Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester Model 70 parts interchangeability

I have a Stainless Classic Model 70 from the 1990s that I foolishly rechambered from 338 Win Mag to 340 Wby. This is a New Haven gun. I'm in the process of changing it back to 338. I have purchased a factory barrel in 338 with the correct New Haven stamp and threads. However, I need a few parts that may be a little difficult to find - ejector blade, bolt stop, mag box, follower and possibly spring. Will the parts from the new FN Model 70s fit?

I use Midwest Gun Works for parts most of the time. They are usually pretty good at sourcing Winchester parts.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the problem with it as a 340? I always thought that would be a wicked conversion

Maybe it is not as bad as I think, but it doesn't feed particularly well and the bullets have to be be seated deep enough in the case (to fit the magazine) that I was worried about pressure. Nosler manual shows 338 with 250gr bullets within 100 fps of the Wby, which makes it seems like the 338 is a better package.

I called Midwest Gun Parts. They weren't particularly helpful, and they didn't have all of the parts. It didn't seem like the person helping me knew any more than I did, or maybe just didn't want to help. She sure couldn't tell me "you need this, this one and this one,". I think they do have the right box, but no follower or spring. They said they don't have the right bolt stop, but I think they might - will "standard" work for magnums? They said they do have the right ejector, I'm not sure that they do - the one they said works says not for magnums in the description. I thought if the FN parts work, it may actually be easier to tell which model is correct. In other words, if the FN box works, the follower probably will too.

Is there any chance Winchester can provide any help/information? Maybe part numbers?

I will pull out the owners manual and see if that provides any clarity. I have a 7mm about the same age, if they used the same parts, I think that will help. Magazine box is one of the toughest - I have seen three with different codes on the side that all look they may work - bfs, bfcs, and mls

Being that it is a USRAC rifle, I'm not sure that the new Company will be of much help. Maybe worth a try though

The parts to put your 338 back to stock should be exactly the same as your 7mm Mag.

I am pretty sure standard parts will work for the 338 Win Mag. As far as I can tell the 30-06 length rifles use the same parts as the 7 mag/338/300 mag rifles.

Thanks, guys. After talking with the gunsmith that replaced the, barrel I may just try it as is for a bit. He seemed to think the extra long mag box was a good thing. I may pick up the parts anyway just in case I decide to go back to original.

I do have a 340 barrel though, if you are interested beretzs!! 😁

I suppose Numrich hasn't been mentioned for a reason, but I have to confess that I have no clue as to why. They do have reference drawings, though, and part number information can sometimes be found.

If you leave all else as is when you go back to .338 Win. Mag., I would appreciate it if you would read my thread on this Winchester Collector's subforum entitled "Esoteric question for the Guru's", and let me know if you have (or had) ejection issues. Presumably, you replaced or altered the magazine box, ejector, and bolt stop when going to .340 Weatherby. But I suspect you left the receiver alone. As such, I wonder if you had some of the issues I did.

I will do that - hopefully later today. I did not use the gum much as a 340, mostly because I didn't feel comfortable with how deeply the bullets were seated. I was probably just paranoid.

I have three other model 70s - 7mm Rem Mag, 25-06, and 243. I would say that it seems the bolt is more "wobbly" when pulled back, the bolt has to be pulled completely back to the very end of the action for rounds to feed out of the mag, and they don't feed as smoothly. The follower, ejecector, box, and bolt stop were modified. I think I can get all of those parts except having trouble finding the follower. I haven't talked to Winchester yet. I don't think that the receiver or rails were changed.

The gunsmith told me that this is the same action length that Winchester has used for factory 375 h&h, so there mayst be a way to make it work well for that size of cartridge. Would be interesting to see one for comparison.

I look forward to reading your sub forum.

Just to be clear, not a separate subforum, just a different thread on this Winchester Collectors subforum of 24hourcampfire forums. The thread goes off on some tangents about black rifles, camo dips, etc., but it has some good stuff in there about converting to longer cartridges with push feed guns, Classics, and to some degree Pre' 64.

I'm still hoping someone will measure some "standard" magnum and "long" magnum Classic receivers from the bolt cut to the front edge of the receiver ring. And I'm still wondering why I had smooth ejection issues with the Classic while no one complains about the Pre '64 rifles.

As for the feed rails or lips, I am not 100% on this, but I believe on the Classics the feed lips are part of the magazine box while on Pre '64 rifles the feed lips are part of the receiver.

Edited:

I read the post - if I recall correctly, I may have even had problems ejecting an unfired cartridge when unloading. My reloading Notes say I couldn't get close to the lands, but that could be because it is a weatherby chambering.

It would seem that if a guy had access to a factory 375 h&h or 300 Wby and a caliper a lot of questions could be answered

Man, I really struggle to type with this new phone. Sorry

Dupe reply from other addressed thread:

I read the last page and reread the first page. I did not reread the entire thread; this laptop is temperamental. I measured as well as visually inspected the ejection port (side view) on an original pre 64 Win 70 in 30-06 and also the same in 375 H&H. The ejection port in the 375 is .10 larger than the 30-06; 3.13" vs 3.23". The top of the receiver ring at the front near the serial number appears shorter on the 375. The 375 has a definite slant from top to bottom compared the 30-06. The very bottom of the ejection port at the stock line appears similar for both guns.

In other words the cutouts that Roger Rule are referring to are on the side of the ejection port not the top modifications, the forward notch and removed clip slot/contour for loading.

This is why the same ejector and bolt stop travels work for 3.4 and 3.6 length cartridges on the pre 64 Win 70.

Thank you for the info sbrmike

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