I have a .30-06 in M70 Featherweight that I bought new in 1995. I had a hell of a time getting it to group with anything under 2", and I finally filled the buttstock with lead shot, adjusted the trigger down to about 2 lbs., and went to the range. I found a 165 BT load that would shoot 1", but this fall I've had trouble with it goruping under 1 1/2". I removed the leadshot after my grouping sessions early in my ownership of this gun. It's a stainless barrel and action with a beautiful walnut stock. I know that it's good enough to take my deer this fall, but my shots are sometimes 300+ yds. and I would like to have a little more confidence in my load to do the job out there. Would glass bedding fix my problem any or would pillar bedding be better, and can I pillar bed a Featherweight stock. If you have any other ideas for solutions, please let me know. Yes, I have check the scope screws, bases, bedding screws and I weigh every 57 grs. of 4350 that go into my cases and trim regularly. Help me out please. I know I can shoot better than this rifle is doing, I have two 788's in .243 and.308 that I shoot .25" groups with consistently.

Sincerely,
Willie Rosin

i have the exact same gun in .270 and i wouldn't trade it for gold. it was a shooter from the word go. tiny tiny groups from factory ammo. everyone wanted to buy it.
i took it out of the safe the other day just to kill some time. wouldn't shoot under an inch and a half! i was shocked. checked the screws and scope mounts. etc.
i found the stock had twisted in the forend. i store it apart in the safe and i think that had something to do with it. the last 8 inches has twisted and left it pushing the barrel up and and to the left. i sanded for an hour and finally got it free.
presto! my little groups are back!
just a thought as i bought mine in 95 also.
good luck
woofer

I have a '06 featherweight that dids what yours is doing, ended up putting a Bell and Carlson stock on it and turned it into a sub moa gun. Probably if I had bedded the old stock it would have done it too, but I wanted a synthetic at the time. How do your groups look? are they all over the paper or is there stringing in one direction or another? I would check the stock and particularly the barrel channel for warpage, possibly swap scopes too, then try bedding it, in that order.

Yardbird,

I also purchased a M70 30-06 in that time frame, although it was a stainless/synthetic. I tried a lot of the normal remedies--glass bedding, floating the barrel, pressure pad, different load combos, etc. but nothing seemed to work.

A couple of years ago, I put it in an HS Precision stock, which didn't help either. Finally, I loaded some rounds such that the bullet was jammed into the lands, and presto now it shoots 5 shots into an inch consistently.

I sympathize with you--I have a love/hate relationship with this rifle and understand what you are dealing with.

Steve

Thanks for the replies guys, I really want to keep this rifle, it's harvested many, many deer for the freezer. The shots aren't stringing in any definite way, I haven't looked at the barrel channel to see if there's contact between the barrel and forend. I have to kill deer with it this weekend, and it's sighted in, shooting 1 1/2" groups, so I will put the project on hold until after our East River season and the two tags I have for that. I don't want to take it out of the stock for fear of it getting worse, I'll leave well enough alone, but will probably rebed it, or at least have a good gunsmith check it out for me. Thanks a lot.
Willie

Those are terrible guns. I think you should just sell it...to someone like ME!

Do all of the above, especially check the barrel channel.

A few things I have found, that when corrected, made a real shooter:

Be sure the front action screw clears the bolt lug when the bolt is closed.

I had a 300 Win Mag, M70 for work several months ago. Shot 2 to 3 inch groups. Found the top bolt lug had 0.005" clearance with the bolt closed and the bottom lug snug against the seat. Trued the lugs and the gun shot 3/8" groups.

And a 243 M70 Featherweight was a 3 inch gun at best at 100 yards. Pulled the barrel and checked the front reciever ring. Was 0.008" out of true. Trued everything up, set the barrel back a turn, recut the chamber, and she shoots 1/2" to 3/4".

If you have a front scope ring/base that has the rotary dovetail, combined with a two screw rear windage base, carefully check that front dovetail fit. I have seen several that were loose. New mounts cured the problem. I do not use rotary dovetail mounts for this reason.

And look at the front screw on the front scope base. If it is too long, it will bottom out on the barrel threads and the front base is a tuning fork.

Check the crown also.

If the stock is "too thick" through the magazine area, the acion screws will not pull things together properly and the action will move around in the stock.

If the center action screw is way too tight, can also cause problems. This one shold be just snug.

There are more things, but this will get you started.