winchester model 70 problem

thegreatnorthernhunter

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Hay River NWT
anybody els have a problem with the safety on their model 70??? going from safe to fire is fine but coming back from fire to safe is hard, i have to push down hard and pull back and sometime it just will not. any suggestions???
 
Its a inherent issue to all model 70's 1935 to date not overly common but occasionallywould show up in rifles. I did Winchester's warranty work for many yrs had to fix a few every yr I would be very cautious with the file you can make a problem in to a major issue quickly needing a cocking piece and a safety . if there is a experienced smith in your area i would take it to him i would also inquire if he has preformed such a fix. back when i was doing Winchester's work in the 70's -early 90's it was a simple phone call to Winchester and the parts were in the mail does not work that way anymore in fact those parts are likely restricted and your rifle will have to sent to a authorised depot .
 
send it to Bill Leeper....if he can't fix your Model 70, it can't be fixed.;)
You would have to send the complete rifle, minus the stock I guess....it can't be done by sliding the bolt into another receiver to check the work....the sear holds the cocking piece in position in relation to the bolt shroud, which, of course contains the safety lever. This can vary a bit from rifle to rifle,...I know, I have four Model 70's here and swapped the firing pin assemblies around as an experiment,...some work in others, but they don't all function when swapped.
 
Had the problem with my Pre-64 30-06. Took it to a gunsmith who fixed it right up in short order. That was several years ago and it has been fine since. He told me at the time that it was not an unusual problem.
I almost never mess with stuff I know nothing about (LOL!).;)
I say go with a good gunsmith.
 
It was that problem safety with a M-70 that led me to ignoring the safety on a rifle altoghether. I carry the rifle with a full magazine, chamber empty, and when I think I might need to shoot, I chamber a round, but keep my finger outside the trigger guard until my sights are on the target. Like the man said, "This (the trigger finger) is connected to this (the front sight), and unless you can see this (the front sight) you keep this (the finger) off the trigger.
 
The trick is to not remove metal from the ramp or safety itself or you will upset the timeing. All it needs is to have the leading edge broken so the cam gets started. Once it starts it will work normally.
 
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