Model 70 Featherweight Accuracy Questions

[tracker7]

Really appreciate all the amazing experience on this forum. It has been extremely helpful to me.

I was lucky enough to pick up a pre-64 Winchester M70 Featherweight in 30-06. It was no safe queen, and the stock was beat up on the outside.
After cleaning it and shooting it, it's giving me around 2 MOA or so.

I see many people do free float and bed these, so I wanted to do the same. I free floated it, but if you press on it, the barrel does hit the stock on the bottom or the side near the end of the barrel.

I've read some people put the a pressure point back in using cork or bedding material at the end of barrel to rest one.

Want to see if I should remove a little more material from the channel near the end of fore end till it stops touching, or just cut my losses and put a pressure point back on.

I was planning on bedding it with pillars, but thought I should free float it first.

Thanks in advance for guidance you can provide.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

You can spot bed the recoil lug to see if it improves your accuracy at all.

but if you are going to bed it. Do it right and put in pillars and bed it.

I have never found putting pressure back in the barrel to give consistent accuracy.

All of our model 70s are pretty decent shooters for being lightweight. 1 inch three shot groups with certain factory ammo or under 1 inch with handloads.

Federal cheap powershock 130 grain are the cheapest and best shooting we have found.

Ours don't seem to like hornady factory ammo and are closer to 2 inch groups.

They warm up fast. I prefer two shot groups and let barrel fully cool. 3rd shot can start to string out as barrel heats up.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

For an absolute money load that has cut every 270 we own groups in half.....

Peterson brass
60.5 gr h4350
Cci 200
116 absolute hammer
3.30 coal

3500 fps In 24 inch barrel
3400 in 22 inch barrel

 

[Buckleman]

Win. Brass.
CCI200
56.5-57 grains IMR4350
130 grain bullets

 

[tracker7]

For an absolute money load that has cut every 270 we own groups in half.....

Peterson brass
60.5 gr h4350
Cci 200
116 absolute hammer
3.30 coal

3500 fps In 24 inch barrel
3400 in 22 inch barrel

Thanks so much guys! Mine is a 30-06 any suggestions for that?

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

Thanks so much guys! Mine is a 30-06 any suggestions for that?

Ha sorry...I had brain fart and thought 270 was mentioned.

Not much 30-06 experience

 

[MagnumManiac]

I would pillar bed it first in the 2 step procedure. You do the front pillar first, wait 24 hours and pillar bed the tang last.
The reason you do it this way is because you need the rear platform to use for height and stability after removing all that wood for the front pillar.
I have done CRF actions this way for 30+ years, never hasn't worked, but doing both simultaneously has failed.
I wouldn't worry about the stock flex too much, but you can bed the barrel forward of the recoil lug to help. About an inch or two should suffice.

Cheers.

 

[cajun]

A lot of those thin barrel rifles don't respond well to floating. This is why they put a pressure point on it. You can test it by putting some cardstock on the end of the barrel. I know the model 7's I've had shot terrible floated.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Try fully floating and pillar bedding first. Only rifle I put the pressure point back in was a Tupperware stock that would flex and hit the barrel during recoil. It simply shot better when it maintained contact than when getting "slapped".