Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Model 70......., accidental discharge???

No.

However, the woodchuck's family may have a case.

....and you could hold the trigger back on a M12 and run it as fast as you can pump!I thought that was pretty cool.It's no fun when they make guns too safe....

The original poster may have confused that "holes in the roof" thing about the legendary M70, with the even more august M94?

Which, as we all know, has "Cost people more toes than trench foot, diabetes and frostbite combined". And likely ventilated a house, cabin and vehicle roof or two, as well?

I was in a deer camp 2 days ago when a model 70 discharged in camp with several hunters in the general direction on the muzzle. A door jam stopped the bullet.

It was human error, trying to unload a magazine with the rifle cocked and safety off.

Wonder where the spare fingers were?

JW

One of our hunters had his go off while going from full safe to safe (where he would then be able to work the bolt). Hand was not near the trigger, just moving the safety

Always Liked the old John Browning designed Win. model 1897 shotgun.

Hold that trigger back and slam fire the hell out of it.

Great cowboy gun.

That's the only Winchester I ever heard any complaints about.

Years ago M70 in 220 Swift would go off while you closed the bolt. After careful inspection found that the sear was not making proper engagement. Fairly easy fix and now know why the fella sold it cheap. Good thing I followed good safe rules and always kept the barrel in a safe direction.

I had mine pointed at the target, put my finger on the trigger and then the gun fired before I had it perfectly lined up with the aiming point. Does that count as an accidental discharge.

I have a Winchester M70 Custom Super Grade that had problems suffficient that the company built me a new rifle to replace the original. When I received the replacement the trigger was set at about 2.5 lbs if I recall correctly. Used it for quite a few years with no problem. Then one day at the rifle range the rifle went off when I moved the safety from safe to the fire position. Fortunately the gun was laying on the bags and pointed at the shooting berm so no harm done.

Don't know what caused the problem since the trigger assembly is not enclosed therefore an accumulation of dirt could not have caused it. Rather than fool with it myself I had a smith re-adjust it to just over 3 lbs. and it has worked fine ever since.

I guess all this proves is that nothing is infallible.

Jim

Absolutely. Anything mechanical can fail - hence the rules re: always treating a gun as if it's loaded and always pointing it in a safe direction. That being said, the M70 trigger design is a safe one.

It's safe unless you adjust it for a light trigger pull. I've played with a few pre-64s that would fire if the pull was adjusted below 3# and the cocked rifle was hit on the floor with its butt.
I've also had them fire when the safety was pushed off. Those had had the trigger adjusted down too light.

Ithaca 37's will do that also!

How much air can an accidental discharge penetrate?

I once adjusted the trigger of my 70 classic 22-250 down too light and after about 100 rounds it began to fire occasionally when I closed the bolt.

You really can't blame that on the rifle - clear operator error.

I've been shooting for nearly 50 years. I've never had or witnessed an accidental discharge. I'm careful about who I befriend, and the weapons I choose.

Same here - adjusted my first Model 70 (left hand version) trigger a bit too light and it fired as I closed the bolt. Dang bolt handle on a .30-06 hurts your palm when the rifle recoils like that.

Tightened up the adjusting nuts on the trigger and never had a repeat in some 6 or 8 Model 70's since then.

Sears......

Nah, the Berger penetrate a couples inches and then expand vilolently

Hmmmmm.... I thought only 700s could fail...

the issue is not "trigger failures" ... it's "gray matter failures" ...

but then again, it's no surprise...