A while ago, I asked for a loaner in a classic and received a 300 Win Mag. The object was to come up with bottom metal to hold an extra round..perhaps a coffin style floorplate. Here's the result:


The original spring and follower with loop in the rear...and one without the loop. Spring without loop was installed


Three down...ok so far


Four down. rear of top cartridge has no support, resulting in...


Bolt over rides top cartridge..won't feed!

These actions were apparently designed without consulting a gunsmith...at least the magazine box. They are generic...one size fits all, they tried to bubble gum the box with those follower spring loops and blocks.

In this application, the forward part of the box is WAY too narrow and making the box deeper seems to just make the problem worse..each additional round wants to get more and more vertical.

The fix..I've done in the past...make a new, properly dimensioned box and alter the action to feed off the rails...not a novel idea. That's the way Winchester did it from 1936 to 1964.

If any of you guys have a new approach, please let the rest of us know

Be happy. The design saved Winchester about $4 per rifle and lets you sell a $500 fix. What's not to like Rabbi?

I have 7 post 64 m70's and they have 4 different type springs & 4 different type followlers, the newest a 375 length has a plastic followler and a spring nothing to keep in place at the floor plate or followler.

Are you saying that you have some fix with using combinations of these parts?

I had that problem with a short mag...Drove a wedge in the box at the shoulder junction. It fixed that one...don't know if it's "the" fix.

Didnp;t Jim Brockman make an extra round thingy for the WIn Mod70? I thought he did. Don;t know how he did or what might be different between yers and his but might ask around here on the board to see if someone has one

Sunny Hill offers a drop belly design don't they? What changes when one adds an extra round to a M70 from a feeding perspective?

Duane, that mag box, according to my notes is for a 270 and 30-06. That might be part of your problem.
For the 300 win mag my model 70 classics have always fed well using the the follower and magazine from a 7mm stw in concert with Brownells magnum Mauser spring.
I have done this on three win mags, a 338 and two 300's and it worked great.

The objective was to hold four down...will the STW box allow that?

Duane, to be honest I will be damned if I can remember if my win mags held four down. I know my model 70 classic in 300 ultra holds three down and those cases are pretty fat.

The "long" boxes for the M70 classics only hold three down. They are nothing more than the standard box slightly lengthened and the classic I had in .300 Weatherby fed okay but not great; nothing like a pre-64 H&H mag.

I looked everywhere for a way to fit four down without drop metal... no luck.

It should not be hard to fit four magnum cartridges down in a Win Mod70 Classic.

I have a H&H 375H&H built in 1913 that does it easily! The action to floorplate is slightly shallower for the H&H, but the box is 2mm wider.

I recently sold my 375H&H Classic Safari Express. It would feed a fourth round into the box and jamb solidly against the left rail until I dropped the floorplate to clear it - how about that happening against DG!

I am making up a 375H&H out of my 270 Win Classic and with D'Arcy Echols stock and hopefully Duane's bottom metal (how about bottom metal including box Duane?) I hope to achieve four down. Or at least my gunmaker does

Will keep you posted.

Cheers, Chris

a 375 built in 1913? if it was it ain't a m70 since they didn't chamber until the 30s.

No it is a H&H on a magnum mauser action. A lot lighter than the safari Express and a whole lot nicer to shoot for me.

My point, if H&H could get it right, why couldn't WInchester 80 years later (for the Classic Mod 70).

Cheers, Chris

The 375 H&H not a problem. It is the 300 Win. 264 and 338 Family of cartridges that require a wider box and rail work, for 4 down and function. You need a box ala Echol's and alteration to have function properly. Gum bands and 4 rounds tell the story.

HBH

As mentioned, my Mod70 Classic safari express would not hold four down. If you tried it jammed hopelessly. I don't see how it could be different to the shorter magnums?

Cheers, Chris

Blackburn makes a magazine box that will hold four down with his bottom metal. Some machining of the bottom of the receiver is required.

Mark Penrod did this on my .300 Weatherby M70. Not sure if he has done another 4 round conversion since.

As I mentioned ealier, a new box is the real and permenent fix. My goal, to satisfy a demand for a quickie was to try and use existing components for four down capacity..

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Scrollcutter's way should work, but I was not at liberty to whammer up the box on a loaner

has anyone got an echols in 375? he has apparently re-designed the magazine box to accomodate 4 down while maintaining the trim size of the 3 down rifle. I'd for one be curious to see the two mag boxes side by side and then have one of our knowledgeable members discuss for the benefit of everyone else.

or perhaps rockdoc could do the same with his magnum mauser and a m70?

I can't do that at the moment, travelling. However the H&H magnum box is 2mm wider than the Mod 70 box. That's all it takes I think.

The Echols box is a little wider than the Winchester I believe.

Will post more when I can. Also when my gunmaker gets to the job with all the bits at hand.

Cheers, Chris

That's it?

How would such a modification change the way the rounds sit and what effect does this have on feeding?

I'd try this: Make a magazine box to match the inner cuts of the action...just butt up nice and flush all around (inside) Then that should give the extra width badly needed...Hope it feeds off the action rails..... instead of the magazine box upper extension.

...I have no demand for using these actions, so am not motivated to experiment to any degree, but I'd be interested if anyone tries it out..

I think the wider box will allow the rounds to sit better, and with four down not jamb up hard against the left rail.

My gunmaker is going to make a box once I receive Duane's bottom metal.

When I get the chance I will try and get some photos of the H&H box and action underside.

All said and done, I should just stick the with one I have on an 09 action, just needs bluing and stocking! But i wanted a knockaout 375 in a quality synthetic stock and cerakoted. Not something I would feel comfortable doing to the '09! Can't have too many 375's!

Cheers, Chris