Winchester Model 70 30-06 Featherweight

[Turpentine21]

Guys I've seen some model 70 threads lately where folks were getting less than acceptable accuracy from their model 70. A guy brought one to me last week and told me he had mounted a scope on it and tried to set it but it was all over the place. I shot it to confirm and it was shooting 6moa at 100 yards for three shots. I disassembled his mounts and base and retorqued with blue loctite which I absolutely believe in. But just judging from his mounting job I didn't feel like. That was the issue. I then shot it. I wanted to try to rule out a scope issue before I went any further. No change in group size.
So bedding screws were next. And that was the the issue. The screws had factory loctite on them but they were barely finger tight. I removed the stock and the threads were coated with oil. I removed all of the oil from the bolts and threaded holes with a q tip and denatured alcohol and let it dry. Then a drop of blue loctite and torqued the front screw and tang screw to 30 inch pounds. The front trigger guard screw was also loctited and torqued to 15 inch pounds as too much torque here can effect your hinged floor plate and keep it from opening. Back to the range. The first three shots went into one inch at 100. I came back the next couple of days and the cold bore shots confirmed zero. Just putting this out there as this may save someone some grief with their new model 70..

 

[MagnumManiac]

All of the Portuguese assembled Model 70's I bought recently have all been professionally bedded by me, trued and made into switch barrel rifles. Not one had anything in the action screw holes or on the screws other than a small white/cream coloured glue. Removes easily enough.
None of mine shoot larger than half MoA.

Cheers.

 

[Turpentine21]

All of the Portuguese assembled Model 70's I bought recently have all been professionally bedded by me, trued and made into switch barrel rifles. Not one had anything in the action screw holes or on the screws other than a small white/cream coloured glue. Removes easily enough.
None of mine shoot larger than half MoA.

Cheers.

I hate to say this I didn't even check the date or where this one was assembled. Could have been a safe queen possibly but its condition was mint. It appeared to be new. It had the dried red loctite applied to the action screws. And it couldn't have set anyway with the oil in the threads. But it was also too high up on the screws to even possibly have had any effect.

 

[pgothro]

My new Portuguese-assembled M70 Featherweight in 30-06 shoots 1/2". I finished load testing with 150gr TTSX and 165TTSX, and I am thoroughly impressed. I have had it out of the stock but have not bedded it. I just mounted a scope, broke it in, and went to load testing. I have a pre-64, 1984 M70, an FN/Utah-assembled M70, and this one. I will say that the Utan and Portugal guns are excellent.

 

[Rosebud]

All the middle and southern European countries know how to make guns. And they still take pride in their work. They were the original gonnes makers. That is what they called the match fired guns of the time. Now they are called guns today. Something for a trivial question at party. RB

 

[fta0303]

Guys I've seen some model 70 threads lately where folks were getting less than acceptable accuracy from their model 70. A guy brought one to me last week and told me he had mounted a scope on it and tried to set it but it was all over the place. I shot it to confirm and it was shooting 6moa at 100 yards for three shots. I disassembled his mounts and base and retorqued with blue loctite which I absolutely believe in. But just judging from his mounting job I didn't feel like. That was the issue. I then shot it. I wanted to try to rule out a scope issue before I went any further. No change in group size.
So bedding screws were next. And that was the the issue. The screws had factory loctite on them but they were barely finger tight. I removed the stock and the threads were coated with oil. I removed all of the oil from the bolts and threaded holes with a q tip and denatured alcohol and let it dry. Then a drop of blue loctite and torqued the front screw and tang screw to 30 inch pounds. The front trigger guard screw was also loctited and torqued to 15 inch pounds as too much torque here can effect your hinged floor plate and keep it from opening. Back to the range. The first three shots went into one inch at 100. I came back the next couple of days and the cold bore shots confirmed zero. Just putting this out there as this may save someone some grief with their new model 70..

I had a Mark V Weatherby .257 that wouldn't group when I bought it. Aft a while I thought to tighten the action screws. Fixed it.

 

[LRNut]

I just got back to CO last night and a family friend came up to shoot his new Ruger Precision Rife in 300 Mag. He wanted to take a poke at my 910 yard gong. I said, "Let's check the zero at 100 first." Then I asked who mounted the scope. He said a buddy who used to be an Army armorer.

The Picatinny rail screws were finger tight. All ring screws were loose. I have him some tools and said, "Tighten all of these."

 

[stazmania]

All of the Portuguese assembled Model 70's I bought recently have all been professionally bedded by me, trued and made into switch barrel rifles. Not one had anything in the action screw holes or on the screws other than a small white/cream coloured glue. Removes easily enough.
None of mine shoot larger than half MoA.

Cheers.

What are you doing to true the action? How close to being "true" are the actions on average? Have you tested the factory barrels before and after trueing? If so what are the results? I really like the crf 70s Thanks for sharing

 

[Taj]

Guys I've seen some model 70 threads lately where folks were getting less than acceptable accuracy from their model 70. A guy brought one to me last week and told me he had mounted a scope on it and tried to set it but it was all over the place. I shot it to confirm and it was shooting 6moa at 100 yards for three shots. I disassembled his mounts and base and retorqued with blue loctite which I absolutely believe in. But just judging from his mounting job I didn't feel like. That was the issue. I then shot it. I wanted to try to rule out a scope issue before I went any further. No change in group size.
So bedding screws were next. And that was the the issue. The screws had factory loctite on them but they were barely finger tight. I removed the stock and the threads were coated with oil. I removed all of the oil from the bolts and threaded holes with a q tip and denatured alcohol and let it dry. Then a drop of blue loctite and torqued the front screw and tang screw to 30 inch pounds. The front trigger guard screw was also loctited and torqued to 15 inch pounds as too much torque here can effect your hinged floor plate and keep it from opening. Back to the range. The first three shots went into one inch at 100. I came back the next couple of days and the cold bore shots confirmed zero. Just putting this out there as this may save someone some grief with their new model 70..

Turp
I have that same rifle and you definitely did the right thing. I have had mine since I was 18 years old and I'm a hell of a lot older than that now. Over the years of ownership I have pillar bedded my rifle and free floated the barrel. My little rifle will consistently put three rounds into an inch and I get absolutely zero cold bore shift. The problem with any wooden stock is compression over time which causes things to loosen up. Pillars will fix that issue so is something your friend might consider.
My little Featherweight has been to Africa 5 times and has taken a lot of game. It's my favorite.

 

[Turpentine21]

My personal 270win model 70 is a Sporter made in 1989. Other than my doing a little trigger work on it. And shortening the stock slightly its a stock rifle. It has been a very good gun and accurate. The action is as slick as glass. My son says it's his gun now and I'm fine with that. I have considered pillar bedding it but it shoots so good right now I don't plan to touch it until it opens up.

 

[MagnumManiac]

What are you doing to true the action? How close to being "true" are the actions on average? Have you tested the factory barrels before and after trueing? If so what are the results? I really like the crf 70s Thanks for sharing

I run switch barrel rifles because of out draconian gun regulations.
Truing is done on all faces, lugs, abutments to make sure everything is square to the bolt centreline. Have found them pretty good, even the treads are concentric.
As I run up to 3 barrels per action, I need them trued to accept the shouldered barrels that are machined with CNC like a pre-fit so that I can repeat barrels at will.
I have not found any that were out by much, but a few thou' in the action face.
The factory barrels work just fine after small touch ups to the mating surfaces.

Cheers.

 

[ObiJohn]

All of the Portuguese assembled Model 70's I bought recently have all been professionally bedded by me, trued and made into switch barrel rifles. Not one had anything in the action screw holes or on the screws other than a small white/cream coloured glue. Removes easily enough.
None of mine shoot larger than half MoA.

Cheers.

Curious as to how you made these into switch-barrel rifles... did you use something like a Switchlug?

 

[MagnumManiac]

Curious as to how you made these into switch-barrel rifles... did you use something like a Switchlug?

Nope, trued the action, lugs on bolt and use shouldered timed barrels. Once the dimensions are known and stored, each barrel can be cut on CNC to produce the same barrel/chamber within .001"-.002".
You can also make a take down, but I have no need for that, can switch barrels in a few minutes. Only have to remove the stock first.

Cheers.

 

[ObiJohn]

I get it... basically fitting multiple barrels to a single action (or actions to barrels, because of stored dimensions). Are you using the integral magazine and floorplate, or do you have detachable mags? Asking because it seems that you must standardize on the same case, e.g., .243, 7-08, .308 if you're using the integral magazine and feed rails... correct?

I'm a huge M70 fan. No reason an M70 couldn't be fitted with a 'Wimage' barrel nut... you could index off of the extractor cut, know how many turns to insert the barrel down, and then just tighten the nut. Combine it with an M70-specific DBM that supports AICS mags and you'd have something.

I wonder why not even one gunsmithing operation in the US doesn't do this... is it that M70s are just not at all popular any more? Or, orders flat/unletted stock blanks and has their own CNC inletting for M70s... pre-64, the '80s-'00 New Haven Classics, and the FN Classics?