There seems to be quite a few take off barrels floating around out there for sale at extremely reasonable prices on these model 70 controlled feed rifles, both pre-64 and now the Classics.

For those who have worked on these, what I am wondering is whether these actions, both the pre-64 and the classics, are standardized such that you can take a barrel from one gun and put it on another gun and it headspaces correctly.

I am well aware that on a mauser it doesn't matter much because one can make a cut here and a cut there and use the reamer a bit and get things to fit, but with these model 70s there is the extractor cut that has to line up in a certain place.

So, I guess what I am asking is this: in general, when one takes a barrel off of one model 70 and then screws it onto another model 70 and lines the extractor cut correctly, will that barrel generally be in correct headspace on the second action, and if not, given the extractor cut, what is the procedure to get the thing to line up and be in correct headspace.

Blue

If the headspace is long on a Winchester Model 70, you need to set the barrel back a complete revolution and rechamber. (If it is short, you can simply run a reamer into the chamber until it headspaces correctly). I screwed up a brand new Kreiger barrel for a featherweight a few years ago. I set the headspace too deep and with one turn of the barrel ,because of the contour of a featherweight barrel, I was "out of meat" to rechamber. Made a nice stainless steel, $280 garden stake!
But the big question, and I don't know the answer, is how tight are Winchester model 70 specs. Can a take-off barrel from one Model 70 be installed on another and how close is the headspace?

More times than not, a barrel can be taken off one M 70 and screwed right on another, and everything will work.

The extractor slot will lineup, and headspace will fit.

Terry, I am thinking different. If your lucky the extractor slot will line and head space at the same time.
If it were my project, I would set the barrel back , re cut the 41 degree angle at the breech, and lengthen the chamber with a finish reamer using head space gauges to make sure everything is ok.