Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Pre-64 Model 70 barrel screw tightness??

I know each rifle is an animal unto itself, but concerning the smallest groups, where do you start with the screw torque on the front screw that fastens the barrel to the stock?


Remove the screw?
Lucy Goosey?
Finger tight plus a quarter turn?
Gorilla tight?
Something else?

Every rifle is different. It really depends on how the barrel lays in the channel. Whatever you do, do not add stress to the barrel by overtorquing that screw. A lot of guys just barely snug it up. If glass bedding the rifle and adding a freefloat, you don't want the screw touching the barrel. I've made up dummy screws that are short and glued into the stock. It all depends on what you are working with. Sometimes you have to experiment a little. Start at just snug, then tighten it up more if you want.

I always make mine "just snug" same with the middle action screw, always got my M/70's to shoot well without any pillars or other fooling with the bedding of the action or the barrel.

Thanks guys, will start there with the old .30 Gov't 06.

Good luck. Let us know what works best for you. Thanks.

On my model 70’s I take that screw completely out. The middle screw on the floor plate, I tighten it only enough to hold it in place….hardly anything at all.

Seems to work for me.

That works great most times, if your rifle is properly bedded and barrel freefloated. These 2 rifles shoot awesome this way:


When you buy custom stocks for these pre 64's, most times they do not even have the screw hole. Just freefloat the barrel in the channel. This is another one, but with a custom stock:


No provision for the barrel screw. Rifle shoots pretty dang good:


Now, you guys that are not glass bedding your rifles and relying on the barrel screw to keep accuracy consistent, good luck. Most wood stocks are affected by humidity and the tension on that screw can change. Thus affecting accuracy. One reason I suggest freefloating the barrel, if you choose to remove the barrel screw. Many ways to skin the cat, but keeping things consistent really helps with accuracy. Helps to maintain it anyway.

Your target in the picture: 1960’s-1970’s WW brass.

The good stuff!

Hell yes. I've always preferred the older WW SUPER brass. The 90's R-P is good stuff too.

That's when I scored some factory primed WW SUPER 270 Winchester brass a few months ago, after buying 2 pre 64 model 70's on the same day:


I believe those are from the 70's as well. Someone else may know better.

Here's more factory primed cases I found for the old 270's:


It's almost as fun finding old good brass, as it is finding the rifles.

My most recent rifle find (classic compact) had to get some brass as well. I got this from one of my buddies near Reno. Great once fired stuff:

Almost 200 pcs. of good quality brass. Those that think you have to have brand new schidt all the time, are really missing out in life.

Now, I realize this is not about brass, but about what "torque" you set your barrel tension screw at on a std wt pre 64 model 70. I have some questions for the OP:

1. How often do you shoot your rifle?
2. What type of accuracy can you live with?
3. What's the humidity like where you live?
4. How original is your rifle? Meaning if that stock has been cut and a recoil pad added, all gloves should come off and you should accurize it. Going back to question #2 of course.

I often wonder about some guys. A model 70 is always going to shoot at its best when it is properly glass bedded. After that, it's generally going to shoot at its best when the barrel is freefloated. That means no stock to barrel contact anywhere.

However, If it's all original, leave that barrel screw in and just barely snug it. Unless you can feel a deflection of some sort. If that happens, you'll know you are putting unnecessary stress on that barrel. As the barrel heats, it will throw shots. It's all simple mechanics.

1. How often do you shoot your rifle? Just got it it and sighted in the scope. It'd mostly see action in deer season.
2. What type of accuracy can you live with? 1.5 inches at a hundred
3. What's the humidity like where you live? Great Lakes.....varies quite a bit in a year but as noted in #1 would see most action late fall.
4. How original is your rifle? Flat out factory original. The condition is excellent except for a section of barrel that must have rusted was cleaned and cold blued. I've considered having the barrel removed, polished and reblued. If not for that detractor, the rifle condition including bore is very high.

Well I found that when the screw is out completely, it shoots lights out with 180s. If snug, it's no better than 1-1/2" with same loads.

That doesn't surprise me. Thanks for keeping us informed! This question gets brought up from time to time, so it's good info.

In my 300 H&H I slightly snug it to about 10 inch lbs. It has been shooting great like that. I’m too chicken to mess with it at this point.

That's kind of how I was with my 300WBY (used to be an H&H). I figured it was shooting well enough, so leave well enough alone!! I did however, glass bed it in the original stock because someone had already put a recoil pad on it. Fair game!!! It does shoot slightly better now, in the Brown PoundR. No screw in that one, and the barrel is fully freefloated.

I was told by a pretty good gunsmith the screw you're talking about doesn't really matter and doesn't need to be there. The screw in front of the trigger guard matters more. If too tight it will bind the action. A friend who knows a lot more about these things than me (not hard) loosened that screw on my pre 64 270 Win until there was no binding and the bolts moved slickly back and forth. The barrel screw was just snug with no idea its torc setting. I checked accuracy with a known load it likes. After settling in from a few shots it starting grouping into 1/2" for 3 shots. Will it do it continuously? Time will tell.

That means your rifle should be glass bedded. I'd be leery of that one, if your torque setting is that low. Eventually it will split the stock. Just a warning..