The recent thread on old M70s was really informative. What areas need attention on the new Model 70s? I have an interest in this area for my own use but prefer Rem 700s and customs for benchrest and longrange varmints.
I would enjoy owning one serious CF rifle but enjoy doing the work myself.
Thanks for any input,
Jay

Some of these rifles come with manufacturing defects that need to be corrected. I got one with no fewer than 12 manufacturing defects, sent it back, and got one with 14 significant manufacturing defects.

In general, there are design defects you might also want to attend to. No matter how well executed the manufacturing process, Winchester intended the rifles to have these features.

Dig out the hot glue they bed the rifle with and do a real glass bedding job. I say glass bedding because I don't think there is enough wood left to do a regular bedding job.

If there are open sights, get the rear sight attached with something more substantial than one scrawny screw.

Get one-piece bottom metal (unless you're buying the Safari Express, which already has it).

You'll also want to fix manufacturing defects like failures to feed, heavy trigger, vise marks on the barrel band, blotchy two-tone bluing, damaged screws, screwdriver gouges in the stock, rough sanding on the stock, missing ejector, dented muzzle crown, and scope mounting holes that are not drilled all in a row.

H. C.

Jay,

The M70 Classics are a very good place to start for the DIYS person. What to do is just buy one and treat it like any other business or project and change things as required. We used to call this management by exception.

Since we don't know the specifics of what your rifle would be used for it's up to you to tell us more.

I will add that many target shooters do prefer the push feed M70's as they single load for some matches.

So if the rifle is new you can start out correcting it, if necessary, thru the warrantee. After that runs out you can modify it to your taste if you want to.

Take a relaxed approach and enjoy each step. This attitude will require more than one rifle as it takes time. What's not to like about that?

Jay, I purchased a M70 Supergrade at dealer cost thru my departments rangemaster/gunsmith sight unseen (it was ordered from a distributor). Upon receipt/inspection I was unhappy with the poor workmanship used to inlet/fit the stock and the trigger was adjusted about as badly as it could be. Otherwise, its outward appearance was good. I did not send it back since I intended to work it over.

Once I was committed to the project my smith discovered numerous flaws such as those listed by the other poster. None were fatal but all were a bit unsettling. As example, I was using a custom set of scope rings that required the receiver/base holes to be drilled and tapped square and aligned w/ the center line of the receiver/barrel. The factory holes were spaced correctly but were considerably off center. The rifle became a money pit but I was furtunate that I was able to get top notch parts and labor at cost.

This rifle has been completed and has been in service for a while now. It turned out well and I would not part with it. But, if I had to do it over again I would have sent it back.

GaryVA

Jay,
Every time I drive down to Moscow (often)I think of giving you a call on my way through but never seem to have the time.
I guess I do as much with M70s as most and like them. In general they require much the same treatment as the 700s with some differences. I'll describe what I usually do for one of my "F" class rifles. The same things can be applied to a hunting rifle if desired.
I start by fitting a mandrel to the receiver. I make the mandrels undersized but with a spherical contact point front and rear if the front of the receiver is near bolt diameter. If, as often happens, the front of the receiver is well oversized, I use a full contact mandrel in the bridge. The front of the mandrel is, again, undersized (by about.010") to ensure clearance. The mandrel is used for alignment purposes only rather than as a fixture for work holding. I mount the receiver and mandrel in my holding fixture which, as it turns out, is similar to that sold by Greg Tannel. I set the whole works up between centers to dial in the fixture at both ends. Once this is done, the mandrel is removed and the fixture is set up in the four jaw chuck and steady rest. Now the receiver is running with the bore in as good alignment as possible.
A word of caution; With fixtures of this type it is possible to distort the receiver if too much torque is put on the set screws so be a little careful.
With everything ready to go it is an easy matter to recut the threads and locking lug seats as well as the face of the receiver. I have come to believe it might be a good idea to go ahead and increase the thread diameter to 1 1/16 inch like the Remington. This way you end up with a complete thread without the gaps at 3 and 9 o'clock as the M70 has. Actually the threads will usually clean up adequately at 1.031".
Now I take the receiver to the mill and dial in the flat under the receiver ring preparatory to milling the rest of the bottom of the receiver to ensure everything is parallel. Probably makes little difference but I figure it can't hurt to have a level bedding surface or, I should say, two level surfaces since there is a step in it. I then call the receiver done.
The bolt is threaded onto a mandrel just as you would a Remington and set to run in the steady. The bolt face and the lugs are recut. They usually really need it!
One difference between the new actions and the pre-64s is the diameter of the firing pin. The new models are .081 in diameter and the hole is similarly large. There is a problem with blanking of primers with hot loads and especially with small rifle primers so I bush the bolt face and turn down the pin on any rifles I build for the 6BR. I don't do this on hunting rifles unless the hole is seriously off center as sometimes happens. Usually the large rifle primer don't have the same problem with blanking. There are exceptions and you may recall the M70 which pierced a primer and spit junk in my face with every other shot down in Whitefish a few years back. That was a 30/06 but the loads were kind of hot and the Fedral primers seemed a bit soft although they were certainly harder than my face!
The only other thing I like to do as far as the bolt body and receiver is concerned is to ensure that the locking lugs are in a vertical position when the bolt is in battery. I do the same on a Remington.
I like the M70 trigger just fine but like to make better fitting pins for the trigger and bolt stop.
When bedding the M70 I tape the sides and bottom of the recoil lug to provide clearance and ease stock removal and replacement. By glassing around the center screw it can become a part of the bedding system rather than just a means of holding up the trigger guard. I tape the rear surface of the under portion of the tang for clearance here.
With the work that has been done it's necessary to check that the safety still cams the striker back sufficiently. Some find the slop in the bolt lock when the safety is full on to be objectionable. The cure is to weld up the notch in the rear of the bolt body and recut it to be a better fit on the plunger. Sometimes there is too much clearance between the bolt sleeve and the receiver and the bottom of the bolt sleeve can be welded up and recut to reduce this clearance.
I like to shorten the front of the extractor to reduce the depth of the extractor cut which must be made on the barrel. This extractor cut can sometimes be the source of a severe feeding malfunction when the bullet of a cartridge coming out of the left side of the mag jams into the cut. On one rifle with this problem I reached the point where I was undecided as to whether I should continue to try and cure the problem or tie up a noose and hang myself. I decided to fix the rifle or I would n't be writing this!
On the target rifles I use the dovetailed bumps at the rear of the bolt to tighten up the bolt in the receiver. You are familiar with these. I don't usually bother with this on a hunting rifle.
The modifications D'arcy Echols makes to M70s are well thought out from the standpoint of achieving absolute reliability under field conditions. He undoubtedly understands what a M70 needs better than I. Especially when it comes to hunting use. I understand he actually shoots big game with his rifles while I usually just carry mine around! Regards, Bill.

Mr. Leeper, I really enjoy informative posts from professionals - Thank you.....DJ

When talking to Bill about building a rifle, I came to understand that the modifications he describes above would cost money. Therefore while shopping around for an action to send to him, I, using my gifted left eye for all things straight and square, picked up a perfect LH model 70 for him to fit a barrel to.



I figured, another talent of mine, that it would also save a little of Bill's stretched and spoken for time.



Chuck

Bill, that was a very fine post indeed. You are quite obviously a professional who knows whereof he speaks!

AD

Thanks again, Bill. You are a natural at explaining your methods. I still chuckle when I look at the dovetail bumps on some of my 700s, what a great idea.

Jay

Bill

I tried to find a website that described your services, but I can't seem to find one.

I would be curious to know an approximation of the cost for the services that you just described.

Also, obviously, I think, after this work is performed, one could not reuse the winchester barrel????

Blue

It would seem that reusing the factory barrel after such work would be a little silly.

Chuck

Chuck

Not if it was an accurate barrel!

Blue

It is possible to thread a sleeve on to the barrel tenon then thread the sleeve to fit the new receiver threads. I have done this when trying to utilize a particular barrel or to fit a winchester to a mauser for instance. I have also done it to correct really sloppy factory threads. Some will question the advisability of doing this but it has been done for years and by better 'smiths than I. In general though, it is as Chuck said. There is little point in doing all this and then reusing the factory barrel.
The reason you can't find a website with a list of my services is 'cause there ain't one! I usually charge about 250.00-300.00 for the action work on a target grade M70. There is some variation according to what is required. Actions vary as Chuck can attest. Regards, Bill.

Apparently they do vary. Despite my claims above, I believe I actually hold the esteemed record of providing Mr. Leeper with the most crooked action he has had the pleasure to work on. Regardless, I requested that Bill do the works to the action provided, as described above, then I had him do even a bit more.

Chuck

Chuck

Bill, do you recut the action threads with the carriage moving towards the headstock or towards the tailstock?? If the carriage is moving towards the headstock, as I suspect, do you cut a relief groove at the rear of the threads. How do you know when to disengage the halfnut and pull out?

Set up a travel dial, indicator, DRO, what's your set up for that if you don't mind?
Pat Byrne

I thread with the lathe running forward. On the M70 there is a relief behind the threads so it's of no consequence. Years ago I used to set up a dial gauge to locate my disengagement point but I'm pretty comfortable with the process now so I usually just make a mark on the bar with a felt pen. If I'm inside threading to a shoulder I do get kind of chicken on the speed though! Reflexes aren't what they used to be. Regards, Bill