Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What to do w/ NH M70 Featherweight?

BobinNH on the Brown stock thread shamed me into pulling this NH Featherweight from storage. In this pic, was the first time it saw the light of day in quite a number of years.

It's 30-06, and was originally intended to be rebored into a 338-06. It was set up the way I wanted for testing, prior to the rebore. I then got side tracked with a 338rcm project, and never looked at this Featherweight again, until now.



Has fixed sights paired with LEU QD mounts and 2.5-8x scope.



Wonderful sight picture. Can swing on something small, like a squirrel or rabbit, busting through the woods. Very fast. Makes getting a sight picture on deer appear easy.



Scope has USMC mil-dot reticle from Premier Reticle, back when they did the custom work for Leupold.

So, here I am now looking at this thing, what to do? No longer interested in 338-06. Even if cut back to 20-inch, too thin to bore 9.3mm. Has 1-pc bottom, Williams extractor, lug and tang bedded, full float, and surpringly stiff for end for wood. Lost my notes, but memory was stock barrel shot around 1-1.5 moa 3-shot groups, if not allowed to heat too fast. That was without load development, so not sure I want to rebarrel. Did not add pillars at the time, as I had intended to restock, so that is a weak link now with the wood. As is, 7-pounds with sights and mounts less scope.

Thinking, if staying 30-06, may go ahead and drill out stock to pour pillars. Maybe see if I can get some sort of modern 150-grainer to shoot. If I like it, could always drop it in a light build stock, though not sure how much that would save over the factory FW.

Open for thoughts and suggestions, as I start muddling through this rifle.

Thanks in advance, for any input.

Later

Looks perfect as it is right now!

Don't see why you'd want to change anything...

but then it isn't my rifle...

+1

It's a great lookiing rifle, I'd spend some time on handloads and see what it can do. We've been quite happy with 150 TTSX's /H4350.

If I run it in that stock, would likely prefer to drill out action screw holes a couple sizes, and pour pillars, so it better holds torque. There is load development, and possible need to tweak bedding w/ that FW barrel.

If you ship it to me.... problem solved.




I don't know that I would TOUCH it--having irons on it.

Jerry

Here's what I would do with it, if I were you, or, if I had that rifle: hunt deer, black bear, elk etc. Now, that wasn't a tough question.

Have you shot it yet? If not,take it out and shoot it,then if need be do the above.

+2. I'd keep it as a 30-06. If not, sell it to someone who would appreciate it that way. bwinters comes to mind....

I'd put it in a Bansner, McM Sako Hntr edge, Brown, or similar, and hunt it. I would maybe cut the bbl to 22" if it wasn't already.

Don't touch it except for pillars, it is a thing of beauty as is.
My New Haven Fwt stock was about 4 oz lighter than a standard fill McMillan so I doubt that there would be much in the way of weight savings unless you go with the Edge fill, even then it would probably be mimimal.

drover

It was 22-inch, but the crown was given a deep recess for protection, so now a tad under 22.

Leave it as is and develope a load and go kill stuff. Nice Rifle!

I have not pulled it back apart, yet, but I recall it fell somewhere between a std fill and an edge. Was thinking about trimming a tad off the lop, so that would lighten it more. I do like the pattern.

May try a factory tsx, ttb, or gmx 150gr load, see if it responds well.

My stainless classic featherweight 30/06 loved 180 grain ballistic tips and a stiff charge of RL22. H4350 was nearly as good.3 shots in a nickel at 100 yards without any screwing around. Poke em down in the box and cycle them through. I'd leave her alone until some hand loads have been explored.

You're already where you need to be, so don't mess with success. Unless you've got a wandering zero, I wouldn't even bother will the pillars.

Those stainless Featherweights were one of the handsomest factory rifles ever; be a shame to chop it up, and likely a financial boo-boo as well. A thinner pad would cut the lop without messing up the stock.

I have the same rifle, but in .308. Of all my big game rifles, I keep coming back to it.
I have four bolt action big game rifles, three of which are full customs, and one semi auto BG rifle. While the semi auto is the current favorite, it's only because I hunt under special circimstances.
The only thing I've really changed in mine has been the stock. That's because the forend of the orginal walnut stock would flex too much when using a shooting sling. So now it wear an MPI Kevlar stock.
It's had a trigger job, just some stoning. I have nothing with a better trigger.
It's had three different scopes. Currently it wears a simple 4X, FX2 Leupold. Heck, I've even tried a couple of different scope reticles.
The bottom line is it's good to go were ever I hunt while the full customs often stay in the safe.....
My advice ? Stop messing with it and hunt it. If it needs any modifications, they will become apparent. I'd hate to tell you how much time and money that lesson cost me. E

Ditch the French Whorehouse Stock, drop it in a Bansner or Brown (I think The Brown forearm is too long and needs shortening). Ditch the factory 2-piece, all-steel bottom metal and replace with PT&G aluminum 1-piece and you're set.

A McMillan Hunters Edge will work too, and its comb is good for use with irons.

Here's the same rifle as yours I built some years back, 21" bbl., Bansner:

Lost my notes, but I was using 180-partitions a lot, back when I was first fiddling w/ this rifle. But, believe the basic testing and those 1-1.5moa 3-shot groups with this rifle were done with something mundane, like Speer cup and core bullets.

Now, would have interest in those modern 150 loads.

Just tore it down, gave it a look see. Pretty sure she was torqued 35-inch pounds when put away. The stock did give some, torque dropped, and now when torqued back into place, the clearance I had in the mag box is gone. I do like the featherweight pattern stock, and if I stick with wood, thinking a column of epoxy, poured as a pillars, would help lessen the likely hood of wood compression.

And yes, the stock has a full pad w/ thick spacer. Room to work before cutting any wood.