Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Model 70 7mm rem mag

I'm wanting to do some upgrades to my 7mag. Wanting to make a good shooter on a budget. My thoughts are to put a timney trigger, mcmillian fwt stock, talley lightweights, probably a leupold 4.5X14X40 or in that area at least. Thinking about a barrel, something in the same contours as a factory sporter barrel. Any suggestions on a good one to look at?

Also, would it be worth it to have any work done to the bolt? If so,what and what would be the benefits of doing it.

Sell it and buy a stainless T3. Mine shoots .6" MOA with 162 ELDX at 3100 fps, my brother's shoots sub-half with the same bullet seated a little longer at 3060 fps.

Or you could replace the trigger, barrel, and stock on your model 70.






P

When you say you want to make a good shooter...how does it shoot now...and how good of a shooter are you?

Probably better to ask...how consistently does your rifle group?

Tikka is a nice rifle, but I am going to stick with my Model 70

Shoots pretty decent once I found a load it likes. Just wanting to make a good shooter out of it and keep the weight down without going to a heavy barrel. I usually shoot alright, nothing to brag about, nothing to sneeze at. It'll be a gun that I will never get rid of, too much centimental value.

Sounds like my 270. I was gonna say for the same coin you could buy my XCRII/swirly.

Sentimental rifles are tough.

Instead of taking blind suggestions from internet gurus - find a local gunsmith with a reputation for building accurate rifles at an honest price and let him suggest what should be done to your rifle. Typically bedding the rifle and a trigger adjustment or replacement will provide the biggest improvement in accuracy. He may give you a new load that makes it a tack driver as well. If he needs a bunch of machine work to square the action or determines it needs a new barrel you are looking at a big bill.

My wife surprised me with the same gift for my old Ruger 7mm and he did a trigger job, bedded the action, floated the barrel and added a custom muzzle brake and a new load. It went from perfectly good hunting accuracy to 3 shots inside of a dime. It was made in 1976 and has the "200th year of American Liberty" on it and is a death ray. I've killed a big boar on the move at 500+ Yards with it and a bunch of deer and elk in 40 years of use with a plain 3-9 Conquest. My heirs will have a shooting contest to see who inherits Papas magic 7 mm.

I hope yours works like mine when you are done.

For sure something to keep in mind

If you want a lighter rifle easiest thing is a slimmer contour barrel. An edge stock will help too. Tune the factory trigger instead of a replacement. The M70 is one of the best hunting trigger designs around. Stop there as those are the most critical things and the rest is fluff, nice but not necessary.

I thot about a 'light sporter' barrel too.

Jerry

Three questions:
1. What size groups does it shoot now?
2. What size groups do you want to call it a "good shooter"?
3. How much 'sentimental value' will remain after you change out the barrel, trigger, stock, rings and scope?

You can spend a fortune on upgrades with no guarantee that the end result will shoot any better. My most expensive rifle is a full custom that shoots very, very well - but no better than a used Savage I picked up for $295. If you want a "good shooter" on a budget, the suggestion to get a Tikka has merit.

I have a couple model 70 classics one in 7mag and one in 30-06. I don’t think you need to throw the baby out with the bath water. You are already starting with one of the finest hunting rifles ever made. For years I always thought these old guys talking about their controlled round feed actions were full of it what do they know. I knew my push feed Remington’s, Sako were far superior. Then I bought one and found out they know more than I thought.

When I buy a used model 70 I go though following steps to produce a hunter.

1. Get trigger job on factory trigger and crown the barrel.
2. Then bed the action into the Tupperware stock to see how they shoot.
3. Typically they are already showing promise at this point so I order a McMillan
4. Bed new McMillan to action and enjoy

My 7mag model 70 with McMillan pillar bedded is just as accurate as my sako 85 6.5x55

The only other thing I do is replace the factory full length extractor with the Williams forged extractor. $60 if I remember correctly. I think I have under a $1000 in it. I do a lot of Smith work myself which saves quite a bit. The only thing I pay for is step one.

I would do as others have suggested. Get a trigger job and see how it shoots. From there I'd buy a stock of your choice and have it bedded. If after that your not satisfied with the results then rebarrel the rifle.
Is it a push feed m70 or CRF?

PM coming....

Listen to this guy ^^^^

Planning on listening to this guy. He has given me the info I am looking for instead of buying a Tikka or looking other directions