Any Model 70 love out there?

[AC300RUM]

Well, just look what wins in competitions...it isn't Mod 70s. They once ruled the 1000 yard line back when the 300 Win Mag was the favorite LR cartridge (ostensibly because the flat bottom didn't torque) but not today. Custom action have faster lock times, stiffer actions, etc etc.

Nope, not many 70's at matches. They are too busy hunting. In all seriousness it's too bad the expense of producing the pre 64 action led to it being discontinued for a couple decades, and by then the battle was lost. The model 70 is an acquired taste these days. That's one of the things I love about mine.

 

[LRNut]

Nope, not many 70's at matches. They are too busy hunting. In all seriousness it's too bad the expense of producing the pre 64 action led to it being discontinued for a couple decades, and by then the battle was lost. The model 70 is an acquired taste these days. That's one of the things I love about mine.

Jim Carmichel (one of a few, perhaps the only hunting writer that shot competitively [ok, Warren Page shot BR]) said the Post 64 Mod 70 was more accurate than the Pre. He used one for 1000 yard prone.

 

[AC300RUM]

I agree, the 700 style action has proven to be the standard against what all others are judged. Not to mention much more widely supported in the aftermarket.

 

[Westernhunter6]

My great grandfather was a well known gunsmith and it was his opinion the pre '64 actions were the best rifle actions ever built. If someone couldn't afford a mod 70 at the time, he would suggest Sako as being the next best action and appreciated them as well. He despised the rem 700 action and thought it was a complete piece of… well you get it. This was also around Jack O Connor's time and my great grandfather enjoyed and respected his writing. I'll be the first to admit that my great grandpa's opinion has influenced my perception of action types. I only own 2 modern rifles, a browning x bolt (now my wife's gun) and a fierce edge (nearly identical to a Sako action). He passed away when I was young, but I sure wish I was old enough to learn about the nuts and bolts behind his opinions.

I know it isn't cost efficient, but it would sure be neat to see some true custom CRF mod 70 action builders. If I had the machine and gunsmith skills necessary, I would be doing it.

 

[thomasbangs]

The factory stock out of the box 700 Remington actions are not what a lot of gunsmiths use for building custom long range target, match, or bench rest rifles. Undoubtedly some custom rifles are built on stock actions but the serious shooters and gunsmiths if they are not equipped to do so send the 700 actions to a gunsmith that is a machinist also for the action to be "trued" up. I know of one such gunsmith that did just that and gunsmiths from all over the country sent 700 Remington actions to him to do just that. Also 700 Remington actions are or were readily available at the time, this was back in the 90's.

 

[AC300RUM]

The factory stock out of the box 700 Remington actions are not what a lot of gunsmiths use for building custom long range target, match, or bench rest rifles. Undoubtedly some custom rifles are built on stock actions but the serious shooters and gunsmiths if they are not equipped to do so send the 700 actions to a gunsmith that is a machinist also for the action to be "trued" up. I know of one such gunsmith that did just that and gunsmiths from all over the country sent 700 Remington actions to him to do just that. Also 700 Remington actions are or were readily available at the time, this was back in the 90's.

I should have said 700 footprint.

 

[Westernhunter6]

Same went for the Pre '64 actions. Factory out of the box was only a starting place. My great grandpa became known for accurizing, bedding, and building custom rifles around the mod 70 and sako actions. He also built beautiful custom mod 12 trap guns, but that's a different discussion. I believe the accurizing included truing the action. To this day, the most accurate rifles I have shot are pre 64 mod 70s or sakos my great grandpa accurized. I also haven't had the opportunity to buy or shoot a true rem 700 custom build.

The 700 is definitely today's standard, but I wonder what it would be like if Winchester didn't stop producing the CRF for all those years?

 

[nhenry]

Same went for the Pre '64 actions. Factory out of the box was only a starting place. My great grandpa became known for accurizing, bedding, and building custom rifles around the mod 70 and sako actions. He also built beautiful custom mod 12 trap guns, but that's a different discussion. I believe the accurizing included truing the action. To this day, the most accurate rifles I have shot are pre 64 mod 70s or sakos my great grandpa accurized. I also haven't had the opportunity to buy or shoot a true rem 700 custom build.

The 700 is definitely today's standard, but I wonder what it would be like if Winchester didn't stop producing the CRF for all those years?

It is rather unfortunate that Remington has made some... weird choices in the latter part of its history. It wasn't just the fact that the 700 was more affordable and easier to produce; it was also the accuracy that attracted people. I doubt the market would be any different than it is today had Winchester continued its production of the P64 70. The Post-63 actions were some of the better push feeds on the market, but they are often overlooked nonetheless.

Nowadays FN is producing amazing rifles (dare I say better than the actual P64 versions [fight me]) under the Winchester name and Remington is on the way back up under RemArms. Hunters and shooters rejoice.

 

[mtank]

1978 or 1979 model 70 xtr 264 win mag. I got vortex viper hs 4x16x44 for half cost @ Cabelas several years back & put it on there. It absolutely loves factory nosler 130 accubonds & it's a killer whitetail combo

 

[asd9055]

I agree, the 700 style action has proven to be the standard against what all others are judged. Not to mention much more widely supported in the aftermarket.

Perhaps is beacuse its easy for anyone at home to build one. Mauser actions require machining for the extractor cut

 

[Laguna Freak]

I own 3: 2001 300 WSM Featherweight that's had the action very slightly tweaked and lugs lapped to true it up, bolt face is perfect on it, and it sports a new Brux #3 that puts 180's in a ragged hole, 2003 SS long action custom build on VG2 carbon stock with Bartlein #4 CF chambered in 300 WSM for heavies. It shoots 210's like the short action shoots 180's, Belgium made 264 Win Mag Super Grade new in box (for sale).

 

[Jon Bischof]

As far as out of the box factory actions go, I readily admit that both the Winchester 70 and the Remington 700 factory actions are surpassed by the Sauer 100/Mauser M18 factory action. It is just better. It is one of many newly designed actions, with the difference being that it is actually an improvement.
Guns&Ammo:
One improvement is the breach sleeve.
Breech rings are an emerging trend in bolt-action rifles and their popularity will only increase because the advantages they offer both shooter and manufacturer are too compelling to ignore. Let me explain.

Traditional bolt-action manufacturing takes a large cylindrical piece of steel and cuts the lug abutments into the front of it (internally). Once the barrel is threaded into place, the bolt lugs sit on the abutments to lock the action closed so the rifle can safely fire. Because the action is so large, there are wide variations on where those lug abutments actually wind up. Actions made this way need someone trained in headspacing a rifle to get the barrel in the right position.

A breech ring is a small part that uses very rigid tooling, so each one is identical (usually to within .0005 inch). Once the breech ring is inside the receiver, the barrel can just be screwed into the receiver until it touches the breech ring and headspace will be correct. The front of the breech ring gives the barrel a known stopping point in relation to the lug abutments to ensure headpsace is the same every time. No hand fitting is necessary.

The savings on assembly time and reduced scrap rate guarantee breech rings will be the future of bolt-action rifles.
Breech rings represent a more sophisticated form of manufacturing that is a tad more expensive, but the savings on assembly time and reduced scrap rate guarantee breech rings will be the future of bolt-action rifles. Sauer is the first one to do it on their budget rifle.

 

[SSG Graybush]

I love building my own Remage stuff, but the the fit and finish on my FN 2008 mod 70 FW 270 wsm was better then any ADL. And it came with a basic bed job, that worked. Later I bedded it in a B&C stock with a bedding block and it shot the same. It would shoot Fed Vital shocks Nos BT's 130 grs at 3300 fps chrono'd under .7" . The only time Ive seen the box give the right fps. Nos BT 130 gr handloads were .5 at 3178 fps. And It could be better, maybe I quit at .5. It's shot every 130 gr bullet I've used with 58.2 gr of RL16 well, under .7 easily.
And I doubt the 700 action is any stiffer.
Funny thing is my buddies look at me cross eyed when I suggest the newer Tungsten model 70's. Throw in Timney trigger and that's a nice rifle. Its a nicer version of what my mod 70 is now. But the new Alpha 1 700 in 7mag with a 8T, or 7 prc, in a AG Composite stock would be something Id look at for a new production rifle now, as well. Later you can easily build of it. Yourself

 

[R. Cram]

before scopes were allowed on match rifles 95% of the match rifles on the line were M70's for Highpower and the rifles were of greater accuracy than the shooters including the best shooters. Remington type actions are easier to blueprint but m70's can be done also. We shot out to 1000 yds with our m70's and if your shot was not a 10 or x the fault was the wind or the shooter or the load or the barrel positively not the action. To claim the action being used by most competitors makes it the only one that is any good probably does not have merit, competitors in any sport flock to whatever the winners use and the winners don't need specific type of equipment to win, usually its the indian not the arrow. Winchesters and rugerm77 and mausers use a safety that grabs the firing pin instead of blocking the trigger and are tremendously safer because of that. you can put the m70 on the first stage of the safety so the bolt can be opened and unscrew the firing pin and clean in the field if necessary plus a m70 feels way better than a remington but that could be me because I have put a lot of rounds through my m70's