Model 70 Help

benjamins

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I have a Winchester Model 70 .243 that I inherited and it has never shot right. By never shot right I mean it would never shoot groups tighter than 8 inches at 100 and every once in awhile a bullet would hit the paper slightly sideways. I have tried every ammo under the sun. The Outdoorsman in Fargo has re crowned it twice and that did not help. I have sent it in to Winchester and they agree there is some sort of manufacturing defect in the barrel (and even offered to give me a large discount on a new gun) but never told me specifically what the issue was. I have always thought it was a bent barrel but that is just a guess, I am very far from a gunsmith. I am just wondering if anyone has some ideas for a fix? I was told the model 70's are fused(?) barrels so it isn't like I can just go buy a new barrel and swap it out myself. Do I have to go get a custom barrel made and installed by a gunsmith? I am assuming any type of fix will cost more money than the gun is worth but I just would like to get it in working order since I inherited the gun. Thanks for any help!
 


1lessdog

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Your rifle has a 1 - 9 twist so should be shooting 80 to 100 grain bullets. I would run a bore scope down the barrel and see whats going on with it. Could be you have a land broken off inside the barrel. I have seen it a few times.

If you want to see if the barrel is bent, pull the bolt out and look thru the barrel. Look thru the muzzle end at a light. If you see a shadow its bent, it no shadow its straight.
 
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Sum1

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Take the discount and buy a new gun. You get the whole inheritance thing but a gun that don’t shoot is junk IMO
 

SDMF

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I have a Winchester Model 70 .243 that I inherited and it has never shot right. By never shot right I mean it would never shoot groups tighter than 8 inches at 100 and every once in awhile a bullet would hit the paper slightly sideways. I have tried every ammo under the sun. The Outdoorsman in Fargo has re crowned it twice and that did not help. I have sent it in to Winchester and they agree there is some sort of manufacturing defect in the barrel (and even offered to give me a large discount on a new gun) but never told me specifically what the issue was. I have always thought it was a bent barrel but that is just a guess, I am very far from a gunsmith. I am just wondering if anyone has some ideas for a fix? I was told the model 70's are fused(?) barrels so it isn't like I can just go buy a new barrel and swap it out myself. Do I have to go get a custom barrel made and installed by a gunsmith? I am assuming any type of fix will cost more money than the gun is worth but I just would like to get it in working order since I inherited the gun. Thanks for any help!

Winchester M70 barrels are not "fused" or crush-fit to the action. Winchester M70 barrels are threaded just like almost everyone else. That said, no, you probably can't just put one on by yourself unless you buy the go/no-go gauges, a bbl vice, and learn how to use them so your rifle headspaces properly. It'd be no great trick for a gunsmith to re-barrel the rifle for you.

1. What actual model is it? M70, yes, but, sporter, lightweight, featherweight, Ranger??????

2. Have you or someone looked down the bore with a bore-scope?

3. What scope and scope bases?

4. What stock and is it bedded?

I you're not sure how to answer question #1, post a pic or 2.
 

benjamins

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1. It's a featherweight
2. I'm assuming the outdoorsman did but I cannot say for certain nor do I know what they found if they did
3. I tried 3 different scopes and bases (that I know were good)
4. Wood stock

Does anyone know a good gunsmith around Fargo? Someone else recommended getting it bored out to a 7mm-08. Is that a realistic idea?
 


Kurtr

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1. It's a featherweight
2. I'm assuming the outdoorsman did but I cannot say for certain nor do I know what they found if they did
3. I tried 3 different scopes and bases (that I know were good)
4. Wood stock

Does anyone know a good gunsmith around Fargo? Someone else recommended getting it bored out to a 7mm-08. Is that a realistic idea?

no that is not realistic idea. The bbl is 243. And would have to go to .284 if that is what you want to do but the .284 barrel blank have it chambered to 7mm-08 and put a good stock on it and you are probably good to go. If you don’t want to deal with it take the big discount and buy a new gun
 

eyexer

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Winchester M70 barrels are not "fused" or crush-fit to the action. Winchester M70 barrels are threaded just like almost everyone else. That said, no, you probably can't just put one on by yourself unless you buy the go/no-go gauges, a bbl vice, and learn how to use them so your rifle headspaces properly. It'd be no great trick for a gunsmith to re-barrel the rifle for you.

1. What actual model is it? M70, yes, but, sporter, lightweight, featherweight, Ranger??????

2. Have you or someone looked down the bore with a bore-scope?

3. What scope and scope bases?

4. What stock and is it bedded?

I you're not sure how to answer question #1, post a pic or 2.
and on top of all this have you tried another scope? I had a brand new vortex right out of the box that was causing this exact same thing due to some kind of internal issues with the scope. Scenic (where I bought it) traded it back out for another and it sighted right in and is a tack driver now.
 

Jiffy

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....... every once in awhile a bullet would hit the paper slightly sideways.......

Eyexer, your scope was making your rifle keyhole? That's interesting.

- - - Updated - - -

IF the rifle has sentimental value I'd rebarrel and be done with it.
 

Kurtr

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and on top of all this have you tried another scope? I had a brand new vortex right out of the box that was causing this exact same thing due to some kind of internal issues with the scope. Scenic (where I bought it) traded it back out for another and it sighted right in and is a tack driver now.


he tried 3 different scopes and bases
 


Migrator Man

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I have a Winchester Model 70 .243 that I inherited and it has never shot right. By never shot right I mean it would never shoot groups tighter than 8 inches at 100 and every once in awhile a bullet would hit the paper slightly sideways. I have tried every ammo under the sun. The Outdoorsman in Fargo has re crowned it twice and that did not help. I have sent it in to Winchester and they agree there is some sort of manufacturing defect in the barrel (and even offered to give me a large discount on a new gun) but never told me specifically what the issue was. I have always thought it was a bent barrel but that is just a guess, I am very far from a gunsmith. I am just wondering if anyone has some ideas for a fix? I was told the model 70's are fused(?) barrels so it isn't like I can just go buy a new barrel and swap it out myself. Do I have to go get a custom barrel made and installed by a gunsmith? I am assuming any type of fix will cost more money than the gun is worth but I just would like to get it in working order since I inherited the gun. Thanks for any help!
Take the big discount and buy another gun, then rebarrel the Old gun. 2 for 1!
 

BrokenBackJack

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I'm with the original poster and would want it fixed as i am also old and old school and sentimental items mean something to me and wouldn't want to replace it as it would want to fix it.
243's are usually tack drivers so something is defintely wrong with it.
Good luck and keep us updated on what you find out.
 

SDMF

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1. Assuming that the rifle has 3 screws for the bottom metal, the front and rear screws should be tight, ~50 in/# or so in a wood stock. That middle screw needs to be just finger tight enough to not back out. If you make that screw too tight, you'll flex the action, accuracy and feed/function will both be wonky. If you pull it apart, when putting it back together it's front screw 1st all the way to "tight". Rear-most screw next ~3/4 tight. Middle screw, tighten until the floor-plate operates correctly, then tighten the rear screw the rest of the way.

2. Assuming you have rings and bases, take the scope/rings off the rifle, leave the bases in place.

3. Remove the rear screw from the front base, try to wiggle the base with only the front screw holding it down. On 2 occasions, I've had that front screw be too long, contact the bbl tenon so it felt like it got tight, but didn't actually get tight against the base.

4. For the other 3 base-screws you can use your pinky finger to feel if they are coming through or not. Most likely not as they would all come in contact with the bolt if they were too long. If the rear screw of the front base is too long, the bolt won't cam down completely. If the screws are too long for the rear base they'll drag on the bolt body.

5. With the bolt in the firing position, tighten down the front action screw, now try to open the action, if the bolt won't open, that front screw is too long. If it's too long you either can't get it tight enough and have to leave it a little loose, or it's snugged right up against the bottom lug of the bolt which would again cause accuracy wonkiness.

Should you decide to re-barrel, most aftermarket bbl makers have the Winchester Fwt pattern available. You'll be able to choose what twist you'd prefer within reason. Figure the job to be +/- $700 for the bbl, chambering/threading.

Given where current projectile R&D is going, if ordering a new bbl, I'd order 1:7 or 1:8. Take your pick on a bbl, everybody builds a good 6mm tube. Were it me, I'd probably just order whosever I could get in a reasonable timeframe. The last bbl I ordered was a Lilja to duplicate a Kimber MT factory bbl and it took 8-10 weeks from order to delivery.

You mentioned Featherweight. SS or blued? Push-feed or "Classic" controlled-round feed? New Haven, South Carolina, or Portugal production?
 
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Kentucky Windage

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IMO, you need to decide if you want to hang it on a wall somewhere and just look at or decide if you want to shoot it. If you want to shoot it, re-barrel the gun (assuming its a barrel problem) and be done with it. Using a sentimental value gun that doesn’t shoot is depressing. If you keep it somewhat original as far as stock, barrel contour, chambering, etc goes, it won’t hardly look any different. If you have someone to pass it on to in the next generation, the story and legacy will only grow.

- - - Updated - - -

8” @ 100. You’re talking an 8 MOA gun. You’d be better off throwing rocks at whatever you’re trying to kill.
 

lazyMlazyK

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Not to derail the thread, but why is the commonly used abbreviation for the word "barrel", "bbl"? Doesn't make much sense to me to throw an extra b in there. That's always driven me nuts. Carry on...
 


Davey Crockett

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Not to derail the thread, but why is the commonly used abbreviation for the word "barrel", "bbl"? Doesn't make much sense to me to throw an extra b in there. That's always driven me nuts. Carry on...

That extra B came from the oilfield .
 

SDMF

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Not to derail the thread, but why is the commonly used abbreviation for the word "barrel", "bbl"? Doesn't make much sense to me to throw an extra b in there. That's always driven me nuts. Carry on...

You could start a survey and see if everyone would agree to brrl, or brl, then we could all vote on the results and ridicule anyone who didn't conform to whatever new abbreviation we come up with.
 

Prairie Doggin'

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I like "barrel."
Mainly, because I hate having to look abbreviations up because I'm a dumbass.
 


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