Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles M70 Featherweight Compact 7mm/08

Some years ago Winchester made a Compact Model 70 that wasn't so thick around the magazine because it designed with a mag box that wasn't so deep, it held one less round, the stock was shallower top to bottom, and even the trigger was shaped different and wasn't so long so it didn't hit the trigger guard on the shallower stock. Wow, that was hard to follow. Anyway I have 2 of them, a 7/08 and a 243. They sure feel good to carry. My hand reaches all the way around at the magazine. Neither one is super accurate both both are hunting accurate for reasonable ranges. When the new compact was listed I phoned Winchester to ask if the new ones had the same magazine capacity as the standard Fwt. I was told yes, no change, just a shorter barrel. So I passed on getting a new one. Too bad.

Regarding the fat stock on the Model 70s, the Edge stock is slimmer and makes a regular Fwt feel trimmer through the magazine area. Measure it, with the Edge the circumference is smaller and you can feel it. Makes the whole rifle feel livlier.

Domhnall, your explanation about the earlier Winchester stocks clarified something I had noticed. Thanks!

A replacement stock bought from CDNN (old New Haven product) is slimmer in all dimensions from the new factory stock and with five down it feeds the first round with more difficulty. So I told my DIL to only put 4 in it with that stock. So if the stock was designed for a smaller magazine that may explain the minor feeding problem.

On the other hand, a long action FW stock from CDNN of the New Haven Classic line is heavier and thicker than my old 1985 vintage XTR FW stock. But it fits nicely with the Delrin spacer CDNN carries for adapting older actions to the new two screw action stocks.

I'm pretty sure the regular FWT short action won't work in one of those old Compact stocks, even with a shorter mag box, because the regular FWT trigger sticks down so far that it'll hit the bottom of the trigger guard in the old, very shallow, Compact stock. The trigger on those rifles was actually shaped differently in order to not impinge on the bottom of the trigger guard. I still wish the company would make them again with that shallow stock. It couldn't cost that much extra to put a differently shaped trigger and a shallower mag box in it. Plus a totally different stock of course. Would be worth the extra cost to me.

So now I went and took some measurements of the old Compact stock and a current FN short action FWT. I measured from the top of the wood at the front end of the ejection cut out down to the bottom of the wood above the floor plate. On the Compact it measured 1.46 inches and on the Fwt is was 1.68 inches. The second measurement was top to bottom as well but right above the release button for the floor plate. This measurement on the Compact was 1.68 inch and on the FWT it was 1.86 inch. Then I measured the circumferences around the action at these same places, with the bolt in. The compact circumference was 6.87 inch at the front of the bolt and 7 inches even at the back. On the FWT the circumference measurements at the same two spots measured 7.25 inch at the front and 7.5 inch at the back. Half an inch doesn't sound like much but I can sure feel it when I wrap my hand around and carry the rifles.
For comparison I measured a FWT long action with an Edge stock and the circumference in back was 7.37 inch at the back of the bolt and 7.07 at the front. So the Edge is a slimmer stock than the regular FWT stock but not as slim as the old Compact.

Thank you for your information. It appears that my supposition was wrong. I no longer have the Compact rifle in hand so can't do any follow-up measurements.

This is the stock you are talking about. The barreled action is a FWT 22" in .308. It now has a SS FWT pattern Douglas in .257 Bob.

Here is the 84M compared to the pre-64 Model 70 (both in 257 Roberts). The 84M looks taller, but it is not fatter.

Up-date on the M70 compact 7mm-08 I gave to my DIL. She drew two Wyoming doe/fawn antelope tags this year. Both she and my son just finished college and came for a little R&R so we went hunting antelope. For the hunt I loaded 120 g. Nosler BTs with 48 grains of Big Game.

She blooded the rifle on 9-23-13 on a nice doe, and on 9-24-13 got a second doe even larger than the first. My son coached her and carried the Bog Pod for her. She loved hunting and wants to do more. She is a novice shooter and these are the first animals of any kind she has shot.

Both shots were too far back; but they anchored the animals in place, then she finished them with a shot to the neck. Both bullets exited. First shot was under 100 yards, the second about 120 yards.

As I type this they are just finishing the cutting and wrapping. Then back to Colorado for her to start work and him to continue to look for a job.

(It is no exaggeration to call her a top notch chef. Last night she cooked some of the back-straps of the first doe on the barbeque with a marinade she concocted. Excellent!)

Great story, great cartridge, and good bullet choice.

Congrats!! Great story! I can't wait until my kids are doing the same.

Thanks for posting that!

Pretty stock from factory, had 2 PF FWT in 7/08, one a 20" Syn/matte Carbine, 45/Varget/139 shot 2850, dumped a Mulie in Colorado - facing me but exited thru neck and ruined some backstrap.

I free floated every M70 I had, they shot Sub MOA, fully glass bedded my Walnut FWT, and the groups were consistent each group, in POI, but the groups were tighter floated, so I dug it out, that was a Biotch.

I would float that fine looking OEM stock, and bed the recoil lug, it's what I did, and IME they like it that way. Trigger easy to tune. Well, mine were from the old plant, not sure about the latest mfg.