M70 Action Diet

Brambles

Brambles

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West Kootenays B.C.
Does anyone know how much material you can remove from a m70 action to reduce weight and still remain safe. Looks like the bottom of the action could stand to loose some weight. Its a Stainless ulitmate shadow in 300 WSM if that makes a difference
Photos would be great if anyone has had this kind of work done.

Thanks

Brambles
 
you can drop it 6 ounces really quickly by swapping if for a short Rem 700 aciton:D .....drop another 2 ounces or so by swapping it for a Model Seven action...:) :D ..I don't know if it's possible to machine a half a pound off of a Model 70....:D
 
I have lots of remingtons but I wanted something that will feed the 300 wsm cartridge smooth and reliably. Don't get me wrong, I love my Remmies and they shoot great but they don't feed some cartridges that well. This winchester feeds the 300 wsm from the mag like butter.

The only problem is that they are beefy on the bottom end. I don't think there should be any problems with machining off some weight. The remington is plenty strong and doesn't have all the bulk so it should be possible to trim some fat on the M70 and still remain at least as strong as the remington.

I don't know maybe I'm on crack???

I checked Rifles Inc. website but they don't have anything on the machine work they do, just the custom rifles
 
"...how much material you can remove..." None. The only safe way to reduce weight is a shorter barrel and/or a sythetic stock.
 
OK, I'll step up. Get rid of the bottom metal and go to a blind magazine synthetic LW stock. Check out Brown Precision's Pounder (a one pound stock). Have the bolt fluted, and the bolt handle knob can be hollowed, the shaft of the handle can also be skeletonised. Go to a shorter, smaller diameter barrel. Use aluminum scope mounts and rings (Gentry makes some nice LW rings and mounts). Use a compact scope, 2-7 Leupie for example. The magazine box can be drilled on the sides to remove weight as well. None of this is rocket science, most of it is do-able with a drill press (except the fluting and barrel work). FWIW - dan
 
There are numerous mods which can be made to the M70 to lose some weight. As well, there is one which I feel should be made to any M70 for the 300WSM. This mod has nothing to do woth weight savings but is a functional improvement and one which Winchester made on the actions for the WSSMs. This is to increase the thread diameter to 1 1/16" (Same as Remington 700). This gives a complete thread in the receiver ring and more metal over the fat WSM chamber. I will not rebarrel a M70 to the 300 WSM without making this change.
Now for the weight savings. It is possible to thin the recoil lug somewhat especially if a stiffening ridge is left in the center. The left receiver wall can be recontoured and thinned as can the bridge. The tang can be modified to be like the pre-war M70.
The M70 bottom metal is thick and heavy. Probably one third of the weight of the floorplate can be lost by thinning it. Maybe 20% of the trigger guard can be eliminated. The bolt knob can be drilled out and, if you don't like the feel of a hollow knob, the hole can be filled with black dyed epoxy (epoxy is lighter than steel). Some metal can be removed from the bolt handle stem.
I'm not sure how much weight can be saved with these changes but probably on the order of four or five ounces. There would absolutely no loss of strength or safety with any of these modifications. Regards, Bill.
 
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