Winchester model 70 short action question

[ar15barrels]

And NapalmCheese is correct; the largest caliber of WSSM was the .257", or .25 WSSM. There was no .30 WSSM.

I have a 30-25wssm reamer and headspace gauges.
It effectively makes a 30 wssm.

[LynnJr]

Yeah I didn't want to bring it up but the wildcatters have taken the wssm case out to at least 0.338 now.
My two rifles are what winchester called coyotes.

Bigbossman
When your looking for a stock just make sure the bolt holes are 7 inches are a touch wider and your all set for a 308. If the bolt holes are sub 7 inches it's a WSSM stock.
I have used left hand stocks on right-hand rifles without any issues.
On the bolt hole spacing if you own your own mill sometimes it's pretty easy to make things work.
If you don't own your own mill it's rarely worth the extra expenses to make it work.

[sigstroker]

Appreciate the additional info. BTW - the Kimber Montana has left the building - it was a nice light rifle, that didn't shoot for crap. The Tikka T3 Lite is less than a pound heavier, and shoots great.

Well that's a shame. Those Kimbers look nice, feel nice, and are really light. Not much use though if they don't shoot, that's their job.

On the mystery Model 70 with the blind magazine, it may be a Model 70A. A couple articles:

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2010/7/8/the-model-70-story-a-classic-advanced/

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Gun%20Articles/winchester_post_64_M70_info.html

The second one mentions that the barrel doesn't say 70A on it. That may help your bargaining position on it.

As for a synthetic stock, Hogue makes one with just pillar bedding and also one with a full length aluminum backbone. Note they sell a separate one for WSSM, so it seems like the one you're considering won't fit.

https://www.hogueinc.com/stocks/winchester/70/shortaction

[bigbossman]

Well that's a shame. Those Kimbers look nice, feel nice, and are really light. Not much use though if they don't shoot, that's their job.

Yeah, I was disappointed in it a bit but honestly other than being about 12oz lighter than the Tikka, I think the Tikka is a better rifle - at least for me. I've never had an issue with push feed, and the removable magazine on the Tikka is a real plus.

On the mystery Model 70 with the blind magazine, it may be a Model 70A. A couple articles:

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2010/7/8/the-model-70-story-a-classic-advanced/

http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Gun%20Articles/winchester_post_64_M70_info.html

The second one mentions that the barrel doesn't say 70A on it. That may help your bargaining position on it.

Very eludicating, thank you for the links. Looks like you nailed it - the rifle in question is a Model 70A.

As for a synthetic stock, Hogue makes one with just pillar bedding and also one with a full length aluminum backbone. Note they sell a separate one for WSSM, so it seems like the one you're considering won't fit.

https://www.hogueinc.com/stocks/winc...70/shortaction

Yup, those are the ones I'm looking at. I'll have to open up the 70A to see, but I assume it has all the proper internal bits - follower, spring, and box. So, I'm wondering if it would be just a matter of finding a Model 70 short action stock with floor plate assembly in order to convert the gun to a more traditional Model 70.

[bigbossman]

7-5/8" bolt spacing on the long action 7" on the short action and 6-5/8" on my wssm actions so just have the seller measure the bolt holes before you buy the stock.
This was done with a tape measure so it may not be perfect.

Bigbossman
When your looking for a stock just make sure the bolt holes are 7 inches are a touch wider and your all set for a 308. If the bolt holes are sub 7 inches it's a WSSM stock.

Just pulled the action and measured... 7-1/2" c-c on the action screw posts.

[LynnJr]

Check it one more time just to be sure.

[bigbossman]

Check it one more time just to be sure.

7-1/2" by eyeballing it, so could easily be 7-5/8"........ which is confusing, because your screenshot says that is for a long action. This gun is definitely a .308 short action. Sigstroker linked to an article that identified this gun as a Model 70A "variant", and that article says the 70A is the same as a Model 670/770. When I look up stocks for those, they spec a 7-5/8" hole spacing.

[kevins750]

Not to bust in on the thread but I have a pillar bedding kit for win70's.
It is the score high kit with adjustable pillars, supposed to be THE kit.
I bought it for my original wood stock but decided not to cut it up.
And went with an FN bedded stock instead.
If your interested PM me.

[bigbossman]

So - thinking about it...... All I really wanted to do was to save this nice wood stock and bed the action into a synthetic or other stock, so I won't worry about it while scrambling about the mountains in Idaho.

But it looks like I'm being stymied by that fact that this thing is a 70A and has screw holes spaced at 7-5/8", so similar to a long action (even though it is a .308 short action). I've seen various people on different forums say that the 70A is the same as the 670/770, and I've seen mention that the 670 used 7-5/8" spacing for both the 30-06 and the .308.

I've also seen mention that a blind box 70A can easily be converted to a hinged floor plate 70, by acquiring a 70 stock and floor plate/trigger guard hardware. But then I have the problem of making sure I get an assembly with the right screw spacing....... argh.

On top of that, a third option reared its head..... here is a Hougue stock with a bedding block that apparently has a magazine well for a removable magazine?!? That would be nice....... if my action fit AND I could find a magazine. I tried calling Hougue, but they are closed for the holidays.

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/62224

[LynnJr]

Bigbossman
On a wood or fiberglass stock you can put just about any action made in there if you don't care how it looks.

One of my 25-06 deer rifles is in a screwbean mesquite stock for a left handed action. Yes it has an extra cutout for the old left-hand bolt but it works and nobody really ever mentions it.

On my 375/50 BMG the stock is a McMillan superbenchrest and the bolt hole spacing was off a quarter inch. I used a die grinder to elongate the hole and just backfilled the empty area with fiberglass.

Both guns function and shoot well.

With the new plastic stocks you can of course do the same thing BUT you have to make sure you can glue or epoxy to the existing stock material.

I tried adding HDPE to a few stocks which is just a material sold at TAP Plastics and it doesn't glue or epoxy well. I used a few screws along with the epoxy but the epoxy doesn't do much. It is also not good with paint sticking.
If your after a hunting stock you already know you will treat harshly look at Boyd's for $125.
You can make modifications if needed and epoxy and fiberglass resins set-up on 30 minutes time. You can always rattle can over anything to hide your work. Automotive bondo works well on wood so you can modify just about anything and hide the imperfections.

[sigstroker]

So - thinking about it...... All I really wanted to do was to save this nice wood stock and bed the action into a synthetic or other stock, so I won't worry about it while scrambling about the mountains in Idaho.

But it looks like I'm being stymied by that fact that this thing is a 70A and has screw holes spaced at 7-5/8", so similar to a long action (even though it is a .308 short action). I've seen various people on different forums say that the 70A is the same as the 670/770, and I've seen mention that the 670 used 7-5/8" spacing for both the 30-06 and the .308.

I've also seen mention that a blind box 70A can easily be converted to a hinged floor plate 70, by acquiring a 70 stock and floor plate/trigger guard hardware. But then I have the problem of making sure I get an assembly with the right screw spacing....... argh.

On top of that, a third option reared its head..... here is a Hougue stock with a bedding block that apparently has a magazine well for a removable magazine?!? That would be nice....... if my action fit AND I could find a magazine. I tried calling Hougue, but they are closed for the holidays.

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/62224

That MGW deal looks like quite a bargain. Midway has the bottom metal and 2 mags for... $400!

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1006284088/

TBM stands for Tactical Box Magazine. The 5 rounder is $54.

https://fnestore.com/spr-tactical-box-magazine-tbm-308-5-rnd-tbm-equipped-only

I've seen the 10 rounder for close to the same price. This could be a nice solution. The mag is current and for a popular model. Contact Hogue anyway and make sure it'll fit the push feed.

[bigbossman]

That MGW deal looks like quite a bargain. Midway has the bottom metal and 2 mags for... $400!

Yeah, but...... the sticking point is that that stock specifies "short action", meaning the screws are 7" on center. I've measured my action, and even though it is a .308, it definitely measures 7-5/8". So, I don't think that stock is going to work for me. Too bad, because a magazine fed hunting rifle is a real convenience for me.

I did find a synthetic Model 670 stock on a website and they state the holes are 7-5/8" on center, and it is only $95. Maybe I'll grab one of those, even though it is also a blind box. The only other solution I can see (other than leaving the rifle as-is) is to buy a long action Model 70 stock with appropriate magazine cover hardware.

[kevins750]

Something to keep an eye put for is the 1 piece or 2 piece bottom metal stocks.

[ar15barrels]

So - thinking about it...... All I really wanted to do was to save this nice wood stock and bed the action into a synthetic or other stock, so I won't worry about it while scrambling about the mountains in Idaho.

But it looks like I'm being stymied by that fact that this thing is a 70A and has screw holes spaced at 7-5/8", so similar to a long action (even though it is a .308 short action). I've seen various people on different forums say that the 70A is the same as the 670/770, and I've seen mention that the 670 used 7-5/8" spacing for both the 30-06 and the .308.

You need a long action bottom metal for short action cartridges.
I believe that before 1964, all model 70's used long action receivers and bottom metal and it was just the magazine box that determined what length cartridge it would fit.
The short action cartridge actions probably had a longer bolt stop to shorten the bolt travel as well.

https://pre64win.com/collections/magazine-parts/products/short-action-5-magazine-box

[bigbossman]

You need a long action bottom metal for short action cartridges.

Thanks for the additional info.

Looks like I have the right magazine box and spring - short box in a long action. So, If I want to convert my blind box rifle to one with a floor plate, I'll need to to buy a long action stock for a push feed, and a new trigger guard/floor plate assembly.

Sounds expensive.