Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester M70 extreme weather owners...

These come in a bell & carlson aluminum block bedded medalist stock. What torque spec are owners using on the action screws?

Ive just completed a stock paint job on a similarly stocked extreme sporter purchased in 2010. My owners manual was the base manual issued for m70 wood stocked FWs.....calling for 35 inch lbs.....

I dont have confidence in that number......i am expecting at least 45 inch pounds or more....

Can any extreme weather folks chime in?

TIA.

German tight on the front screw, and slightly less on the rear screw. Propper glass bedding is more key than a set torque from a wrench.

Thanks, but the stock has no glass bedding. It features an embedded skeletal metal frame with an aluminum block at the front screw and a pillared rear screw......ive got a fatboy torque wrench i use on all my rifles....

Does german tight have a numerical equivalent?

My gorilla tight aint what it used to be.

I have a 2010 EWSS as well, and while I can’t remember the torque spec I do remember calling Bell and Carlson and asking them a few years ago. If you don’t get an answer here, give them a call. Also, if you do, please post their response. I need to write it down.

Roger that, thx

I have 4 EW’s in various chamberings. My manuals also have the 35 in-lb jargon. I believe I found elsewhere that 65 in-lb was recommended, but I’m not home to check my notes. Can anyone else confirm?

That 65 number rings a bell with my research a few years ago, but couldn't remember which rifle it was for.

All the concern about the official torque spec for action screws is a relatively new notion. Tight enough, and especially for rifles with middle screws like Ruger 77s and older M70s, not too tight on those, has always sufficed for me. I suppose ones with plastic “bottom metal” need a little extra caution to keep from breaking things, but that aside, methinks there’s too much fuss about the subject, but if it makes you happy, go for it. I didn’t even own a torque driver until maybe ten years ago.

When the Ruger 77 came out, they used to demonstrate the advantage of the angled front action screw by firing a group, taking the action out of the stock then replacing it between shots to show how consistently it returned to zero. No mention was made of a torque driver being used in those demos.

When I got my EW, I checked that the screws were tight, and started shootin’.

If I had to use a torque wrench, and I don't, I'd run the front at 60 inch pounds and the rear around 45. I'd also highly suggest a good glass bedding job. It's far less critical when that is done.

I have several M-700s that have been bedded into in the B&C stocks that come with with aluminum bedding blocks. The guy who built them says to use 65 IP. I've tried them with less torque and groups are definitely smaller at 65.


Okie John

i agree with 65in pounds. that's what i was told by winchester after i bought mine about 10 or 15 years ago.

I have an Extreme Weather ( BACO South Carolina made in USA), 30-06. Shoots well under 0.75 moa. I haven't played with the bolt torque levels, just made them "screwdriver tight" , and snugged the action down with the stock upright- so recoil lug is right against the action recoil plate in stock.

I remember a thread on another website ( castboolits.com?) a several years ago about torque settings for a Rem 700. Can't remember what the torque specs were (~40-45 inch lbs??), anything more created galling on the aluminum bottom metal. Someone recommended either a brass or stainless washer with an internal diameter big enough for the action bolt, and an outside diameter just a smidge wider than the bolt head. This helped reduced galling, and permitted higher torque settings (mid-50's inch-lbs?), with some accuracy improvement.

Just passing along a concept to test-but go slow and don't take quoted values as gospel. I have not tried it. Maybe the "washer trick" will allow increased torque levels without calling the bottom metal on the M70 Extreme Weather and offer a option for improved accuracy.

On comment: Tighten front action bolt first to whatever torque you use-but keep stock/barreled action vertical for good contact with recoil lug. As you snug the front action bolt, keep a finger on the tang. I you feel the rear portion of the action raise up, this indicates a front/rear skim bedding job will likely improve accuracy to eliminate this movement.

I got rid of the original stock as quickly as I could! I use farmer tight on the front, good and snug on the rear.

'Farmer tight' is my biggest pet peeve. People welding bolts and screws shut so tight the heads strip or snap off trying to loosen them. There's simply no need for that!

Rifles ONLY shoot loose and NEVER tight. Hint.





Just sayin'.................

When i took the action out of the stock i noticed the magazine box had wedged itself so tight to the barreled action i couldn't separate the two......

Probably ought to take the stock off and address that.....


maybe reduce the trigger pull weight a bit while im at it.... last time i measured it was well past 4.5.

German tight is closely related to farmer tight. Tighten until it gets loose and then back off half a turn. Torque cannot make up for poor bedding.

I just called it that since people used "German and Gorilla tight" terms. I usually let the rifle tell me what torque value it likes. You can relax the veins now, I didn't damage any screws in the making of my previos post.


I agree, if a rifle shows promise I have it bedded with pillars. My EW was professionally bedded with larger pillars than came from McMillan.

No torque spec., per say.

Damn tight on the front, snug tight on the back.

Like all two-screw rifles.

Make sure to grease the threads, so that "tight"... is.






GR

I managed to separate the mag box from the action. That is an incredibly tight fit, takes a good bit of effort to remove, then reseat upon assembly.....takes a bit of tapping to get proper fit.....is this normal?

I backed my pull weigt set screw out one full turn while it was accessible. Degreased the area and added a drop or two of 242 loctite.....will let that dry before putting the stock on.