmith to do it would be smart. Sorry about your gun. But, it's fixable, so that's a plus. Accuracy should be good afterwards, too. Another bonus.
 
Thank you for all of the advice. I think bedding the recoil lug and tang will fix my problem. I've seen a few videos where people tape the bottom of the recoil lug. Should it be free of any contact?
 
willtim said:
Thank you for all of the advice. I think bedding the recoil lug and tang will fix my problem. I've seen a few videos where people tape the bottom of the recoil lug. Should it be free of any contact?
Click to expand...
With the Model 70, the important areas to bed is the "flat" where the forward stock bolt is located, the tang, and, the recoil lug, contact face/sides. The bottom of the recoil lug can be taped but I have not experienced any difference in shooting performance. The seating height/stability of the action in the stock is governed by the flat and tag. Bedding the face/sides of the recoil lug insures fore/aft and horizontal stability. IME
 

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