I fixed it!

[Tim Behle]

Or maybe I should have Titled this:

"How bad did I screw it up"

It's been real windy here today, winds have been 30-50+ MPH since before dawn. Too windy for me to go outside. Boredom set in not long after I awoke. By late afternoon, I was getting cabin fever.

One of my biggest complaints about my Model 70 classic has been that my two favorite bullets, the 162 Amax and the 180 Berger VLD need to touch the lands to shoot well. Problem is, the magazine didn't allow bullets seated that far out.

So a little while ago, embolden with the help of Milwaukee's finest. I took a torch and screw driver to the magazine box, and removed the spacer from the rear of it.

After some adjusting with some piers of the bent pieces that weren't supposed to get bent, and moving the spring to the rear of the magazine box. The rifle now feeds, or seems to feed properly.

But just how important was that little spacer? If it wasn't needed, why did Winchester put it in there to start with?

[ 03-29-2003: Message edited by: Tim Behle ]

 

[Brent]

Tim,

Does your bolt stop allow the bolt face to come back beyond the case head still, without the spacer? My sons comes back far enough, but the ejector would keep the case on the left side (rt bolt) from coming up unless I could file down the lower radius on the ejector to allow it to come up all the way, have to take it apart to see though. I would thing the magnum heads would require more to come off the ejector too, maybe too much? How does yours feed from that side? Feeding single shot, the bottom cartridge feeds from the ejection port side and would be fine. The bolt face seems to be behind the box slightly enough to let the case head come up though, that's good. Are the spacers spot welded on? I never did look myself. I'll "fix" his if I can modify the ejector somehow, his won't reach the lands with anything either, it looks like I'd gain plenty to reach them if it's removed though.

 

[Guest]

Tim,
You didn't mess any thing up. Winchester puts that spacer in there so the shorter magnums( 7MM Rem, 300 WinMag) won't bounce back and forth in a magazine that would acommadate a full size magnum( 375 H&H, 300 Weatherby). I bought the box for a 300 Weatherby along with the longer follower for my 300 WinMag because the 190SMK's seated to the lands wouldn't fit the mag box with the spacer either. Your fix was less expensive than mine. I paid $40 for the box and follower with shipping. I also had to shorten the bolt stop so the bolt would retract enough to pick up the cartridge.
Take care,
Wayne

 

[Tim Behle]

The bolt comes back far enough to pick them up. The one on the left side didn't want to feed until I moved the magazine spring to the back of the box.

Seems to be working now, but I haven't fired it. I just couldn't see any reason for that little piece of metal. But with my luck, I was afraid it might have been something important.

The spacer had two little spot welds on it. One popped loose from the heat of the torch, the other took a little prying with a screwdriver.

 

[Brent]

Tim,

Brads is a short action 308win Classic Compact, so I don't know how different they are in this area if any. The Does your ejector not hold the left cartridge down if the spacer is removed and the cartridge is moved back under it. This one would no doubt have to be modified. I don't have a M70 LA to look at to see if they are the same though.

Wayne,

Are the LA and the Magnum action the same except for the spacer in the mag, or are there other differences too?

 

[Tim Behle]

Brent,

I'll have you know I was just fine with the bolt missing the one on the left every now and then.

Until you asked about it.

Took me 30 minutes of searching in a dark shed to find that appropriately named little file to sharpen the angle on the ejector.

But in ten tries, it only missed the left round once. If the wind dies down, I'll see how it handles under fire tomorrow.

 

[Guest]

Brent,
I think the actions are the same. I think the only difference is the length of the mag box and the things associated with the shorter or longer cartridges, extractor and ejector. My 30/06 and 338 Win Mag look identical except for the bolt face, they both have the spacer in the box.
Wayne

 

[Brent]

Thanks guys.

Sorry Tim.

You said you were getting cabin fever anyway, but go ahead, blame it on me.

Seriously though, I din't think this gun here would even pick the left side cartridge up with the low sweeping radius on the ejector, your must be a slightly different shape, I'm guessing anyway. I'll see if I can modify his tomarrow. Maybe I can drill out the spot welds or attack em with the dremmel.

Good luck with it. Screw it up? Hell, you did good there!

 

[Brent]

Wayne,

I looked at my brothers M70 375 H&H action, well it's a 470 Capstick now, but it has no spacer and the ejector is flush with the rear edge of the mag well. This is where I had the problem when I did Brads 308win today. I popped the spotwelds on one side with an old knife and a hammer, the other side was not so cooperative, had to spread it open and bend the spacer to the side and grind the weld off with the dremmel.

The ejector face had to be cut back .120" or so to let the cartridge come up and keep it back flush with the edge. The spot on the ejector that contacts the bolt when it's fully open had to be ground down to let the ejector come back up to the full height in the slot again because when the face of it was cut back the top edge was lowered and sometimes the case would ride up on top of it and just sit there. The bolt stop had to be cut back about .220" to let the ejector protrude again. I need to radius the rear upper edge of the mag well a bit so the cases don't catch when they're all the way to the rear as you load it. I could open the rails at the rear a bit too, but it works fine the way it is now.

Thanks for the inspiration Tim, that long jump to the lands is over.

 

[dwm]

Is there a way to do the same kind of thing on Rem 700s also?

 

[Brent]

Doug,

You're pretty much stuck with what you have on the Remington. I am with the 243win of my daughters too. Setting the barrel back is about the only good option. Is it worth it on the factory barrel? This one here sure isn't. The 6.5 WSSM looks like a good one to try when I get her a nice new barrel.