Dear friends,

I would like to get some help in replacing my factory recoil pad on my Winchester M70 Classic Stainless. The rile is a 375H&H with the factory Winchester synthetic stock. I plan to install a Limbsaver recoil pad on it but I don't know which one to get. I called Limbsaver and they told me that Winchester's stocks were not standard!.?

Has anyone changed a recoil pad on that type of rifle?

Does Winchester glue that recoil pad on the stock?

Has someone installed a Limbsaver on the type of rifle I own? Did you have to re-drill any part of the stock or pad?

Thanks for you help.

Enigma

P.S. I will attach a link of my rifle as it is right now.
http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=012&cat=001C

I'm pretty sure that Winchester uses McMillan stocks.

Give McMillan a call (623) 582-9635 and find out how the pad is attached. 10 to 1 it is glued on and they are a bitch to get off short of a band saw.

Rick

Enigma,

I have one of those stocks off of the same Winchester except mine is a 7mm WSM. The stock I got has a memory in the forend so no matter how much I cut away it just kept bending to one side! The stock was also way off on the bedding.

Of course the recoil pad was made from the same material as a ball peen hammer.

I put a Bell & Carlson on mine but I don't know if such a stock will stand up to the recoil of your rifle.

I really dislike those glued together injection molded Winchester stocks. They have a hollow sound as well when hit or you shoot.

A little more weight is not going to hurt that rifle. I would invest in a layed up fibreglass stock. Perhaps someone here will suggest one. McMillian comes to mind.

Thanks everyone for replying. I do appreciate all the input but I just would like to tell you that I don't plan to change my factory stock. I like the stock the way it is and it fits me well. I don't shoot 1 inch groups at 100 yards yet and its not the stocks fault, its mine. If a gunsmith does read this thread by any chance, any help would be appreciated. You might wonder why I just don't have a look myself, and trust me, I would if I could but I live in Manitoba and my rifle is still in Québec...

Thanks again,

Enigma

Enigma,

Obviously, since you are on this forum you have access to a computer and the internet.

If you go to the Winchester site you will find that they use McMillan sysnthetic stocks on the model you mentioned.

If you then go to the McMillan site you can email them with a question about how the recoil pad is installed and what it takes to replace it.

I've had two pads changed in the past on McMillan stocks. McMillan did one and Robar did the other. How they did it, or what was involved I have no idea, but it is obviously possible since I have the two rifles to prove it.

Rick

Enigma, all of the Winchester 375 stainless synthetics I've seen have a injection molded plastic stock very similar to what Remington uses on the cheapest 700ADL. Unless they have changed recently, that's probably what yours has. The stock pictured in the link you gave looks exactly like the stock I have on my shelf that came off my rifle. If it is in fact a McMillan, then McMillan should be ashamed of themselves.

My pad is held on by two screws. If yours is, taking them out should let the pad come off. Any grind to fit pad (Limbsaver, Pachmyer, etc) should fit.

The Winchester pad is held on by two

I'm with you, the Classic Stainless guns have a plastic stock, that is at least as crappy as a factory Remington ADL.

Now the Winlite's, etc. are made by McMillan...
but certainly not these.

Recoil pads on McMillan stocks are glued on. This is from Kelly McMillan in an e-mail that I received from him asking how to get them off.

"They are glue on and will most likely destroy the pad when you remove it. Just be prepared to put a new pad on the stock. We saw them off with a bandsaw making sure not to cut the stock but leave a little of the hard plastic from the pad on the stock. Then you can sand or grind that off."

This wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. I have a couple McMillans that I want to install a mercury recoil reducer in. I'll have to have a new recoil pad fitted on if I choose to do this.