Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats M70 Trigger options

You have to find the right gunsmith to do it . I had 2 done , night and day difference, takes all the slop out of it.

The Model 70 trigger is easily one of the best "big game" hunting triggers ever devised. It can easily be taken to a 3 lb. crisp pull and sheds dirt and water and crud like a good hunting trigger should and is my favorite big game hunting trigger. Why Winchester choose to replace it is a mystery to me.

I can not fathom why any one would replace the best feature of a Mod. 70 with a Timney or what ever, I just don't get it. It must be advertising and surely did not come from experienced big game hunters. Save those enclosed tiny ice cycle breaking triggers for the target and long range shooters. Give me a good old style Mod. 70 trigger forever on a serious hunting rifle.

It wasn't "Winchester" that chose to replace it. It was Browning Arms co. (BACO).... Enough said.. I do agree with you about the old Winchester Model 70 trigger though. They are the best hunting trigger out there. I love mine. After I tune them, they are very nice. The only one that I didn't touch was a nicely tuned (by FN Herstal) PBR XP with the oldstyle model 70 trigger. It was a rifle that was made to shoot though and those guys used to really know what they were doing, before Browning arms got involved.... I also agree, they should have never messed with the old tried and true model 70 trigger... Browning wanted to make the model 70 more their own I guess. The new model 70's are glorified Browning rifles as far as I'm concerned.

I have 2 stainless M70's. One BACO, of which I absolutely love the MOA trigger and a New Haven with "Gods Trigger", which I have never been completely satisfied with. I am one of those that believes in the old "butt drop test". I could never get "Gods Trigger" to pass the drop test at anything under 3 pounds, until I "skeletonized the trigger/sear piece. It will now pass the drop test at 2 and 3/4 pounds and the let-off is crisp, sometimes. However as the OP mentioned, the trigger is wobbly and this makes for inconsistent pull weight/feel. Does anyone know where to get an oversized trigger pin? If I remember correctly, it is not just a simple pin with a head on it. I believe it has a step at the head for the bolt release lever. If I cannot find an oversized trigger pin, I'll probably just go the Timney route and contribute "Gods Trigger" to someone that cannot live without it. I've owned upwards of approximately 80 bolt action rifles in my life, spanning close to 60 years of hunting and target shooting and probably no more than 15 (mostly military)of those bolt rifles, had an open style trigger. I have never had a trigger malfunction due to dirt or debris in an enclosed trigger mechanism. RJ

My understanding of the re-pinning process is the holes in both the trigger and receiver are reamed to a slightly larger, but uniform matching size and a custom pin turned to match. As you point out, the weight of the trigger piece itself can be a limiting factor in the weight that can pass a bump test, but tightening things up can only help.

I have done a fair amount of trigger work in my time. I have Power stoning jig which makes a huge impact to your ability to stone a sear consistently.

First, I stoned the sear perfectly smooth and matched the angle to the trigger. I ended up with a slick M70 trigger that with the Ernie spring, gave me a pretty good 1lb 15oz trigger. It was generally crisp....but not always...that variation in creep drove me nuts. I truly thing it was the trigger being pulled slightly off angle causing a different release.

I could have probably come up with something, but why?

I mean I’m dumping a lot of money to me into this rifle. Why shouldn’t the trigger be perfect.

I decided to fit the Timney. Their support team was quite helpful. My safety was not timed to the trigger. A quick call put me on the phone with someone who knew what i was saying and told me my plan to fit was ok. My safety was not lifting the cocking piece off the cocking sear. Even said he had extra parts if I screwed up. With my stoning jig, layout fluid, and a pile of stones and files, I setup to stone that surface. A couple of iterations later, the surfaces were mated and the safety works reliably.

So, I had to set this thing up hunting perfect. It is adjustable for pull weight, sear engagement, and overtravel. Hunting is hot/cold, standing/prone, rested/freehand, etc. So, I had to figure out where to even start. I started at overtravel. I dialed it to 0 and then backed off until it was reliable...then a bit more. Engagement was left alone as it seemed good. Last was weight. I know that just squeezing the squish out of my finger puts 1 lb on the trigger. Anything under 1lb won’t let me pull the trigger only, I’ll also be squishing finger pad. Then what feels right. Well through trial & error 1.25 lbs more or 2.25 lbs consistently felt the best. Sear engagement left how it came.

End result is this thing is the best trigger in my safe. Might have to pick up a a Timney for my a Ruger Hawkeye!