Hi Roger, while I don't tape record phone calls, as it's illegal, you can call, or write, the Browning, Winchester techs and find this out, for yourself. Just ask them, specifically, about soft vs. hard tooling.
Stocking replacement parts for soft tooled rifles, when you know 30,000 units is probably tops, can't go on as long as for hard tooled rifles, produced in six, or seven figures. I specifically asked that tech, about the BB angle eject parts, as I use them in my wildcatted Model 94 Winchester. He said another ten years, would be about it.
Obviously, when they make the extra parts, they don't really know which ones will be prone to breakages. For instance, I ordered every part on their microfiche page, specific to the 307 BB angle ejects. This went some $70.00, but I ended up only using three parts, and two mini screws, as mine were a little damaged.
Believe me, the blown out BB cases work neat, through a post 64 model 94 top ejector, with just these three drop in parts installed. My BB parts came from the Browning parts Depot at Arnold, MO.. But my gunsmith also had to "influence" my mag tube, towards the loading gate, in order to help the larger diameter cases, make the corner into the tube.
So, in a L.H. Model 70, which I believe is also a soft tooled production number, there will be some asymmetrical parts, that may break, down the road, making it smart to order a few extra parts for your rifle, ASAP.
This way, if you do blow out a case head, you will have a repair kit ready to install. Fortunately, most screws, sights, ect., will be fungible, between the right and left hand models. I don't believe they will sell L.H. bolt bodies, to the public, but only to qualified gunsmiths, or their own repair centers.
So, forewarned is forearmed! Now whether they will even work on a modified wildcat rifle, in a factory repair center, is another question, entirely. But the tech told me on the phone, that the clock is ticking, with those L.H. Model 70's.
I believe this Winchester tech line, originates from Utah. And I came away with the idea, that if you modify one of these L.H. rifles, you had better lay away some spare parts, within a year or so, just to be safe.
Some of the next generation of L.H. M-70 parts, when or even if, they are ever made again, may or may not fit the ones that are out in commerce, today. They just might all be metric, to boot.
