Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Why no love for the M70 Lightweights?

While there is no shortage of M70 guys around here, I never hear anyone talking about the lightweights. There seems to be a following for the XTR Featherweights (myself included), isnt the lightweight the same without the fancy stock?

The guys that own them keep them locked away from the market. I have not seen a Lighweight (.308) for at least 5-6 years.

JW

I have one that started off as a 243, and has since been rebarreled to .358 Win. I absoluteely love it, and it will be what I take with me when I get drawn for Cypress Hills Elk.

I have often thought about doing the same, but dont see many short actions around here. Usually just 270, 30-06. Did you stick with the fwt barrel contour?

JW- I definetly agree, seems the folks that have them, arent parting with them.

I've been trying to find a standard short action M70 for about a year now. No luck.

My brother has one in 243 but usually uses his Ruger M77 for hunting. I have offered to buy it from him many times. He always declines. Hopefully some day....and then I can make a 7mm-08 out of it.

RH

I have wondered the same. As my smith pointed out to me, that stock is very similar to McMillans Compact stock design.

I have 2 of them in 250-3000, but swapped the stocks for the FWT style. The LWT stocks are equally functional, but I like the schnabled forearm tip of the FWT.

Jeff

I'll try to post some pictures of mine. I kept the barrel contour the same, and had it blued. Just something about a stainless barrel on a blued action that doesn't look right to me. It's a wonderful light rifle, and it shoots about 1 1/4" with Sierra 225gr BTSP and AA2520. The recoil is not bad, I've had .30-06 that kicked worse. I think it's the very straight comb and minmal drop at the heel that helps. I have thought about putting a recoil pad on, but for right now I'll stick with it the way it is.

I have one that isn't for sale. I like the Lightweight stock design much better than the standard fwt.

http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr273/dragoon7214/?action=view&current=IMG_0319-1.jpg

http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr273/dragoon7214/?action=view&current=IMG_0323.jpg

Here are some links to pics of my Lightweight 70 in .358. it has a Bucshnell 3200 2-7x in Weaver mounts on it.

The action is the problem... Light 70 is an oxymoron.

Screwing a skinny tube in a fat action does not make a lightweight. Handling suffers...

I don't know about that. Mine has a 22" tube and handles very nicely. It's a push feed action, so it's a tiny bit lighter than the controlled round actions. It's point of balance is just behind the hinge of the floor plate, about dead center of the rifle. I find that it is easy to carry, and shoot from field positions. This summer, I was shooting with a friend at the local range and we were both able to hit a 10" steel gong at 300yds with it from the sittng and kneeling position, with the aid of the sling. I needed about a 4" holdover from the top of the gong to hit it, but managed it without any problems.

Very nice dragoon. Looks like an ideal package where light and power might come together. Any work needs on the rails/ramp to get it to feed in the conversion?

I imagine that fwt barrel has to be pretty thin considering the .35 bore.

You should pull one of those, nobody needs two. BTW, I'll take it if you do.

I have a 30-06 Carbine. Same rifle with a 20" barrel. Mine is quite accurate and carries well in the thick stuff.

Shot a friends today in .308W. It is a great consistent shooter that sometimes is scary accurate.

Not a lightweight, but still a great carry rifle for most normal hunting conditions.

I had/have one which I also re-barreled to 358 Winchester. I reshaped the stock a bit and added a steel grip cap and a forend tip. It looked nice and I shot a couple of deer with it (225 Sieeras at 2500 kill deer REAL well!). I then re-barreled it to 6.5x55. It shot real well and I shot a deer with it. It is currently wearing a heavy 308 barrel and sits in a laminated Marksman stock. I have no plans to shoot a deer in this configuration but may try a coyote.
My rifles tend to change a bit depending on my mood.
I considered the lightweight to be a real bargain and liked the stock better than the FWT.
When the weight is in the action area, it is between the hands making for a very quick handling rifle. Handling suffers only where the stock is heavy so the rifle becomes butt-heavy and balances too far to the rear. Action weight will change handling very little. The Winchester lightweight stocks are generally made of fairly light walnut and are relatively small in the butt so they still balance fairly well. Scope choice can affect handling more than three onces on the action will. The fact is, a rifle with a light barrel has to be made light in order to balance well. Light barrels need light stocks. Conversely, heavy barrels need some stock weight to balance them.
The 358 barrel is thinnish but I will make them a little heavier forward of the fore arm to keep balance. If the barrel channel dimensions are not an issue I might make the barrel heavier over it's full length with balance being the determining factor. GD

greydog
"The fact is, a rifle with a light barrel has to be made light in order to balance well."

Sorry friend, but you cannot have it both ways.

They are thin in the tube and not light enough in the stock because of the normal limits of walnut specific gravity. Because they are so heavy in the action it makes them sluggish. And in a bad way, where shooting them in field positiions seems compromised. The barrels move as a function of the rest of the rifle rather than being the leader.
YMMV
art

The only Lightweight Model 70 that I've see is the one I mentioned. If one has one that shoots even close to that one, you could live with its weight easily.

For those who want or need a flyweight for extreme mountain hunting that may not be the case, for everything else I can't see a problem.

The LW Model 70 is a fine rifle. Many are not aware of them being made.