Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles winchester extreme weather - safety is LOUD.

I just sampled a brand new Win 70 in 270 at my local gun shop because of this thread. Holy cow that Safety is loud! It makes more noise between the detents than my pre 64's do when you flick it off to Fire. The spring loaded click during let off is LOUD! The trigger was nice though, very nice! There was a used Classic in 270 WSM that had the typical M70 Safety and a lawyer influenced trigger of at least 8 pounds, probably much more so!

Jeff,

Welcome back Koter. Hope the head is doing ok.

Yes experience differs. I've mentioned it before, but I shot a bedded Buck at 3-4 big steps. Looked down and there he was a little below me. Don't remember how the safety went off. Good chance I slammed it forward, placed the x on his neck junction and hit the trigger. He never had a clue. Admittedly an exception of probably one.

However I would have no idea, other than it is a lot, on how many Deer I've pushed a Model 70/Kimber style safety off on. None yet have spooked. From close to where they may have a chance to hear, and out there where it obviously makes no difference. I've slipped off easy and pushed it quick. In fact most times I have little memory of how I did it. It just happens if it is an obvious shooting opportunity.

Did flip it off once on a Red Fox and that perked it up more than a little.

This year I left a pop-up blind to take a leak. Went back in; looked out and there were two Doe staring at me around 50. They finally let it go and went to feeding. Move thru the wood more than a little and you will make much more noise than pushing off a wing safety. Yet often you catch them before thay catch you. If they are out a way-and not all that far in my experience-the sound of the safety is just another wood noise.



Addition: Others can not agree with me, but if I have Bob and Brad thinking the same, I'm not going to worry all that much.

Thanks man. Head is what it is. Got 90-something percent back; have adapted from there. Forward!

There's probably more cases that happened as you describe, than as I did, in my own experience as well. But the others stick with me. And, just the simple process of getting a rifle sorted fully would dictate- for ME- dealing with a truly loud safety in some fashion, whether in software (practicing a way to release it quietly) or in hardware.

On that note- it would appear from comments that the FN M70 safety is one loud mutha, which may be particularly true in a glass stock like the EW. I've only handled a couple (and I liked them a lot) but dredging back into my busted up memory I'm thinking I noted that as well. In FACT.... we may have done this exact rodeo a few years back!

Well, I hope the OP finds a solution that works for him. We may disagree on the validity of the worry, but I think we all can relate to having something about a rifle just bug the [bleep] out of you. It's like a chipped tooth. Can't leave it alone.

Edit for your edit: I like Brad & Bob more than they'd probably prefer <g> and can respect their experiences and opinions. But OCD rifle loons should have just a little EMPATHY for the other guy..... grin....

My only M70 is uber quite. It's an old ass one with the goofy "backwards" safety.

More like voice of inexperience, as is your own. And don't give me any of your shyt that I don't know what I'm talking about. My walls aren't covered with whitetail antlers because I don't know WTF I'm talking about you overeducated ,pompous twat.

LMAO.

And "yes" you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

You bet your azz.

Yeah lotsa geniuses like you here that know more about firearms than I do too, despite the fact that I make my living building, customizing and repairing the goddam things 40-50 hours a week, 50 weeks of the year and have for quite some time. You're just fuggin' amazing I tell ya. Maybe I aughta start tutoring you on case law. After all, this is the internet and everybody;s a goddam expert on everything here.

Absofugginlutely ! And I know an estate game manager in the UK who is required by contract to kill several hundred deer [roe, red, sika, and muntjac] per year who absolutely, 100% agrees with you and I on this. Perhaps he knows almost as much as Bob ?

He's an angry elf..

I wasn't gonna say anything.........grin

Leave the gun off safety and bolt open. Close the bolt when your ready to send it

Not speaking to/about the newer Winchesters.

But just for something to think about... spend some time hunting with a single action revolver or a pre safety lever action. You need to learn how to cock that hammer and not spook game. Manipulating a Winchester/Ruger or Kimber safety is relatively easy in comparison.

On a new to me bolt action I do oil the the safety mechanism during my initial shakedown and work them in as needed.

During a hunt I normally can ease the safety off unless I'm caught off guard.

Blackheart let me ask you a question. How many deer have you shot with a M70?

Or did you try and scare them all away?

Spare me the insults....I've been called worse by lots better than you. Your idea of "overeducated" would be anyone who made it past third grade. At that, I'd have serious doubts about you.

Interesting discussion
Not a fan of a winged safety but not a hater either. I've had a few still have one m77 mk11. The way I hunt often requires being silent and remaining silent when its time to shoot. I can make the safety on a 77 pretty much silent by grabbing it with finger and thumb and rocking it forward instead of just flicking it forward and letting it land on its own.

Having said that I like the safety on a rifle on the tang where God intended it. This probably has to do with my first gun being a single shot Winchester 20 ga. 2nd nature, no noise as fast as it gets. My preference but not a deal breaker if its not so set up.

I don't believe a word of it...those estate deer must be as hard to kill as those dopey NY dinks you hunt.

Figures you'd run to the sanctuary of someone else's experiences rather than your own. Regal me with how many NY fork horns you waste per season.


Wonder how I killed two mature bucks this year inside 100 yards? One looking at me in timber at 50-60 yards. How'd he end up dead so fast? Either he was deaf, or I'm a really fast shot!

But of course those are the first ones....I never killed any deer at all at close range...scared them all away with M70's...Blackheart you'd be hilarious if you were not so pathetic and foul mouthed.

OK so the answer is ....NEVER....and NONE! If I am herring you correctly you have NEVER killed a deer with a M70. Would that be correct!

OTOH, I have....lots of them.

SO tell me HTH do you KNOW that M70's safeties spook deer at close range?

Answer ( let me help you here!!!)....you DON'T KNOW. Because you have never used them. You "assume",but don't "know". You extrapolate from your vast "experience" on all those NY deer....but again you really don't "know".

And don't call me "Bob"...that's my name. It's reserved for civil people whom I happen to like. You don't fit.

You can continue to refer to me as a Twat or Pompous. Thanks.

Gawd I've had more intelligent conversations with my grandkids. The oldest is three.....

Actually I did kill one with my model 70 Bob. Don't need to kill a shytload with it to know the safety is loud enough to spook close range deer if you just flip it off with your thumb. How ? Because it's every bit as loud as my 870 or mini 30 safety and those will definitely spook close range deer. BTDT. Oh yeah, and there have been alot of those NY deer that have met their demise at the muzzle of my guns. From now on I'll just call you pompous dickhead cause that's what you are.

I killed a nice 8 point at 8:15 am on opening day this year Dickhead. Killed two does the following weekend and was tagged out. Hunted a total of 3.5 hours for the 3 deer. None were as far as 100 yards. That's long range to me and I rarely need to shoot that far. Kill a few more at spitting distance and get back to me on loud safeties.. Talk about pathetic. You're the very definition.

Someone should just close this thread. No idea how this turned into all the name calling and juvenile posts. 56 responses and the vast majority had absolutely nothing to do with my question of how to quiet down the safety. I realize it is not that big a deal but if someone has worked on the safety and smoothed it out I would've like to try it out.

Interesting that one of the most outspoken on this thread mills out the bottom of Talley lightweights, which has absolutely ZERO benefit from a functionality standpoint yet he posts 7 times to this thread and nearly all include some dim-whitted sarcasm or insult. That said, they do look cool and I'd probably buy a set if I had a Tikka but I guess I'd be called an idiot again because they would not have any real world impact on my hunting success.