New Winchester Model 70 Alaskan (30-06) review.

[bottom_dweller]

Floatpilot had a nice 350 rem mag carbine ruger 77. He even worked up a killer swift 280 grain handload @2400 fps. He SOLD it?! I'm gonna go down there to soft alaska and have a talk with him....

Well, this is a shooting thread. I like to play around with rifles getting them to shoot too. Once you get them all dialed in you realize how fun the journey was and you just want to keep doing it over and over. The only way to do that is turn over. Or a walk in safe!

I’d send it back. There are some good offerings out there. Make them defend their name.

 

[SmokeRoss]

Is it a CRF controlled round feed? I haven't picked up any new Winchesters in a long time other than their semi auto 22. All mine are either pre 64's or the modern 'Classics" with CRF. I love them. The only exception to the CRF is a Featherweight .30-06 I bought way back in the 80's in the old Carrs store in Kenai. It's a tack driver.

 

[bottom_dweller]

OP, in post 15 you said the shoulder was good. Are these 1st fire on the cases? Maybe the head space is incorrect?If you load up a batch with the once fired brass without bumping the shoulder and then see if it still strikes light?

 

[tvfinak]

*Yes new in the box rifle.

*All primers set to same depth. Light strikes on all.

*Shoulder length is good.

*I looked up light primer strikes with the new Model 70s and the internet is full of people complaining about that problem.

Now I need to think about my options. I can fix it, or send it back to Winchester. I hate sending things back...

You found the bolt full of shaving and grease - did you get it all scrubbed out? I like to put mine in an powerful ultrasonic cleaner - it will get stuff out you would never get out any other way.

If it like the old 70s, I'd disassemble the bolt and check everything for burrs and rough spots, clean them all up. Use some ATF on the firing pin and spring, and a touch of grease on the cocking cam.

 

[tvfinak]

I agree, … and not only that, but while the factory techs are “fixing” it, the OP should request they re-barrel it to .35 Whelen (also known as the poor man’s magnum).

No other tweaks needed and it’s a much better cartridge for the AK bush than the ‘06.

I've got a .35 Whelen, and a .375-06 Ackley Improved. If you hand load and like the Whelen, the .375 AI is even better.

 

[LeonardC]

Maybe "middle age" Winchester M70 were made in Left Hand. I have a LH .338 and a LH action that had been built into an NRA HP match rifle and then stripped down again.

I don't know of any bolt handle failures, but I do remember there was a gunsmith that would make a small weld to make sure nothing came loose. I never had any issue with the .338 bolt so didn't have it done.

 

[win70ew]

I would definitely send the rifle back to Winchester. I’ve never owned the model 70 Alaskan, but I do have several model 70 Extreme Weather rifles and they are fantastic.

 

[tvfinak]

Maybe "middle age" Winchester M70 were made in Left Hand. I have a LH .338 and a LH action that had been built into an NRA HP match rifle and then stripped down again.

I don't know of any bolt handle failures, but I do remember there was a gunsmith that would make a small weld to make sure nothing came loose. I never had any issue with the .338 bolt so didn't have it done.

The Remington 700 bolt handles are known to come off - there is an outfit in Fairbanks that specializes in welding them on.

I've never heard of a 70 bolt handle coming off - it must be pretty uncommon.

 

[LeonardC]

I have a magazine clip somewhere that discusses this matter. "Just for you." I did a search on Md 70 bolt issues and came up with a thread on 24 Hour Campfire.com on 12/23/08: "Model 70 bolt handle fix?"

Short summary: test1328: "...Brian Pierce is the gun writer who seems to keep bringing this up. He mentioned it once in his write ups of the M70s and then just recently responded to all the questions he's been receiving on this in a follow up issue of Rifle or Handloader, I can't remember which one. In any case, the fix that he detailed said to cut a small notch at the joint of the handle and the bolt on the underside where it wouldn't be seen while the bolt is in the rifle. Then, the gunsmith puts a small spot weld at this notch to basically tie the handle and bolt together..."

Response from shoulder shot: "...It is a model 70 Classic, and it was written about by Brian Pearce in Rifle magazine. He had it happen to him, and knows of at least 2 other examples..."

 

[mainer_in_ak]

Leonard, one of the premier model 70 builders, D'arcy Echols, has encountered the issue. He's a better, first-hand source of knowledge than silly gun magazine and forum guys. His solution is a better fix, than a brittle spot weld on the bolt surface:

"In our shop we call this procedure the Robin Hurt conversion. As it was Robin, at an SCI Convention, who made us first aware of the necessity to do so. It seems he had the bolt handle come loose on one of his personal G-series Model 70s. We took note of what Robin said and filed it away as a "act of God" failure. Not 60 days after the SCI convention we had the very same things happen in our shop. Now we took real serious notice. Having the bolt handle fall off a rifle is not a situation we wanted one of our clients to face.

Our solution was to set up every G-series Model 70 bolt in the milling machine, drill and ream a 3/32" hole through both the investment cast bolt handle collar and the bolt body and then solder a 3/32" dowel pin into the new hole. The pin is then filed and polished flush with the major bolt diameter and the same is done in the inside diameter of the bolt body. The bolt handle and the bolt body are now joined mechanically in addition to the original copper induction brazed joint. No fuss, no issues later on."

Pinning a Model 70 bolt

In our shop we call this procedure the Robin Hurt conversion. As it was Robin, at an SCI Convention, who made us first aware of the necessit...

echolsrifles.blogspot.com

 

[rickyw]

It seems he had the bolt handle come loose on one of his personal G-series Model 70s.

Interesting. That won’t happen with a Hawkeye.

 

[s_crockett]

Interesting. That won’t happen with a Hawkeye.

Never heard of this “bolt failure” happening on the old BRNO 600s or 602s, nor on the CZ 550s either.

 

[bottom_dweller]

I never heard of this problem with the OP’s rifle either. Maybe we should try fix what is broken…..

 

[mainer_in_ak]

Never heard of this “bolt failure” happening on the old BRNO 600s or 602s, nor on the CZ 550s either.

Shot a pile of moose and caribou with a couple different CZ 550 carbines in 9.3x62. I did have a minor issue with one:
Threaded bolt knob fell off the rifle while I was hunting a creek. I suspect the vibrations of a boat motor, caused it to loosen. When i got back from my hunt, CZ sent me another bolt knob. Green loctite, and some hearty ft-lbs of torque, never had that issue again.

Anyhow, there's something to be said for that rugged, one-piece bolt in the Ruger 77's

 

[Float Pilot]

ACTUALLY,,, I still have my modified All Weather Ruger M77mKII in 350 Rem Mag.... the guy who was going to buy it was broke. Last night I was thinking about loading up some 350 are Mag cartridges, but loaded up a bunch more 30-06 instead. With Federal 210m primers this time.

 

[s_crockett]

ACTUALLY, I still have my modified All Weather Ruger M77mKII in 350 Rem Mag .... the guy who was going to buy it was broke.

Well, never sell a rifle to a "broke guy." LOL!

How did you "modify" your All Weather Ruger .350RM?

 

[Float Pilot]

Light Firing pin strike problem solved. So far....

I de-burred polished the inside of the bolt tube and also the section of the firing pin where the spring rides along it.
I fired 50 rounds yesterday without a failure to fire.
The firing pin protrusion is just fine. Just burrs, machine marks and a firing pin spring that should be 3 or 4 pounds heavier. I have a new spring on order.

 

[Float Pilot]

INTERESTING ....
As I continue to break-in the barrel, I was using Benchmark and some 150 grain Hornady SP-BTs and 168grain SMKs.... With a cool barrel both loads were shooting 3 inch groups.

But I shot 20 shots real fast and suddenly the hot barrel groups were just under an inch.
So something firms-up when it gets hot.....

This was just a break-in load because I have a BUNCH of Benchmark.

 

[bottom_dweller]

INTERESTING ....
As I continue to break-in the barrel, I was using Benchmark and some 150 grain Hornady SP-BTs and 168grain SMKs.... With a cool barrel both loads were shooting 3 inch groups.

But I shot 20 shots real fast and suddenly the hot barrel groups were just under an inch.
So something firms-up when it gets hot.....

This was just a break-in load because I have a BUNCH of Benchmark.

If you want that gun to really shoot, you know you’re gonna have to pillar bed the action. IMO

 

[Float Pilot]

Oh it will be more than pillar bedding