Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Magazine Box spacers

I'll be direct and to the point.

I would like to get rid of the spacer on my box magazine to have longer COAL on my 73'ish M70 Deluxe push feed. I tried to correspond with a member here, and he keeps leaning on adjusting the ejector along with the bolt stop release, which I get about the bolt stop release but not the ejector, which I told him it's not above the bolt face shoulder at all, It's bout 1/16 below the shoulder. Besides, how would the ejector be an issue stripping cartridges from the receiver rails?

Seems like a chore and I would like to buy another box in case I destroy it trying to remove the spot welded spacer.

Any helpful hints of anyone who attempted successfully to do this. Got some great accuracy loading one round at a time, which I normally load test loads at the range anyway. I guess the spacer is there for liability, just a safe guard, to discourage guys not to hand load and just buy factory ammo ?

Thanks in advance...

Seems like it might be easier be easier to just buy a replacement box without the spacer. Midwest Gun Works probably has both the box and corresponding bolt stop. Best of luck.

Midwest is out and they say they are discontinued

Gun Parts Corp lists a used one...
Like you, I do not see where the plunger ejector enters into the picture.

Thanks for the Numrich boxes. I really cringe calling Numrich, they are horrible sometimes helping you figure out what they sell ! LOL Their descriptions on their web site is vague sometimes.

Just got off the phone about one pictured from what it looked like a box without a spacer, but it does have one, a guy physically checked. I stressed my concerned about the description and pic was deceiving. The only response was we have a 90 day return policy. LOL In the past I used thier forum which is better, you talk to techs there.

Ebay has a few but not many. A guy who sells them said he measured a few with different letters stamped on them and they are all the same. So anyone will do as long as the are the right length for a specific cartridge.

Just got off the phone with Browning/Winchester.... no help what so ever. Olin guns no help with, no idea about the stamped letters on the old boxes. New M70's don't have box mags, and the receiver and stock is a tighter fit for cartridges and there's no need for a stamped box. The tech guy couldn't direct me no where ! LOL

The newer model 70’s have a box mag, but those won’t work on your rifle. I’d do like mikes suggested and buy one from numrich. I’ve bought a lot of parts from them with no issues. Not just for model 70’s, but for old fox shotguns and mosssberg rifles. Look at the schematic and be sure of what you are ordering. Even if you just buy one to modify and save the original. Drill out the spot welds carefully. An end mill works great for that. Or just buy a box without a spacer. Your rifle is a long action, so it will use any of the mag boxes of that era. Except for maybe not the H&H box.

Can't find a box without a spacer

Because you didn't tell me at the time that the rifle was not a Classic - that's why..

It can be removed without too much effort, but having a Dremel handy makes it a ton easier...

you didn't ask.

You didn't specify which rifle.. Try again, next time..

Aren't you the one who has in his profile

Hobbies Model 70 Winchesters.... & Harleys That tells me you have alot more knowledge than me.

Me not knowing much except I have a M70, which I mentioned just that. Why don't you just admit you dropped the ball, sir. Any rifle I ever owned with the floor plate that hinged down with the follower and spring has a mag box.

Question.. what's so special about a "classic" M70 ? That you assumed that's what I had ??

anothergun, redneck is a wealth of knowledge on the model 70 rifles. It's likely that he can tell you exactly which box/boxes will work. He's worked on a lot of these rifles. If it were me and money was tight, I'd modify the box I have. However, I have the tools to do it and make it look like it was never worked on. Since you are asking questions, I'm assuming you don't have the tools or the knowhow. Hence the reason you may need another mag box to make things easier.

He sure doesn't come off that way ! LOL I went back and forth with him about the ejector, which made no sense what he was saying with my rifle, and wouldn't tell why the ejector had to be adjusted, other than it wouldn't work well???

The box has spot welds, and a dremmel is an easy way, yes. Just don't want holes that would possibly cause feeding issues. You know how you think you have bright idea then someone else had a better idea? Been there done that !

What's your way?

I drill out the spot welds, remove the spacer and then weld up the holes and make sure the weld is ground down/polished and then reblue the box. Sure, it's a little more work, but that is what works for me.

I can probably JB the holes

The issue with that is they may come loose over time. I know it sucks, as a lot of guys don't have a means to weld up the holes. I don't know how much I'd trust epoxy on something like this.

true... forgot about recoil, duh ! Wyatt Outdoors said that they used a RLA to work in my 70 but dropped me in thier emails with me about measurements other than this.....



My internal OAL is 3.641.. X-ing the spacer

You haven't told us what cartridge you are working with. Also, what OAL are your loads?

.30-06. The COAL I don't think matters, without the spacer. The COAL hangs over the follower and hit the feed ramp when multiple rounds are loaded. Thier box is too long for my rifle. 3.7. mine is 3.641 w/o the spacer.

I could just remove part of the spacer and gain .150 thou, and my OAL would be fine and stay away from the ramp. I could cut out all but the piece welded to the back of the box. Could hack saw it, with my hand saw that holds hack saw blades.

Numrich and ebay has my box. Worse comes to worse, I can replace it.

Ok, update

My last day off my feet from a fractured pinky toe, stubbed it bad walkin barefoot. So I had time to tinker a bit. The Winchester shoots fair with book length loads, way better single loaded with off the lands a few thou, and I thought it was what it was, right ? Wrong. I forget what got me on the road, thinkin here, yeah here, from a google search. You guys were at the top of the list, so Thank You ! Anyway...

Viced up the box and hack sawed close to remove most of the spacer, right.. and then sawed the rest after, then filed flush. It separated where the slit was, oh well, I had an 03 Springfield sported that had massive HS bustin case heads, and the mag box was the same way. It cycled like butter, so I said, the Winchester will be good. The stop needed .170 to bring the bolt face shoulder even and flush with the rear of the box and trigger housing lug. Wanna make a case gauge to see where I'm at.

Made a dummy round, love the Lee Collet die ! Touching I get plenty of room away from the feed ramp. The follower sit back a ways.

I loaded 4 dummys touching the lands, and the first three, eject ok, the fourth, wondering if the bullets are quite clearing the receiver, but I loaded empty cases and spit out great.

Oh.. Reeeeedneeeeck.... where are you ?! LOL