Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Model 70 featherweight project

For those interested in such things, this is what a Classic Short action looks like with exactly 1.78 ounces milled and filed off





A little less than I'd hoped, but not terrible, and goes to show that after changing the stock (21 oz Edge FW pattern) and the bottom metal (from the 6.5 oz stainless to 1.8 oz alloy pre-64), that the gains (losses actually) rapidly diminish

heres some pics after some epoxy and paint, a 4x Leupold in Talley LW rings, and alloy pre-64 bottom metal shortened and fit.

It weighs 6 lbs 9 oz as shown. With 5 rounds aboard, BC scope caps, and a nylon sling it looks like I'll be about an ounce over my target of 7 lbs hunting weight. Metal needs some touch up beadblasting and the alloy bottom metal will get silver gunkote or something similar.

It's an early 308 classic stainless with an Edge FW pattern from McMs specials page. Thanks to utah708 for some good advice on some stock mods I had to do.

neat! i can like it... chambered in???

That's one fine looking rig. How does she shoot?

Very nice. Did you do the metal work?

thanks, Martini did the slabbing and turned down the recoil lug, I did the hack looking stuff on the tang and bottom metal.

before i spent any money on it I shot some 168 GM through it and it ran right around an inch in the unbedded tupperware stock, so i'm hoping for great things with 130 TTSX's

That's pretty cool!

Glad I could be of some help.

That is very cool.....

I like it!

Very nice! I'm curious what that 1.78oz cost you? I also wonder what re-boring it to 358 would take off as far as wieght.

Nice looking project, that should be a very comfy weight to hall around.

I can dig it!

Why not just make it a blind mag like the Kimber Montana?

Because a blind magazine is a snake waiting to bite....why would a M70 want to be like a Kimber?

the slabbing was $170 and turning the recoil lug down was another $75, including re-beadblasting. The tang and the hole in the bolt knob was free but the guy did kind of rough work

According to Pac-Nor's weight calculator, a 22" 308 barrel going to 358 loses ~2.7 ounces. It would probably still balance ok becasue this is the first M70 with a FW barrel I've held that actually balanced muzzle forward.



I've filled and covered a rifle with leaves, mud, and snow on occasions, and prefer a floorplate for the ability to clean things out. The pre-64 bottom metal weighs less than 1.5 ounces complete, so there is no weight savings to be had by going to a blind magazine. The un-official reason though, is that I grabbed that stock off McM's specials page for $300 and had to come up with some lightweight bottom metal to replace the 6.5 ounce stainless steel stuff it came with.

free miner: Good solution.Your point about being able to clean out the magazine well is a good one;also allows freeing up a jam easily,should it occur.

Nice job. I've got a short action, M70 Classic which still wears that heavy 6.5 oz. SS FP & TG. So where do I find an alloy unit at 1.5 ozs. and what would it cost ?
If I went to Talley alloy mounts and that alloy FP & TG, I could cut about 9 ozs. off of mine. Which I'm really tempted to do. E

Wader

Had any problems getting your 2.845" COAL to feed?

Cliff

I took a set of pre-64 featherweight bottom metal and shortened the floorplate to match the short classic action. I had to get the tongue welded up under the catch for support, but other than that it was fairly simple.

If I had known that PT&G was coming out with all alloy bottom metal for the SA classic, I wouldn't have butchered up the pre-64 stuff. You can usually get a set of pre-64 stuff in rough cosmetic shape off flea-bay for around the $100 mark. I talked to PT&G and the alloy stuff is about a month away and lists for $89. It would probably run an ounce more than my setup.

I own both ( A classic Compact SA in .308 and kimber Montana)

They are more alike than different, except maybe the recoil lug and the coned breach, and the Kimber with the blind mag operates just as easily and as well as the Winchester with its mag.