Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Fixing stick pre-64 Winchester Model 70 safety

The safety on my pre-64 Win M70 is stuck in the "fire" position; I can get it to the intermediate position by applying force, but it takes a bit more force than I'm comfortable living with. How would I go about fixing this? I've tried using penetrating oil from the outside and that didn't work.

Oregon: I don't know how you fix it,or what is technically wrong, but I have had the problem and my gunsmith has fixed the few problems I've had. It will not get better and I'd suggest running it to your gunsmith ASAP.

That has happened to a few of my early post-64 M70's too. It is not common, but not rare either. My old gunsmith (a Winchester factory trained and certified smith for doing their local warranty work) disassembled the firing pin assembly from the bolt, then he removed the firing pin stop and mainspring and bolt sleeve. Once completely apart he took a hardened file to the angled engagement surface on the firing pin - that is where the adjustment is made. He took ONE STROKE and reassembled the entire bolt assembly and checked the engagement. He did this a few times until the safety worked well. I would only do this is I knew what I was doing - those pins are expensive to replace. Odessa

DO NOT continue using force to engage the safety. IF that safety breaks you're in for either a trip to the factory for a repair or a spendy part w/labor from your smith to fix..

Have encountered the same problem with a Keith Stegal rifle that is normally a safe queen for he last 40 years or so, but take it out every so often for a range session. Beautiful 6mm in a French Walnut stock. Who would be the best smith to send the bolt to to get that firing pin work done. Needs a new jeweling job put on it at the same time. TIA

The man that posted above you, Redneck, is well acquainted with Winchester and is a highly regarded and recommended gunsmith here on the Fire.

It's on the way to Wisconsin.

Got it back today, safety works like a new one. Had Lee do a trigger job while he was at it. 2.5 lbs. and no creep. Thanking the Fire for the info.

To Mr. Redneck
I have a Stuck pre 64 Mdl 70 safety in the fire position. May I send it to you to have it "unstuck?" I have soaked it in Kroil and it worked(yesterday). I looked at it today and it is stuck again.(?)
Carl Leisinger <cleising1comcast.net>
Thanking in advance,
Carl

Tried to send PM but you're over your limit.. It's an easy fix.. All I need is bolt and barreled action - nothing else (no stock, no bottom metal or magazine parts)..
'
I'll send you an email with info..

Hello All
Ive just retired. Sortof.
Came to your place to find out an answer to a problem with my 1958 Win. M70
Safety was stuck in fire position. Just appeared to happen as I am taking it apart for end of season cleaning and have purchased new firing pin spring.Happened once before 20 years ago.

Heres where I am:
The safety sear on the firing pin showed wear and burr from the safety cam engaging it. I have cleaned the whole bolt assembly and studied it extensively. I honed the burr off gingerly. I was a toolmaker/pattern maker. Have done all my own loading , scope mounting and repairs for 40 years.
I have the sleeve & firing pin on the bench cleaned and ready to either replace or make any minor adjustments to the safety sear face or cam. The above post by "Redneck" states that he would do it for the guy who started this post. I would like to find out more. But this is my first message on this place and Im unsure how to navigate the site. Or any other site for that matter.lol
Please help !

The Doctor will be with you shortly

Welcome ADK. You sound like you are a pretty savvy mechanical guy. A number of things over time can allow the striker to rest too far forward for the "cam" of the safety shaft to engage the bevel on the cocking piece, lifting the striker assy off the sear. So the easy fix is to move the bevel, by careful stoning, to the rear to allow the nose of the cam to 'pick up' the cocking piece bevel. As it probably sits now the nose of the cam is trying to engage to the rear of the bevel where it has no purchase...and is thus blocked. In every instance that I have run into this...it was caused by tinker-itis rather than wear. Someone felt the need to polish the sear/striker faces, which in turn allowed the striker to go too far forward for the safety to engage the bevel.
My personal experience was that I fired maybe 12,000 rounds in a model 70 in competition with nary a hitch.
As far as computer advice...I'm loster than you are.

Thank you so much F.lock. 7 M70fan

Never tinkered with any part of the bolt or action. Dad gave it to me in 82 after he saw I was going to hunt rather than go to collage... Best decision I've ever made. Worked up perfect loads for it to hunt Caribou and only take a dozen pops with it before killing things. Total maybe 1000 rounds through her but several 1000's of hours hunting.

So I've been filing with a fine file keeping the bevel angle true to its original. Maybe taken .005" off total. Been marking the bevel with a sharpie and checking engagement location. Before I keep working it back I would like to know about the cam bearing surface. The cam/safety lever is fairly tight ( NO apparent slop ) The bearing surface of the cam is sharp at the point where it initially engage's the bevel. I took a round die stick and gently have been trying to ease the sharp edge. IS THIS POINT OF ENGAGEMENT SUPPOSED TO BE SHARP ON THE CAM ? I looked at some new safety cam/levers for the m70 on a parts site and they didn't have any cam/lever specifically for a Type2 sleeve.

I keep putting everything back together and checking for proper operation. I read in a previous post that a gsmith had to keep doing that. It seems that I may have to remove at least .025" I have a bench mill but I think these are case hardened.

Sorry for so in depth questions and so many but I don't want to screw this up. Im 62 years old and this gun is going to be handed down to my son after we hunt a few seasons in Colorado where he moved to last year. This gun has stilled hundreds of beating hearts. Couple seasons guiding in Ak. Worked for a couple seasons out of Shefferville. 40 years here in our ADK mtns. But I will say that it has NEVER failed. Just hate to replace original parts if I can keep her happy with a little love. Im refinishing and rechecking the stock. Adding a Timney with a xv3i 2.5x8 on top.

Thanks guys , your new fan Joe

Hope you get her tuned up for another 40 years of hunting. However you lost me with "Adding a Timney". In my, and many folks opinion here, the original M70 trigger is the best.

I wouldn't change out the best trigger around. There is beauty in that simplicity.

That's sorta like pulling a set of original PAF's out of a 59 Gibson Les Paul. ( Holy Grail of guitars for the non guitar folks)

Might be worth sending it to a good Model 70 guy. Getting the trigger fixed up and maybe get the pins replaced in order to get rid of any flop.

OK, I was curious, I took a look at 2 of my model 70's (one a 670 3 position and a 70 Pre 64 FWT). The 670 is not interchangeable. The 70 FWT has been modified at some point and the bevel edge is appox .625 from the rear face surface of the cocking piece. Don't know who or why it was ground back. Shorten striker fall? Same problem as yours? I also pulled the firing pin stop screw, the headless screw at 2 o'clock on the shroud, it shows no wear and tear whatsoever. Firing pin protrusion is a little under .070, in the ball park.So now, I don't know what to think. The cam and the bevel on mine are sharp. PS..your rifle, your call, but I'd damn sure sleep on the plan to change that trigger.

TAG

"You" don't..

It's an easy fix, but not to be left to amateurs... Done right, it's a piece of cake.. Wrong - and you're in a heap of trouble... Find a smith who knows M70s.. If you can't I can do it, but I'm mostly retired.....