I have obtained multiple Pre64 model 70 Winchesters over the years. Some the Safetys worked flawlessly some did not. I have been doing gunsmith work for over 50 years but Pre64 Winchesters were not my expertise. I started studying the relationship of the trigger/cocking piece and safety. I read the Brownells Kinks, the instructions for a pre64 Model 70 Jewell trigger and other articles. I have all three pre 64 Winchester safety types. After dissasembling several I began to understand the parts relationship. The safeties that when the rifle is cocked and want go back from the fired position to the safe position needed to have the cocking piece shortented. The rifles that when cocked where in the safe position and moved to the fire position fired needed to have the cocking piece lengthened. I lengthened the cocking pieces by building them up with 4130 or ER70 TIG wire in a fusion welded then remachined. After a proper relationship was established the cocking piece was rehardened. This was not rocket science but I could not find anyone willing to do the work. Now that I have several under my belt I feel much more confident. It would be helpfull is someone would mass produce replacement firing pins and cocking pieces. The Parts David Tubb sells are not the same as the original Winchester Pre 64 parts. The body size of the cocking piece on David Tubbs is smaller diameter than the Pre64 Model 70 Cocking piece and they don't come with a firing pin lock and the Pre64 model 70 lock will not work on the Tubb firing pin. I have not compared the firing pins on the Montana 1999 or the Kimber to the Winchester cocking piece/firing pin.
Would be interested in hearing others experience with the Winchester Pre 64 safetys.

Pre and post work the same; done many of them. As well as Dakotas, NECG, and another make I just forgot.
The key is the cocking piece angle/position.
I never used a new one.

First thing is Winchester used a Winchester spec thread inside the cocking piece, one that you will not find unless you have a bunch of taps ground to that spec.
Hence no one is making replacement cocking pieces also because the threads are not timed/indexed and the rear section of the firing pin is headed/riveted over into the rear of the cocking piece like they did with the Springfield 1903. So if you removed a factory firing pin from the cocking piece, it most likely will not index/time into another factory cocking piece.

Second thing is those parts can normally be refitted ONCE by correcting the angles after someone has MUCKED them up, after that then a new firing pin is needed.

There is a PROPER step by step that needs to be done, to the sear, trigger, pull weight, over travel, and take up BEFORE refitting the cocking piece to the safety lever.

If I recall decades ago I sat down and typed up those steps, wound up with I think 4 pages with drawings to refit those parts. Will have to go thru my files to find it.
Years ago when I was making those reproduction M70 parts, I even went so far as to make .020" over size sear noses so a butchered trigger could be recut and the new oversize sear fitted to the recut trigger and then refit the rest of the system


As you found out, they can be touchy IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, it was never a drop in parts system, always a properly fitted system that a GUNSMITH needs to work on not a PARTS REPLACER.

Jim Wisner

Jim has reconfirmed..no such thing as a tune up in a bottle!

Duane.

Years ago, when I worked as a outside consultant for Kimber of Oregon. They were starting the BGR 89 rifle that had the M70 safety and was having problems fitting the parts.
I had use of the conference room with a BIG white board. So drew out the receiver, bolt, cocking piece, sleeve, sear and trigger, and the safety lever.
Then with a red marker started going thru all of the contact points/surfaces and marking them.
Was like 17 surfaces, which all had a tolerance of +/- .002"

Once I did that, then everyone understood as to why they had safety fitting issues.

Sat down with them and rewrote the steps, so they only had to fit the one angled surface on the cocking piece, which was last and I made a fixture to hold the cocking piece so they could surface grind that angle.

Most persons do not fully understand how all of the M70 parts interact and must be fitted in a certain manner.

Jim Wisner

Priceless info here folks. Don't go and muck with your precious Mod 70.

Much admiration gentlemen.