I spooke with Roger Ferrell the other day about my son's .30-06 project. He recommended switching out the bottom metal because he said the bottom metal was the one area where Winchester "cut corners" when building this action.

I am not doubting Roger's knowledge, but am curious as to who currently makes the best bottom metal out there for pre-64 model 70s.

Thanks in advance.

Best is a pretty subjective term, and bottom metal probably really isn't the question you want answered.


What you probably really want answered is what system, including bottom metal if it is attached, allows the rifle to feed as reliably as possible.

Winchester cut corners becasue of that thin tin they used for the magazine box. And since the bottom metal is detached from that tin magazine box I doubt that it has much to do with how the Model 70 feeds. Same with Williams bottom metal. Its detached from the magazine box and really doesn't control how the thing feeds.

On the other hand, I believe Blackburn makes some units that have an integral magazine box. I think Sunny Hill does as well. Or at least they supply a new separate magazine box that is more heavy duty than what winchester supplies.

Allen Day, who used to post here, often said that the new box that D"arcy Echols makes for the Legend Rifles is heavy duty and re-engineered for better feeding.

A lot may also have to do with the follower spring and follower.

Suffice it to say, I have 4 factory model 70 classics. All feed great with the factory tin box and the factory bottom metal!

22:

Thanks for the response. I learn something new everyday!

Depends on the caliber we are discussing. But generally the bottom metal (meaning the trigger guard, floorplate) will not have much to do with reliability of the gun unless its badly out of spec. I recently sent a pre-64 action out to be made into a new rifle by a very well respected smith and was told by D'Arcy Echols, and Ted Blackburn whom I consulted with regarding this project (ordered a stock from D'Arcy and bottom metal from Ted) that I should use the stock Winchester magazine box that came with the rifle as the box that came with the standard length action for standard cartridges like the 270 and 30/06 were perfectly acceptable and not known to have any reliability problems whatsoever. If you get into different cartridges or magnum cartridges or want to squeeze 4 rounds in a 3 round rifle its a different matter all together. But that's what those people told me and at least one of them was in a position to sell me an expensive, custom magazine box. YMMV

Post 64 magazine boxes are indeed cheap POS's. As KY Nimrod states, the pre-64 mag box, if used for its intended cartridge family, gives perfectly good service. IMO, the pre-64 magazine box demonstrates better design and workmanship than some entire rifles manufactured today. The factory triggerguard, however, is ugly.

I haven't used one but those made made by Williams look very nice and aren't as expensive as some others: WILLIAMS

If the rifle in question started life out as a .30-06 then the follower and mag box are indeed perfect as mentioned above. Where Winchester went cheap was with the two piece bottom metal design.

If you were really lucky you could talk Thom Burgess into making you one of his excellent pieces of bottom metal. From what I have gathered that is akin to winning the lottery!

Williams makes a nice Winchester look unit and supposedly is comming out with an Oberndorf style unit with an in the bow floorplate release.. Blackburn makes a very nice unit with a different style that some like and some dont. Personally I like the racey look of his bottom metal. Both Williams and Blackburn use a seperate mag box design.

Sunny Hill Makes an integral unit and thats all I know about them.

If you want the traditional Winchester look Williams has that at less than half of the price than Blackburn. Though, by the time your gunmaker details the Williams unit up to what you get out of the box with Blackburn the cost difference will be nil.

If it were my rifle I would go with Blackburn.

Both of my current rifles and several rifles one of my former wife's inherited had blackburn units. All the rifles save one are pre-64 mod 70's, the odd one is a customized springfield m1903. I will probably continue to prefer them to anything else