M70 questions

[chet]

Yes children, it is once again "educate chet" day! :lol:
I'm on a quest to become a model 70 expert (Drmike is my hero :wink: )
Feel free to humiliate, harrass, bash, flame, and generally make fun of my ignorance.
And thanks for putting up with all my banter!

I have some questions regarding parts interchangability (sp?) and changes made over the years.

basically we have: pre 64, post 64, and pre 64 classic. (I'm leaving out the new MOA models for now)
the classics had a claw extractor, but they also made some push feed 70's during the sam time period.

#1 Do all push feed m70's have the same barrel thread, regardless of production year? (I found a new take off bbl from a circa2005 push feed coyote, and might want to put it on a circa1988 action)

#2 Can you put a CRF barrel on a push-feed action? Would the slot in the breach cause an issue? (assuming the threads are the same) I'm pretty sure the answer is "no", just trying to expand my knowledge here.

#3 How does a WSM action differ from a short action? (I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they are somehow different)

#4 Were any M70's button rifled?

#5 Was there a time period that the barrels were of lesser quality than the rest?

I'm sure I'll have more questions pop up, but we'll start with these.

thanks again for all your knowledge!

 

[Desert Fox]

1. yes

2. No. The CRF has cone breach. The push feed has recess ala Remmy

3. Not sure on this one. They're probably the same except the bolt face.

4. No. they're hammer forge

5. Not sure about the older rifles. My circa 1990 barrel were good. Better than Remington, that's for sure.

 

[SJB358]

DF answered all the questions I could have! Anyhow, I hope you stock up on the M70's and even the push feed ones are some GREAT shooting rifles. My first big game rifle is a M70 XTR 7RM and it is a tack driver with loads it likes and seems to only get better with age! Good luck and hope you start your collection soon. I love the M70's old and new. Scotty

 

[Elkman]

Chet

#5. The push feed 70's built Post 64 were the cheapest Winchesters ever built. Fit and finish was not good, the materials were all not of the best quality, the triggers are difficult, and they saved a lot of money producing the push feed. I think they lost money overall because of the push feed.
My 70 is a 66 model, 300 mag, best 100 yard group is around .280 or so center to center. Average is around .500 or so. I don't know whether the barrels are cheaper as a whole but mine shoots well.
I don't agree that catagoricaly the barrels are better that Remingtons. Some are some are not!

 

[chet]

I own 2 m70's that are post 1981 push feeds (after olin sold to USRA).
the triggers and stocks are identical to my 3 "classic" models.
when I say "classic" I am refering to the CRF "pre-64 style" guns that were built 1991-2006.

while at a gun show last week, I saw a table full of used barrels.
I am fully aware of the consequences of buying a used barrel. But most of these could be had for around $40.00.
I have access to a laithe, and I can rent go/no-go guages and reamers.

I figure for under $100 I can re-barrel one of my push-feed guns to a more interesting caliber.
whether or not they shoot good........ doesnt really matter to me at this point only because it would be worth the $100 for the experience and education that the project would provide. I could always put the original barrel back on.

Of course shipping the barreled action to a shop and having a custom barrel installed would result in a better product, but doing it myself would be much more fun! :grin:
And I'm not ready to invest another $700-$900 into one of these pushfeeds.
The advantage to a custom barrel is not only the quality, but I'd be able to pick my caliber as we have already discussed.

If I could find a new "take off" barrel from a push feed coyote model 70 in 243win, then I could rent a 243AI reamer and guages and life would be perfect! But finding one of them barrels is the hard part.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Chet, my 1978 push feed M70a XTR in .270 Win still shoots one hole groups. I shoots better now then it did when it was new, but I think that has more to do with the NBT I'm shooting out of it. At $159.95 it was a "cheap" gun at the time, but I've never found anything cheap about it's performance.

 

[DrMike]

Chet,

At one time I owned a Featherweight push-feed chambered in 280. It shot 160 grain bullets far better than it should have. Quarter inch groups were the norm for that rifle. I traded it for housework, and I've kicked myself ever since. I did buy one of the last Featherweights chambered in 280, however--this one was controlled round feed. It never did digest heavier bullets as well, but it consistently shoots a variety of 139/140 grain bullets to 0.25 inches.