Model 70 trigger developed "creep"

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shredder4286

New member
Howdy all,

Back in August, I bought a brand spankin' new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308 win after drooling over it for a while. It shot great for the first 4 trips to the range, then I started noticing about 1 out of every 10 trigger pulls the trigger would slip about 1/2 way through. Another 2 trips to the range later, it slips every time. I googled the M70 trigger issue, and most others had issues with the gun going off unintended, but not like what I'm experiencing. Anyone have a suggestion?

P.S.- I called Winchester, and they offered to look at it if I would ship it to them. I told them I spent all my money on their $750 rifle and also couldn't risk the rifle getting stolen from USPS workers. Not an option for me. Also, 1 local pawnshop gunsmith looked at it and said he didn't know what the problem was.
 
A couple suggestions

I would call Winchester again and ask to speak to a tech support supervisor. My guess is you will have more success.

If that doesn't work, take it back to where you purchased it 'brand spankin new' and see if they will send it back to Winchester for you.

If that fails, check out this article (www.snipercountry.com/Articles/AdjustingWinTrigger.asp) on how to adjust a Winchester trigger.

From my experience and the discussion of others, Model 70 triggers are extremely easy to adjust.
 
Send it back to Winchester and insure it. Tech support due to liability issues is not going to diagnose a trigger problem on the phone. Either send it off, take it to a good gun smith, or install a custom trigger. I just UPS ed a #1 tropical to Ruger and honestly I wish it had gotten stolen.
 
I would call Winchester again and ask to speak to a tech support supervisor. My guess is you will have more success.
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Ok, I will certainly do that. Sometimes you gotta talk to the boss to get 'er done.

Send it back to Winchester and insure it.
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I wasn't kidding about having spent all my fun $$ on the rifle. :eek: If I absolutely have to, I could scrounge $40-50 from change jars and borrow from a friend to pay a gunsmith, but I shouldn't have to. It's a $750 rifle.
 
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I know you shouldn't have to. When I sent my WBY in for warranty work, they paid the postage. (I'm not talking about a $3k MArk 5, but a $400 Vangard.) You could probably get Winchester to foot the bill. While you are on the phone, start talking about it being "dangerous."
 
I had a $250 kel-tec PF9 that wouldn't shoot any brand/bullet weight in 9mm. They paid for the shipping all THREE times it went back to the factory. I finally sold it.
I wasn't as worried about a little pistol getting shipped around, as the little box could be anything. But a long, skinny box... would raise an eyebrow or two of postal workers.
 
What do you mean by slip? Does it not fire unless you reset the trigger?

I installed a Rifle Basix trigger on a Savage and it was great for roughly 500 trigger pulls, but then it started down hill. I felt it was getting to the point of being unsafe, so I took it back apart. The sear was rounded off, which caused creep and also it wasn't a clean break (at all) so I wasn't sure exactly when it would go off or even if it would go off without me wanting it to. I took the trigger apart and put it back together. Safe again, but the trigger doesn't break as crisply as it used to and I had to make the trigger pull heavier.

I would call back and politely let Winchester know you feel its their responsibility to pay for shipping if there is no local gunsmith certified to do their warranty work.

Good luck and let us know! It's always good to hear about customer service experiences.
 
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little off topic but, reynolds357 what happened when sent your #1 tropical off to ruger to make you wish it got stolen during shipping?, cuz i was thinking of getting a #1 tropical in the near future, and i always hear good things about ruger CS and repair dept.
 
The Win. 70 trigger is easy to self-adjust. Almost any new gun needs some tinkering. I have a small distributor wrench (apx. 1/4") and a right angle screwdriver (I made by grinding a hex wrench) in my range box just to work on my trigger if necessary. Initially, I adjusted my trigger to where I wanted it but haven't touched it in 30 years. I did use it once on a friends 70. I'm not a gunsmith. Do take a look and consider adjusting yourself. Often gun parts need to wear in before they are just right.
 
The Win. 70 trigger is easy to self-adjust.
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Yeah, that's what I keep hearing. I can't get the action out of the stock. It's like it's glued in there. I'm assuming it's because it's bedded? :confused:

I met a guy last week at the local gun show who said he'd take a look at it for free, so I'm gonna run it over to his house this weekend hopefully. If he can't get it fixed, I'll pursue it with Winchester.
 
If he can't get it fixed, I'll pursue it with Winchester.
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If he can't, don't mention that anyone touched the thing when you talk to Winchester. They may void any warranty.

I am unfamiliar with the new M70 trigger mechanism but if it is like other over ride triggers, disassembling the mechanism and polishing the parts is not for the novice.

My guess is that you can jack up the trigger pull weight to the point you don't feel creep, but I would hate to use a 6 pound trigger on a M70.
 
The factory should cover shipping. I had problems with a Remington that needed to go back to the factory and they covered it both ways. If they do not, start asking for supervisors and get grumpy. It is amazing how they can make "an exception" for a demanding customer.
 
I should be back in COS in two weeks, give me a call and we'll take care of it. I should be in town for a little while as it looks like I'll be furloughed for about a month. If we can't figure it out I'm sure my buddy with the private range can help us.

I sure wish Winchester had stuck with the old trigger!
 
I would bet it would come back stiff and creepy, and that's not a fix to me.
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Yeah, I don't want it any heavier than it is. I would guess that it's at 5 lbs from the factory, and I would mind if it was a little lighter if anything. Creepy's not good, either:eek:
 
Silvermine, I wish it had gotten stolen because I had it insured for $1600 and I really no longer have a true need to own a .416 Rigby. Nothing wrong with Ruger or the 1H Tropical. Nice rifle, beautiful wood, but not worth $1600 to me. When it gets back I am going to sell it. A dealer I know says he can get $1400 to $1600 for it from someone he knows that wants one in Rigby real bad. It would just be simpler to collect the insurance than let him ship it and pay him his 10% and freight.
 
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