Building an Accurate Win. Model 70

B

Bart B.

New member
For the 'smiths out there, what's the typical cost these days to do the following tasks rebuilding a Winchester Model 70 action?

Action; lap lugs to full contact, face receiver and bolt face square with barrel tenon axis, adjust firing pin to .065" protrusion from bolt face.

Barrel; chamber a profiled barrel for cartridge desired with SAAMI minimum spec reamer and with minimum headspace, thread and shoulder its shank, face muzzle to 11 degrees and crown rifling edge at muzzle.

Stock; medium price wood stock with straight grain, epoxy bed action only to full contact, totally free float barrel at least 1/16" from stock fore end. Fininsh stock with durable epoxy finish. Fit butt plate and sling swivels.

Thanks.
 
I wouldn't lap the lugs.

When we were taught to blueprint an action, we not only faced the receiver but we recut the locking surfaces against which the lugs bear against. We also refaced the back and the front of the locking lugs.

I would recommend lapping a new barrel though. Your other ideas are spot on except I'd use a synthetic stock which may require less work and time than starting with a wood blank or even a pre-inlet.
 
With all due respect Gary,regardless of what you may have been taught,if you do exactly what a customer wants,and do it well,he will be happy,and he will accept responsibility for the outcome.

If you talk him into changing his plans,you own any disappointment in the outcome.

If someone without his own ideas asks you to build an accurate rifle,relying on your experience,yes,do it your way.

School or no,20 years experience as a gunsmith or no,I hope you won't lose respect for your customer's ideas and experience.

Some of them will help you grow.

I'll agree,there are times to remachine the locking surfaces.But unless there is wear or just sloppy original work,a light lap might be all you need.If there is receiver wear/setback,you wont lap in good news.
But if its just from heat treat and tool finish,lapping should be good.I jump start my lap job by inking the lugs,trying them,and stoning the high spots.

I might be happy to have you lap my Adams and Bennett barrel But I'd rather you did not lap my Krieger.

Wood vs glass,some benchresters are of the opinion wood has better dampening of vibrations,or a customer might just prefer wood.Its his dream.

I'm just an amateur tinker,and that's my 2 cents
 
I have a whole lot of respect for both Bart and Gary, but my first thought is to wonder just how much all that will improve the rifle. The Model 70's I have shot did right well out of the box, so I guess it depends on what fraction of an MOA is needed.

If the gun now shoots all over the lot, will/can it be made a tackdriver. If it will now drive big tacks, how much is it worth to get it to drive small tacks, especially since after all that expense there is no real guarantee that it will?

Jim
 
I have a whole lot of respect for both Bart and Gary, but my first thought is to wonder just how much all that will improve the rifle.
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Thanks for your respect, Jim.

My Winchesters I've rebuilt that way went from shooting 2 MOA at 600 yards to 1/2 MOA at 600 with the same ammo. 'Smiths have been doing that since the 1950's when epoxy bedding first came about. One or two have shot as well as 1/8 MOA or better at 600; 10-shot groups at that.
 
I'm not a gunsmith, but just a long time shooter with opinions gathered over the decades. If I was having a new rifle assembled, I would want the action done just as Bart has laid it out. That includes making sure the lugs bear equally on each side. I want the action to be square with the bore.

I have several rifles that I had 'tuned up' as Bart suggested and they all shoot extremely well. The newest is a Ruger Hawkeye and has had no tuning of any sort. Shoots pretty darn well, but I'm still going to have it squared up in the near future. The real shooters of mine have just got me spoiled and I want the Ruger to shoot as well as they do. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking Ruger at all. It does shoot very well and most folks would probably be quite satisfied. I just want it to shoot great, and stack one bullet right on top of the last like my 220 (Ruger) and 260 (Tikka T3) will. Might go with a new barrel too, once it's at the smith. Why not?
 
603, some people have rebuilt Ruger 77's with good barrels and refitting everything with great results. Ruger had a chance to do that in 1991 when they built 20 custom made single-shot actions fitted with custom .308 Win barrels, triggers and stocks for the US Palma Team. They failed; miserably. Nicknamed "8" because they shot excellent ammo in groups at 1000 yards the size of the 44-inch eight ring on the target. One would just about hold the 20-inch ten ring leaking 5 or 6 out of 20 shots into the nine ring. Ruger fitted them with Green Mountain's black powder barrels.
 
My sweet shooting 220 is an old tang safety Ruger with a Douglas barrel and was tuned up by Lex Webernick. An amazing shooter. And no sooner than I hint that I might rebarrel the Ruger Hawkeye 223, I went out to check that load for the 64 gr Nosler BSB and it shot a terrific group and it was right where the 40 gr Ballistic Tips shoot, though maybe 3/4 inch high. I'm not messing with that rifle now. I can swap between the 40 grainer and the 64 grainer and not touch the scope.

Took me 60 rounds and 3 powders to find what that 64 gr Nosler liked, but when I found it, there was no doubt that this was the load. I was beginning to worry.
 
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