Winchester M70 ???

[The Surgeon]

Hey folks, I have a question for you all.

I have a good friend member that has found a Mid 1990's Winchester Model 70 300 Win Mag for sale for $250. What he is wanting to do is strip the action out and make a long range precision rifle out of it. He is wanting to have the action trued up and put a custom barrel on it.

What he wants to know is if he is wasting his money by going with a Winchester long action? What would be the pro's and con's of using a Winchester action versus a Remington or a Savage? I have read a lot about people using donor actions from a Remington or Savage, but I have seen very little about people choosing a Winchester action as a donor action. What problems, if any at all, could he run into by going this route?

Thank you for all of your information on this. I greatly appreciate it.

God Bless!

[Bullet bumper]

If it's a controlled round feed ( big Mauser style claw ) extraction then it is not that great as a varmint / target / precision action as teh push feed Mod 70 would alow easier loading iof single rounds that may be too long for the magazine.
Most gunsmiths prefer to accurize a Rem action as it's just a tube.
The mod 70 has a flat base and a fixed recoil lug to contend with when holding the action for truing but it can be done ok.
As soon a s you use the word " precision " you change the whole ball game.
Why buy a custom top grade barrel , a target grade trigger , a custom stock an expensive long range scope and all the other stuff but then use a secondhand donor action ? I don't get it.
If you are going to do a cheap as chips job then fair enough.
I think you should just buy a new precision action as the basis for an accurate gun .
The New Zealand Barnard are good and not that expensive Home

[strombeckj]

Model 70's are my choice for builds. My guess is that it's a push feed. Excellent extractors, safety's, triggers, bolt release, super simple and stiff action to work with.

A good smith can turn that into a 1 hole rig for less than $500 into the action.

Jon


Ten shots that can be covered by a dime with my .223AI built on a M70. My 6-06 shoots just as well and it is also built on a M70. I am having a 7 WSMimp built as we speak on a M70 LA.

[Nimrod]

I just picked up a push feed M70 for about the same $$, it's a 7MM RM. I was going to use it as a donor for a project I have wanted to do for a long time. I shot it first and it is a great shooter so far so I will leave it as is except for a new stock. I have had great luck with the push feed M70 action and around here they seem to run about $100.00 cheaper than a Remington in equal condition. I say go for it!

Bob

[The Surgeon]

I am sure the Barnard's are a good action, problem with them are that they are not inside the U.S. I agree for $250 for the gun,, $500 to true it up, and your sitting at around $800 with tax and all and then he would have to buy the bottom metal. By then he will be around a grand. For a couple hundred dollars more he could have a complete Surgeon action w/bottom metal, which is in our home state, but it is his gun. What I can tell you is that the money will stay in the U.S. and not go over seas to support some other economy.

[strombeckj]

Originally Posted by The Surgeon

I am sure the Barnard's are a good action, problem with them are that they are not inside the U.S. I agree for $250 for the gun,, $500 to true it up, and your sitting at around $800 with tax and all and then he would have to buy the bottom metal. By then he will be around a grand. For a couple hundred dollars more he could have a complete Surgeon action w/bottom metal, which is in our home state, but it is his gun. What I can tell you is that the money will stay in the U.S. and not go over seas to support some other economy.

A good true job should run around $200, not $500. I meant $500 TOTAL into the action. A good smith should be able to get the trigger to perform. So now your saving more than $500+. Custom actions make a true custom rifle and are VERY nice. For 98% of most shooters they will never tell the difference other than the name. Most of this boils down to $$$. I would be happy to put any or my M70 based builds against a custom action, so would my smith.... I bet unless your just shooting paper that a animal will not be able to tell the difference between .1 or .3 but I sure can in my wallet!

I will buy your action for $250 + shipping if you decide to go another route. This is not a joke, PM me if interested.

Jon

[Joaquin B]

The most accurate rifle I have ever owned was a Winchester model 70 push feed post-64 Varmint in .243 Winchester. It would shoot dime-sized groups at 200 meters with Hornady 75 gr. hollow points all day long

My current long range rifle is also a Winchester model 70. It is a stainless long action that uses 3 interchangeable barrels, in 30-06, 25-06 Ackley and as of next week, .284 Winchester. All barrels have a clock mark that aligns with a mark at the bottom of the receiver. I use a readily available rear action wrench and a barrel vise to replace the barrels and tighten them just a little past snug. They do not need to be tightened to extreme, like factory barrels are.

I had the action trued up and the lugs lapped by Pac-Nor when they installed the 25-06 barrel about 15 years ago. The action is bedded to a McMillan GP Hunting stock and I replaced the original slot headed action bolts with hex socket bolts, for even torquing at 50 in.-lb. I had a friend stone the trigger sear and minimize trigger wobble, and set the trigger pull at 1-1/4 lbs.

The rifle consistently shoots 1-1/2 inch 5-shot groups at 300 meters with Sierra 168 or 175 grain bullets in .30-06 and 2 inch 3-shot groups, also at 300 meters, with 110 Gr. Nosler Accubonds, when using the 25-06 Ackley barrel. Work on developing .284 loads srtarts next week with Sierra and Berger 168s.

I really don't think you can go wrong with a Winchester model 70.