Replacing 1968-Era Winchester M-70 Bottom Metal
I own a Post-64 Winchester Model 70 Varmint chambered in 243 Win that I bought new as a kid in 1968. This gun is all stock and has the anodized aluminum bottom metal, i.e. trigger guard and floor plate. Here's my problem.
Just today, a "friend" who has a significant amount of amateur gunsmithing experience was helping me get the gun ready for some coyote hunting and suggested the action screws needed tightening. He recently snugged up the screws on his gun and improved his accuracy. Well, I never had much of a problem with this particular gun's accuracy but I recently removed the action from the stock for cleaning, so I agreed to let him try it. Crack!!! When he tightened the screw in front of the trigger guard, the trigger guard and the floorplate shattered and cracked in several places. He gave me a "sucks to be you" look and quickly remembered an errand he promised to run for his wife, leaving me to contemplate what to do with the gun. Everything is very tight, needless to say, but I don't know how long all the pieces are going to stay in place, especially under recoil. This rifle also holds a great deal of sentimental value since it's the first new gun I bought with my own hard-earned money, so I'd like to make it right again.
OK, before you begin critiquing my choice of friends, here are a few questions. Can one still buy an OEM replacement aluminum trigger guard and floorplate for this rifle? Second, since it might be a good idea to replace the original aluminum parts with steel, can one buy steel replacements that are similar in appearance to the OEM parts? Finally, will bottom metal for any of the later M-70 variants work as replacements? If so, which ones?
Thanks for the help. Oh, here's one more question. Anyone want to buy a slightly tarnished but well-meaning friend? He's really not as big a knuckle-head as it sounds. He just called and offered to pay for repairs to the rifle. However, I think I'll let someone else do the work!
Just today, a "friend" who has a significant amount of amateur gunsmithing experience was helping me get the gun ready for some coyote hunting and suggested the action screws needed tightening. He recently snugged up the screws on his gun and improved his accuracy. Well, I never had much of a problem with this particular gun's accuracy but I recently removed the action from the stock for cleaning, so I agreed to let him try it. Crack!!! When he tightened the screw in front of the trigger guard, the trigger guard and the floorplate shattered and cracked in several places. He gave me a "sucks to be you" look and quickly remembered an errand he promised to run for his wife, leaving me to contemplate what to do with the gun. Everything is very tight, needless to say, but I don't know how long all the pieces are going to stay in place, especially under recoil. This rifle also holds a great deal of sentimental value since it's the first new gun I bought with my own hard-earned money, so I'd like to make it right again.
OK, before you begin critiquing my choice of friends, here are a few questions. Can one still buy an OEM replacement aluminum trigger guard and floorplate for this rifle? Second, since it might be a good idea to replace the original aluminum parts with steel, can one buy steel replacements that are similar in appearance to the OEM parts? Finally, will bottom metal for any of the later M-70 variants work as replacements? If so, which ones?
Thanks for the help. Oh, here's one more question. Anyone want to buy a slightly tarnished but well-meaning friend? He's really not as big a knuckle-head as it sounds. He just called and offered to pay for repairs to the rifle. However, I think I'll let someone else do the work!
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Fairlane66,
http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/specials.htm
Scroll down until you find the Winchester bottom metal.
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If that doesn't work, try Mark Accurso, 716-372-2297. He's a great source for post model 70 parts.
W.D.0 -
You might try looking on the auction side too. Any post 63 Model 70 short action should work, except for the Classic 70, which is a kickback to the pre-64 models.
Next, get yourself a torquewrench screw driver for tightening those screws. They should be tightened to 50-60 INCH pounds. I have friends like that too, that tite is good, but tighter(SNAP!!!!), is better. The torque wrench helps prevent that. It also comes in habdy for installing scopes, where the ring cap bolts should not be torqued to more than 15 INCH pounds.
Best0
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