Got a new Winchester Extreme Weather a few weeks ago. Just got around to inspecting it, cleaning it, but have not gotten a chance to shoot it yet.

Checked the trigger pull on a Layman gauge. Pull was over 5 lbs - 4 oz. Tried to adjust the trigger and the best I could get was 4 lbs - 10 oz.

Have others had this problem? Looks like I will be boxing it up and sending it back.

What a bummer...


LOVE that wonderful new MOA trigger...

I have shot 3 of them;2 300WSM's,and a 270.

I don't weigh triggers,I pull them, and if they feel fine I don't touch them,so I have no idea what the trigger pull has been on them.All I can tell anyone is that my 270 and 300WSM are two of the most accurate out-of -the box rifles I have ever purchased.

Grieves me to say,they are as accurate as some customs I have had built,without any trigger adjustment at all.I have the groups to prove it....

I'm a fan of the old M70 trigger,and would have prefered if they kept it,but I will just wait and see how long it takes me to break the one on the SC M70.The way this 300 WSM shoots,I'm not letting anyone touch it

I've heard of some not adjusting down well. Mine got to a hair over 3lbs easily and with no hassle. Didn't try to go lower since it feels good as is. Think it was sent, from the factory, at over 5lbs.

[quote]What a bummer...


LOVE that wonderful new MOA trigger./quote]

It breaks real clean and has no creep at all, and frankly does not feel like a 4 3/4 # trigger. I am going to borrow a trigger gauge to check and make sure mine is not inaccurate.

I hope it shoots as good as those you guys have!

VaHunter- I'll be surprised if it does not shoot!Give it a box ot two of ammo and a couple of cleanings.The 300 WSM did not start churning till after maybe 30-40 rounds or so..

I've not pulled a trigger on the MOA yet. How difficult is it to replace or change it out? Realizing that it might be just fine, but just for the sake of knowing, can the original M70 trigger be installed/retrofitted or is this a physical impossibility?

Having said that, lots of folks seem to like the new model.

It is impossible to use the old-style triggers on receivers made with the MOA trigger. Nothing will line up and I've not heard yet as to whether Timney or perhaps some others out there have made replacements yet.

If the trigger won't get to 3 lbs., you need to call FN about that. They indeed are supposed to go that low very easily. The way they are built though, precludes a guy from taking it really any lower than that.

Thanks triggerguard1. Hard to see why anyone would need to go lower than 3 lbs on a hunting rifle. As long as it's crisp and reliable over the long haul.

Can't replace (yet).. Can't change it to the old model (Just wondeful, BACO, you freakin' idiots...) so those that have 'em are stuck with 'em..

I have a bunch of M70s... NONE have an MOA trigger and none WILL have an MOA trigger...

Talk about screwing the pooch..

JMHO, of course..

Redneck,

I'm just going to have to stop reading your posts until you get around to telling us how you really feel about the new MOA trigger.

I have a new Model 70 Extreme Weather SS in 325 wsm. It wouldn't get below 4.2 lbs of trigger pull. Rather than send it in to the service department, I took it to my local gunsmith. He is a heck of a fine guy and an amazing gunsmith. He was way ahead of me as far as fixing this thing. He took out the trigger pull adjusting screw, and drilled the hole that it came out of so as to let out the offending trigger pull spring. He then tapped the hole and replaced the spring and set screw.
Now it is adjusted to 3 lbs and feels great.

Good Luck with yours.

I have the same gun in 300 wsm, and this gun has by far the best factory trigger I've tried. Clean, crisp, light, repeatable. No issues. Like Bob said, if it remains reliable, don't see how it could be any better.

I just adjusted mine today it took about 10 mins to dig it out the goop. I don't have a trigger scale but I will stop by the smith tomorrow to have it checked on the way to the range.

Remember how this wonderful new trigger was touted as wonderfully adjustable, and 'owner friendly' and that the "old" M70 needed 'work' to make it right??

Hmmmm.. So the owner hadda take it to a smith who had to do some 'work' on it to make it right - drilling, replacing, tweaking.. Hmmmm ...

Another poster spent 10 mns to clean out stuff in order to adjust.. Never had to do that on that crappy, miserable OLD trigger..

New owners are making my argument valid every day.. You DON'T fix what ain't broke.. When will bean counters and CEOs EVER learn.. Hehehehehehee.

And the jury's still out on longevity - while that miserable, worthless 'OLD' M70 trigger is still working just fine after 70+ years..


This is hilarious...

Redneck your are one of the most knowledgeable people on here when it comes to Winchesters and I am sure you have a valid concern but it is what it is at this point. I am lucky since I don't have as much experience as others all my Winchesters are post 64 is that the same trigger as the pre-64's?

Yep, nothin' this little peon can do to change it..
Basically, yes..

There are some things that you just leave alone. Such was the case with the Winchester trigger. The genius in the design was it's simplicity.

The frustration arrises when a company address an issue--that is not the issue at all.

It was not the trigger that caused the Winchester brand to languish. Therin lies the rub!!

EXACTLY...

I checked my trigger gauge and with a 5 # weight it indicated 5 lbs. - 3 oz., so it appears the gauge is fairly close.

ehunter, I had trouble with that goop too. I finally scraped it off with a knive. Still cannot get it out of the overtravel screw, but I do not intend to adjust it.

I did break down and read the instructions! It indicates that you can remove the screw completely but the pull will not go lower than 3 lbs. I did not take the screw completely out. It was flush with the housing when I started and I turned it until it was approx. 1/4" exposed, which looked to me to be close to the length of the screw. I stopped at that point because the gauge started to go up rather than proceed down. I think tonight I am going to remove the adjustment screw completely and see what I get, and if not at least 3 1/2 lbs. I will just return it for repairs.

For any of you out there that could adjust yours to less than 3 1/2 lbs., how far did you have to take out the adjustment screw?

I completely remove the adjustement screw on the two mod 70 that I own.I didn't check those trigger with a gauge but I would say that they are in the 3-3.5 lbs range.They are also very crisp and its one of the best feeling trigger compare to the many other rifle that I own or tried.

There is no bigger pre 64 fan than moi.....I am one who believes they have yet to reproduce the grand old rifle,and to me not even the Classics or the SC are real M70's ...

.......that said I have a question....how come some don't like the SC enclosed trigger,but we don't breathe a word about Remington,Kimber,or even Mauser 98 (Holy Grail here!)after-market triggers in housings, like Timneys, Blackburns,etc, etc?

Seems to me if the SC trigger sucks,so don't the rest of them......right?

OK, I removed the adjustment screw completely and the pull is now 4 lbs - 4 oz., so back she goes.

I really like the feel of the rifle. The synthetic stock is better than what I expected, the fit is first rate, the barrel channel is equal on both sides with little gap between the barrel and stock.

Now if I can get this trigger thing fixed we will see how see shoots.

Thanks to all for your advise!

Bob,
I think that was one of the reasons that so many of us liked the M70 design so much was we didn't have to worry about the trigger like you do on the Remingtons, Kimbers, etc. At least that was one of the reasons I like the M70's pre-SC. The old style was easy to adjust, easy to keep clean and didn't have problems freezing up like the enclosed triggers from other makers. The trigger is why I prefer to use the M70 whenever I think my rifle is going to see some very demanding conditions. Granted, for 90-95% of what most people will ever do, the other trigger designs, including the MOA, will get the job done. However, why risk it if you don't have to. And as others have already said, it wasn't a problem that needed fixing. I personally think FN made the decision to go with a new trigger design strictly for marketing purposes, i.e. everyone else was talking about their newly designed triggers, we better do that too!!
Test

test: I happen to agree with you....

I was just pointing out that maybe the trigger is not as bad as some think.....but who knows? I haven't hunted with anything but an original M70 trigger in so long I can't really remember the last time.....

But a lot of guys do hunt with other designs under pretty bad conditions....and we know they work quite well most of the time.And these SC M70's are so good in every other way they deserve a chance.

+1

Ok I understand what others are talking about, there was no issue so why mess with what was working well.

VA I did not read it close enough either. I used a knife to scrape the trigger adjustment off and then a fish hook to finish it off. I left the over travel alone.

Well-stated..

And there have been beau coup threads about problems with Remington triggers etc.. I get probably two dozen M700s in every year with trigger issues - stickiness, failure to set, inconsistent pull, fully fouled up from 'lubrication' (can you say, WD-40? I knew you could), bolt stop stuck up enough to allow the bolt to fall out of the rifle or come out during extraction/chambering.. Why Remington won't change those things is beyond me, but I could say the same about the cheap-azzed magazines they make for the 7400/7600 series at al..

..and there's your answer - "most of the time"..

A trigger has to work ALL THE TIME, EVERY TIME. The old-style M70 did that job with aplomb..

And that my friend, is THE bottom line...

Redneck: Fundamentally.....we don't disagree

Heck,for a knock-down hunting rifle, I like the original military Mauser better than all of them....!

Good posting.
I bought a new FN Model 70 Featherweight in 7-08. I did an initial inspection of the rifle, and measured the trigger pull; it was 5 pounds. So, I e-mailed FN in SC and suggested that they set the pull weight to 3 or 3 1/2 pounds when building the rifles.
I have no objection with the 5 pound pull as the break is nothing short of fantastic. So, I didn't even try to adjust it lighter. During load development with the rifle, I shot it as well as rifles with light weight trigger pulls, which I prefer. I guarantee you I won't notice the pull weight when hunting.
Bob/NH has some good words about just pulling the trigger, regardless of its pull weight.

Yeah, I knew you agreed, Bob. I was mainly just writing that for the benefit of others here. And, I don't doubt the quality of the SC M70s since by most reports they are shooting very well. I'm sure that most people will use them, love them, and never have a problem with the trigger.

However, I think Redneck makes a good point, that there probably are a lot more trigger problems with the other makes that we don't often hear about since they happen on the range or at home when dry firing or some such way and then the rifle makes it to the gunsmith and all is well again for the big hunt. I've known two different friends that have missed chances at game because of trigger issues. One was on an A-bolt trigger that was all gritted up and actually dangerous since after he took his finger off the trigger and pulled the rifle down to see what the problem was, the rifle actually fired. And a second one was a M700 Remington where the trigger froze because (I think) of liberal use of some type of lubricant in the trigger housing.

VAHunter,
Do you suppose that the Quality Control department at FN needs to watch a bit closer in the trigger spring supply?
I took the adjustment screw all the way out of the trigger assembly. This left the spring alone and it was still 4.2 lbs or more, and inconsistent.
I look forward to hearing how you make out with Browning Service. Since it isn't broken/inoperative, will they fix it?

wsmnut

test: yes I have seen a housed trigger not function as well due to dirt,etc and safety/triggers freeze up from migrating snow and ice..it is not fun when this stuff happens and can be a bit unnerving when it happens in the field.

..on one memorable occaission in Northern Maine two rifles belonging to companions got loaded with snow and ice after a storm;one wounded a buck we were trailing when the lights went out and we were stumbling to get out of the woods,rather far back in.......signal shots to a companion on the road could only be fired by my pre-war M70 30/06;my companions rifles,jammed with snow and ice, would not fire.

I was young,did not understand why.....I do now.

What you're experiencing is the 'lawyer' part from BACO.. Here's the 'marketing' part of BACO (From the Winchester website): "The Model 70�s new M.O.A. Trigger System is the most precise three-lever trigger system in the world. Operating on a simple pivoting lever principle, the trigger mechanism has been completely redesigned to exhibit zero take up, zero creep and zero overtravel. The pull weight ranges from 3 to 5 pounds and is factory-set at 3 3/4 pounds."

Methinks they're gonna get a BUNCH of rifles back to the factory for trigger setting gripes.. It will be interesting to see what they actually do, if anything, to match the product with the marketing hype..

Inquiring minds wanna know..

Well I spoke to Winchester/Browning Customer service located in Arnold, Mo. As soon as I told them the best I could get was 4#-4oz. they told me to send it to them and they would take care of it.

I will keep you guys posted on how this thing turns out.

Well got the Extreme Weather .300 WM back yesterday from Winchester/Browning service. Took 16 days round trip door to door to get the MOA Trigger repaired, plus approx. $20 shipping and insurance.

I got a call the day Winchester received the gun with a question on the paper work, I had not written the return address clearly, anyway they indicated they would enter it in their system and call if there was a problem, otherwise they would repair it and send it back.

I just measured the trigger pull at 3 lb. - 6 oz. average, and the trigger has absolutely no creep. The trigger feels at least as good as the Cooper rifles I have. I have not removed the action from the stock yet to see how much adjustment screw I have left to use if additional adjustment wanted to be made in the future, and I may not at this time.

I am very pleased with the service I got, Winchester made no excusses, they just appoligize and said they would take care of it.

I just wanted to let others here know how this turned out, as I promised.

Now to get the VX-3 3.5-10 Leupold on it and see how it shoots.

Good to hear they fixed you up. Now if you want to make it a little better, replace the trigger spring with an Ernie the Gunsmith trigger spring.

Did this on my Xbolt and M70 FWT and have a pull of a little over 2 lbs on each.

I didn't have any trouble adjusting mine, got lucky I guess.

JM

John did the mod 70 moa trigger use the same spring as the x-bolt?I check Ernie the gunsmith website but they only listed spring for the older mod 70.And are they easy to install?

I just checked the website and they now show the trigger spring for the moa trigger.

Yep, I think the springs are different. The MOA spring just came out, the XBolt spring has been out for awhile. I ran mine up to a gunsmith who stuck it in in about 10 minutes.

JM

I have a new model 70 with a heavy trigger pull. Anyone care to give directions on how to adjust the trigger pull. I found lots of info on older models but nothing on the new MOA trigger. You must have to remove the goo from the front of the trigger housing to even see the adjustment screws. How do you do that?
Thanks
Kurt

OK - got down to the screw adjustment - can not tell what size allen head it is - anyone know?
Thanks
Kurt

The lower front screw is the one you want to adjust. Lefty loosy, righty tighty. You can access the spring that is behind the adjustment screw. I "modified" one slightly on my .270 that would not adjust under 4lbs. Now at 3 1/4 crisp, won't let loose if bumped and no overtravel. Actually feels lighter than that. And no, I'm not going to post how I did it or someone might shoot their fat toe off. Suffice it to say that anyone with a modicum of mechanical ability and two brain cells to rub together could figger it out.

I got it done!!
Thanks
Kurt

Ernie has new springs if you can't get the factory one light enough. Complete with instructions.



http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/i170.html

I know this thread is almost 2 yrs old but I was just wondering if anybody has purchased a new Model 70 lately, and if the factory pull has gotten and lighter on them?

Thanks

I just bought a M70 EW in 7mm-08 the first of January. My previous experience was a .308 EW that had an excellent trigger that was adjusted down to about 2.5 to 3 lbs. It was crisp with no apparent creep or overtravel. That rifle was the reason I bought my EW.

The trigger on my new rifle is not nearly as good. It has about a 3.5 to 4 lb. pull and will not adjust any lighter without a new spring. I don't actually know how to describe the trigger except to say it feels "tight". It has 100 rounds through it now as well as probably as many dry fires. Doesn't seem to be getting any better. I have cleaned it with lighter fluid and blown it out good. Just not happy with it on a 1000.00 dollar rifle.

Not shooting as good as I expected either. I've had a couple of 1" groups but most are 1.5" to 2" at best. May have to put it up for adoption.

I have to agree. Why fix when it aint broke. Stupid. But saying that. The new MOA triggers do feel good from the short time I have had with em.......
On that note. And as much as I luv the Kimber triggers 'feel/break I would of preferred a classic Model 70 there too

I upgraded my MOA trigger with that spring kit from Ernie's Gunsmithing. Big improvement...