I've got a 1965 Heavy Barrel Win Mod 70 30-06 that I've been shooting targets with for some time now that has never had a working safety on it. Shooting just targets, this hasn't ever been a concern for me, but I would like to carry this gun in the field sometime this summer, and I want to get this corrected. The problem is that I can pull back on the saftey, but it won't engage. When I push the bar on the bottom backwards, it moves about 1/16th of an inch before the safety will engage. Any ideas what's going on with it? Or where to look to fix the problem?

I know what the problem is and it shouldn't be to hard to fix if it is what I think it is.

You need to disassemble the striker: 1. Cock the gun and put the safety in the middle (intermediate) position. 2. Carefully remove the bolt from the gun. 3. Depress the little button on the left side of the bolt shroud and carefully unscrew the striker from the bolt.

Now move the safety to fire and let the striker fire Watch your fingers. Place the back of the firing pin down on the table. Remove the firing pin spring retaining clip...you may need to hold the spring down a bit. If the firing pin spring is a collar, you have to push it down and turn it 90 degrees to remove it. I am not sure which firing pin spring retainer a 1965 has. If there is a small set screw located on the top left side of the shroud, remove it. This will let your firing pin come out. Take a look at the half moon shaped surface on the right front of the cocking piece. You need to remove some material while maintaining the shape/angle of that half moon shape. Use a stone by hand and take a bit off and then reassemble and test it and then take more off if needed. It is hard to fix if you take too much off.

Edited to Add: There is a safety related function check for the operation of the Safety on model 70's as well as most other bolt guns in this same area here. With an unloaded gun, cock the gun and place on Safe, pull the trigger paying attention to any metallic clicks or movements. (If there is a metallic click the gun is going to fire when the gun is switched to Fire Without touching the trigger. This condition is repairable but it is quite involved and should be left to an experienced gunsmith.

And then...another garage mechanic is born!

Don't be a fool son, take it to a professional! This is a SAFETY issue for phuques sake.

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take it to a professional!

fully agree here.

Guys I see nothing wrong with learning to maintain your rifle. Daniel Boone and his fellow frontiersmen could not only maintain, but build their own guns. This is not rocket science; it is a common ailment with an easy fix for model 70's. Model 70 striker assemblys are readily field strippable with common tools. If you can sharpen a knife you can do this repair. While hunting this past season a friend's M70 safety (375 H&H, high end custom) quit engaging. He promptly disaaembled the striker using nothing but a Leatherman to remove the firing pin retainer screw and quickly honed the tiny burr from his safety engagement surface on the his cocking piece and was back up and running in 10 minutes, in the field. I find nothing wrong with being a little self sufficient.

I posted this as a new reply as this needa to be addressed: There is a safety related function check for the operation of the Safety on model 70's as well as most other bolt guns in this same area here. With an unloaded gun, cock the gun and place on Safe, pull the trigger paying attention to any metallic clicks or movements. (If there is a metallic click the gun is going to fire when the gun is switched to Fire Without touching the trigger. This condition is repairable but it is quite involved and should be left to an experienced gunsmith.

Another consideration is if you're using an aftermarket trigger the bar may allow the firing pin to move forward just a little bit before catching it moving the notch just out of reach of the safety. Definately a factor with a Davies trigger and some Jewels. Take it to a 'smith.

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Originally posted by airgun1:
I posted this as a new reply as this needa to be addressed: There is a safety related function check for the operation of the Safety on model 70's as well as most other bolt guns in this same area here. With an unloaded gun, cock the gun and place on Safe, pull the trigger paying attention to any metallic clicks or movements. (If there is a metallic click the gun is going to fire when the gun is switched to Fire Without touching the trigger. This condition is repairable but it is quite involved and should be left to an experienced gunsmith.

That is exactly what I was getting at when I said to take it to a pro.

I agree with Jim, a winchester trigger and safety is very "unsafe" if not properly fit.

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Originally posted by airgun1:
...Daniel Boone and his fellow frontiersmen could not only maintain, but build their own guns...

This is just not true. Gunsmiths and gunmakers have always been hightly skilled trandesmen and no one but them "made their own guns".

Fixing a safety is quite a ways beyond "maintaining" ones firearms. I'm not saying that only a gunsmith can fix it; just that the average person does not possess the skills and knowledge to do it correctly.