Help with accurizing Winchester model 70 264 WinMag

[Dooner]

Greetings,

After 20 years of exclusively bowhunting, I've retired the bow and picked up a rifle again. I'm the type of guy that will read ballistic tables for entertainment. I've always wanted to try the 264 WinMag, so last year I bought two. I bought a Remington Sendero and a Winchester model 70 super grade in 264 WinMag. Not having started to reload yet, I have settled on Nosler 130 grain AccuBond factory loads. The Sendero shoots about 0.5 MOA with this ammo, but I will be putting an aftermarket trigger on; any trigger recommendations?

On the other hand, The Winchester is pretty much a basket case. It never approached the level that the Sendero could shoot, the best groups being 1 to 2 MOAs, and yesterday it started not being able to hold a zero. This is such a beautiful gun, I'd really like to turn it into a great hunting rifle. It's also lighter than the Sendero, and I'd like to use it when I plan on doing more hiking on a hunt. So…, any recommendations for accurizing this gun?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

 

[flyguy1]

There are folks here much more knowledgable than I, but I will weigh in on my Model 70 experience. I had a Model 70 Super Grade late 80s that I glass bedded, tried with multiple factory/handloads, and it never would shoot. Turns out the barrel was ever so slightly misaligned with the action. I actually spent very little more on blueprinting/new barrel (Lilja, back when the old man ran the company) than I did with all the other messing around I did if you count my time spent and frustration(I had a gunsmith do the glass bedding). With the price of ammo/components now that would be even more true.

Also, factory barrels (not talking semi-customs like Seekins, Cooper, etc.) can be a crap shoot.

So if you're sure the scope is good (tried and true on another rifle), maybe have someone look at it IF you can find a good smith in CA.

 

[moses42ak]

The first places I would start would be action screws. Check the torque and correct as necessary. Second would be the barrel channel, make sure there isn't any contact. Next would be scope mount screws. Check and re-torque. Lastly, if none of that works, give it to me and I'll take good care of it.

 

[Dooner]

"IF you can find a good smith in CA." I see you understand a big part of my challenge here. If any of you know of a good Smith that loves these Winchesters and knows how to turn them into tac drivers, please let me know

 

[yankee outlaw]

my model 70 does not like factory loads had to reload for it to shoot

 

[sedancowboy]

Having been down the same road with a Model 70 in 7 STW I would first have someone scope the barrel. I pretty much did everything possible to get it to shoot and it would not. Finially about 5 years ago I bought a bore scope and looked in the barrel. It looked like a plowed field it was so rough. Had a new barrel installed and now it is real shooter. As someone else mentioned components are too expensive and hard to get. If the barrel checks out then you should be able to get it to shoot. Don't spend hundreds on ammo and then find out what I did that the barrel was crap to start with.

 

[lightacres]

Cheaper to sell your winchester and buy another rifle...spending money with a gunsmith gets expensive quickly

 

[WildernessBob]

If you can get it - use different ammo. What am I talking about?
I'm an old fart hunting with either a Weatherby vanguard 270 or a Ruger mark IV 30-06 with kill shots ranging from 75 to 150 yds. I am using sierra game changers this year but a couple years back I took 4 boxes of Winchester superX ammo to the range(2 BX each) Also 2 boxes of Hornady SST 30-06 + .270 and some Remington Core-Lokt .270. After setting up the zero at 50 yards with some Federal BTHP we started shooting the Winchester superX. We were asking the the heck is going on. We were both all over the place with the 30-06 grouping maybe 4" and the .270 was grouping at best 3" ...this was at 50 yards. After ten shots we both put away the superX and it's sitting in the ammo box 4 years later.
Both rifles seem to do well with the Core-Lokt at 100 yards. The .270 like the SST..
What all this points to is the rifles are all different. What my rifles likes maybe won't work for your rifle well. And I am only showing the results of close range stuff. If I'm not tack driving at 100 yards, it not working for me

 

[458win]

I've wanted a 264 win mag model 70 since I was old enough to understand ballistic tables. I've owned several over the years and not one of them shot better then mediocre. Maybe that caliber and me are cursed. I'd either have it rebarreled or sell it as is.

 

[nwhunter]

If it started not holding zero I would blame the scope or mounting of scope before giving up on a M70 SG, they are such a beautiful rifle and I happen to love them. But Model 70's I own aren't exactly tack drivers. Except for a featherwieght I have in 257 roberts. I have had a couple Model 70's in 264 and they were both fairly accurate, sold them because I have 6.5x06 that shoots slightly better and uses less powder to come close to the same performance.

 

[65WSM]

I started my centerfire rifle career with two 1959 Model 70 s in 264 Win Mag with 26 inch barrels. I never have purchased factory ammunition for a rifle. I shot a lot of 1 and 3/4 inch at 100 yard groups with those rifles. My next rifle was a 7mm Rem Mag Super Grade (Mauser longspring extractor) with at 24 inch barrel. It shot about the same as the factory 26 inch hammer forged tubes in the Pre 64s. I discussed the problem with Ed Shilen, the button barrel maker. He said the best bullets of the time were not capable o more than an inch and a half regardless. He said that Sierra's standard for the time reflected this. Compounding this was the selection suitable slow burning powders ended at Hodgdon 4831. (Yes, there was surplus 870 but I never got that powder to produce more than 2900 something in spite of the published data. I even used duplex loads with 3 grains of Red Dot over the primer.) When Reloader 22 became available, my groups got a little better.

My arguement against the .264 Win Mag is that in the Model 70 (I still proudly own 6 of these rifles), is that the cartridge was designed for flat based spitzers and these were deep seated into the body of the case to fit the magazine length of 3.4 inches. The modern 6.5 WSM, SAUM or Hodgdon cases will fit the same magazine and take advantage to the Berger and Nosler boat tailed VLD bullets seated to the shoulder for better accuracy. The cases, without the belt, are much more consistent in thickness and do not separate just above the belt. I still am loading a M70 factory barreled in 7mm Rem mag. I seat the bullets to the lands and the rifle functions as a single shot. Neck turning will show just how out of round the Norma (Nosler the same) or other belted cases are.

A custom .264 Model 70, built on the extended length 375 or 300 H&H length action would be better for accuracy and handloading. The other option I would recommend, would be to put a quality custom barrel on your Super Grade rifle in 6.5 SAUM (great brass cases from Atlas, Peterson, etc) or 6.5 WSM (poor brass from Winchester or Norma) and get it set up for the long range Accubond or Berger bullets.

The good news for handloading is that the standards for bullet accuracy in 6.5 have improved to those for 30 caliber. The other thing that 6.5 magnums have in favor is the powders (especially Reloader 26) can deliver velocities and consistency that we dreamed of for decades before. And shorter 24 inch barrels will get you to 3300 fps, 140 gr bullets with Reloader 26.

Always shoot nitrided barrels with coated bullets to double your barrel life.

 

[msauce1]

I have a Mod 70 in 264 it was rebarreled after the throat went south. Mine likes Barnes bullets. The new barrel is a Snider match SS at full length 27.625. It shoots great a little heavyer now.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Sounds like a scope problem if the rifle is not holding zero.
I also have a few Super Grades and find that the bedding is lacking, so I put aluminium pillars in mine and bedded the entire action, leaving a little wiggle room under the lug and each side.
As to a trigger for your Sendero, I only use Jewel triggers on my own Remington's. My clients seem to be enamoured with Timney Calvin Elites but I find the Jewel to be much nicer and easier to adjust.
I would be pulling the stock off the Super Grade and smoking the action and re-assembling to see what the bedding footprint looks like. Also check that the scope is tracking, as I mentioned earlier, not holding zero sounds like bases, rings or scope issues, not a rifle issue.

Cheers.

 

[hawg chaser]

After reading all these replies I'm thinking I got lucky with my model 70 264 win mag. It chews up everything I feed it and asks for more. I've yet to feed it anything that it won't put into a half moa or better. It's definitely one of, if not, the best shooting rifle I have.