I took a close look at the bolt on the 300 WSM. Spent a good deal of time examining it. I compared to the M 70 270 bolt out of a rifle that worked just fine. I noticed the curve of the claw extractor that ran behind the bolt was more pronounced than the 270 causing the claw to take a hard grip on the case rim. It was also stiffer, but I put that off to being new. The more I looked, the more convinced I became that the extractor had too much bend, so I got out a srewdriver and in small increments, bent the extreme back of the extractor away from the bolt. That forced the claw to open a bit with every bend. After a few very small bends, the claw opened just right. Nice and easy did it. In a few bends and a dummy cartridge fed like butter! I ran the dummy through the chamber fifty, maybe sixty times. Feed and chambering was flawless.

Send a bill to Winchester for your time and labor - at least send them a nasty gram. Enjoy.

ever heard of warranty??? how far a drive is it for warranty ??? how long a wait ?? i just dont understand y anyone would mess with a 5-800 dollar gun (not saying you dont know what you are doing ) but y i pay good money for a product and i want good service

Roger, the fix you describe is the most common one to get an M70 feeding properly... if you take the bolt out and push a cartridge under the "claw" part of the extractor it should "just" hold the cartridge... not too firmly, not too loosly so as to fall out of the claw's grip... this "correct" tension is apparently one of the harder things to train a ham-fisted assembly worker.

You've got a good eye to have seen that little difference in the extractor... good job!

Brad

The current production Model 70 extractor is built as sort of an injection-molded production expedient, and it really doesn't do it's job properly, since it isn't of machined, spring-steel construction. Oh, it'll work after a fashion (most of the time), but it really isn't built properly for the task at hand. If you take it in your hands and bend it, it'll stay bent!

AD

Jason, it's a 140 mile trip one way to the nearest Winchester warranty then a wait of several months. I've been fooling with firearms long enough to be able to make some small adjustments like this. My thinking went like this; a replacement claw extractor from Brownells is somewhere around $31.00. It I broke it, not a lot lost. Less than the cost of gas making the trip to the warranty station. Heck, if the small amount of bending broke it, I didn't want it on my rifle. I really didn't have a good eye. I took a bolt that worked and compared it to the one that didn't and saw a disparity. I mean the bend was like an 1/8 of an inch.

RogerK,
That still is a good eye/attention to detail as many folks would have seen it even then as a 1/8 of an inch is a difference that most folks wouldn't notice.

no disrespect intended i live only 10 miles from the district warranty center and i tell you . you got it ruff there i have seen guys drive a whole day and the gun is fixed while you wait, if it can be i have even seen shotgun barrels replaced over the counter (remington had a bad batch ) .. i feel for you and any one else that has to wait that long . i guess living in canada has its few perks .. or there just aint as many gun owners to keep shops several months behind

Maybe in Toronto, Jason, but out here in God's country it's the same situation as above. If you or the local 'smith can't fix it right there, it's a long wait. Good on you Roger. - Dan

What we have here is an attempt by the manufacturer to "save a buck or two" by skimping on the final acceptance inspection they should do before shipping a gun. Since Winchester allegedly proof-fires these guns, one would think they would notice when a rifle fails to function when it is loaded, fired, and the empty extracted.......

The gun smith part of me says "way to go" - but - you spent your money on a product that did not work as designed - the only way these problems can be corrected is to tell them what you had to do - I'm sure Winchester will be interested - it is in their best interest to turn out the highest quality product they can - if they have ISO registration and want to keep it - bet they do just for government contracts - then call them (Consumer Department directly at: 800.333.3288 or 801.876.2711 & for Parts & Service call: 800.945.1392) and tell them your discovery - made in America - if these things are - should mean something.