Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles FN Model 70 teething troubles

First post here! I recently picked up one of the new "FN" Model 70 Featherweights, this one in one of my faves, the .270 WCF. I've had perhaps a half dozen Model 70s over the years, and have always been pleased.

This one, however, just doesn't want to group. I can't seem to get 3 shot groups into less than 2.5". I suspect that as the barrel heats up it starts walking the rounds around; dispersion seems to be evenly vertical or horizontal. I've dremeled away much of the factory bedding, leaving that which is behind the recoil lug and relieving that in front of, below, and to the sides of the lug. I'm going to try waiting, like, 5 minutes between rounds...see what happens. I'm thinking of just completely re-doing the bedding with Acraglas.

My question...relieving the bedding in front of the lug has left the barrel completely unsupported...it's REALLY free-floating. That pencil-weight tube is out there, waving around in the heat with no visible means of support. It seems to me that, even with a free-floating barrel, there should be SOME support, at least for the first half-inch or inch or so. What's the collective wisdom here?

P.S. I, too, was not wild about the "plasticky" look of the grip cap. My solution to that issue in the next posting. Stay tuned!

I always glass bed the chamber area, but some like to leave the whole barrel unsupported and both methods will work.

Shoot it and find out.

Keep your fingers crossed that Redneck chimes in. He's the M70 whisperer....

Also BSA is very knowledgeable on Winchester 70 bedding. Hopefully he will chime in and make some suggestions.

That's interesting. I just bought my dad a new Featherweight in 30-06. I was a little hesitant. He really wanted a nice blued/wood rifle to replace his Weatherby that was stolen and thought the Winchester was nice.

So far I am very impressed. The trigger is just OK at this point, I've made no effort to reduce the pull. The accuracy though has been fantastic! It seems to like about everything we have shot through it with three shot groups averaging right at a inch or slightly bigger. It loves three different rounds - 150 gn Winchester Power Points, 180 gn Barnes TTSX and the new Hornandy Superformance 180 gn SST's. All are shooting three shot groups of 3/4" at 100 yards and the Barnes has gone even smaller. It hates Remington Core Lokt! 2-3" groups but I could care less as I don't hunt with them anyways.

Whether you free float it or bed the chamber area, you sure need to do a real bedding job on the action and lug. It won't shoot if it isn't solid underneath.

I have had quite a few model 70's and always had great luck bedding the recoil lug area in full and continuing the bedding out to about 1/2 way of the chamber and free floating the barrel on a standard weight gun.

I have heard and read that the featherweights like a little bit of upward push at the end of the barrel channel. After you glass bed the recoil lug region and free float the barrel, shoot it that way. If it does not shoot like you think it ought to, you can then place pieces of a cut up credit card (the best use for one that I know of BTW) and place the pieces under the barrel at the forend tip in varying thicknesses and see if it shoots far better in that fashion. If it does, then replicate the thickness it liked with bedding compound in the same part of the stock.

Be sure to properly stain and seal the areas where you dremeled so as to prevent moisture from getting into the wood and causing that thin forend to warp and thusly affect the barrel.

Good luck with the project! All done up it will be a very fine hunting rifle. What kinds of ammo have you tried? Any handloads with the bullets bumping the rifleing yet? That is another oft times help to accuracy (though certainly not always)

"...You can expect 1 MOA accuracy for three-shot groups from a Model 70 using premium ammo and quality optics under suitable weather and range conditions..." Winchester website

A guarantee or just weasel words?

I have the same rifle and it shoots very well. Replaced the trigger spring to get the trigger down to about 2 1/2 lbs.
Check the usual suspects, optics, loads, etc. Also as usual, make sure you clean it real good.
I was also suspicious of that bedding goo but mine does under MOA which is all I look for in my hunting rifles.
Good luck on your tweaking and let us know how it turns out.
And welcome to the forum.

Okay: Here's how to "fix" the grip cap. I contemplated getting a Dakota grip cap, but decided I could put the fifty bucks to better use in other pursuits...like getting a set of the factory Super Grade sling swivel bases and installing them. (Done. And do they look GREAT...)

The main problems with the factory grip cap are: 1) the excessive gloss, and, more significantly, 2) the dimples left in the flat bottom surface by the casting process. The following procedure will take care of both issues, and can be done in 15 minutes or so while you watch TV.

1) get a sheet of 600 grit sandpaper...at least 4" x 4". Remove unsightly grip cap. Notice the light weight; leaves some wiggle room for heavier Super Grade swivel bases.

2) place sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface like your dining room table.

3) CAREFULLY move grip cap bottom back and forth across sandpaper. What's important here is to pay attention that you keep the grip cap absolutely flat across the sandpaper, especially as you reverse directions. Any rocking motion will result in rounded shoulders on the grip cap and it will be just as ugly as before, just in a different way. You'll see that the dimples will remain glossy while the rest of the surface will take on a pleasing semi-matte finish.

4) Keep sanding/looking. You'll notice the dimples are getting smaller and smaller. When they disappear, that means the flat bottom surface is now truly flat.

5) You'll probably notice a little "streaking" irregularity in the finish. Minimize as much as possible by softly sanding, then give a final polish with Flitz. Leave the fluted side portions alone...the gloss is not nearly as objectionable here. Looks great, right?

6) What you have now is, in my eyes, the visual equivalent of a custom steel cap, and you've saved a few ounces and bucks in the process. Now go and order yourself either: 1) a pizza, or 2) a set of Super Grade swivel bases from Numrich (about $37 including all the screws)

WARNING/DISCLAIMER: If you choose option two, you'll be rewarded with a really cool addition to your Featherweight that will make it unique (except for mine, obviously). HOWEVER...installing them, unlike the procedure outlined above, takes some real skill, as you need to attack your stock with a Forstner bit and other sharp things in order to inlet them. If you mess up, there's no going back...you've ruined your stock. Be VERY, VERY careful if you choose to do this, and work very slowly...remember, measure twice, cut once!

What's you load?

IMHO,
Winchester/Browning/FN cannot FIX THEIR SCREWUPS if you do their work for them! You paid serious $ for that gun and it should shoot to their advertised standards.
2.5 MOA is crap.
DON'T TOUCH THE BEDDING on tbat gun.
Call the corporate weasels at BACO tbat sold you the rock throwing POS and get a claim tag to ship it to their service dept ASAP.

If they have to fix enough problems they cause they'll stop making crap and makes guns that shoot at least as well as a Ruger American.. at half the price of their M70s.

Be they Winchesters or any other bolt action rifle I initially bed them all the same way and that being tang, lug and forward the shank about one inch. All of my barrels are initially floated unless I feel a neutral pad is needed.

Of the dozen or so Win 70's I have had over the years, the rifles that got bedded responded very well. I don't consider Featherweight barrels as being pencil thin....you'll find those on Rem MR's.

You removed a bunch of material so unless you bed it, you will likely not see any improvement and I see no need to wait 5 minutes between shots.

Good luck with the rifle.

CLB...when you say "forward shank", are you referring to the chamber area of the barrel?

I'm likely going to re-bed the rifle before taking it shooting over the weekend. Bed the rearmost inch or so of the receiver at the tang and at the recoil lug, first laying a layer of electrical tape over the front, bottom, and sides of the lug. I'll probably bed 3/4 or so of the chamber area at both the bottom and sides. I already tried upward pressure at the forend, both with a piece of leather between the forend tip and the barrel and by wrapping the barrel with electrical tape right about where the old '70's had a barrel band...no effect.

I've tried a plethora of factory loads along with a handload of 59.0 gr. RL-19 behind a Nosler 130 gr ballistic tip, which seemed to be a little better at 2" or so. Still twice what it should be.

I've made up some pretty warm loads with RL-22 (would have used H4831sc, but none was locally available, and it rubs me the wrong way to spend as much in HazMat charges as the powder costs), so it'll be interesting to see what happens...I've widened the net to include 110 and 150 gr. bullets.

Any further words of wisdom before I attack my stock with my trusty Dremel? I'm beginning to wonder if I might have a crooked barrel...is there any way to visually/mechanically check this? I really don't want to get into the bureaucratic swamp of returning it to the factory if I can avoid it...

P.S. I even went so far as to return the scope (VXII 3-9) to Leupold for a check...alles gut. Mounts are Leupold STD rotary dovetails...pretty foolproof. Trigger's been adjusted to as light as it'll go...I'm happy with that.

I have three FN 70 FWTs and one FN 70 Portagee FWT. They are all reasonably decent shooters. The only recurring issue I had with all of them was the actions screws would back out over a 15-25 round range session. I finally had to use blue loctite to prevent the screws from backing-out. I would suggest that you take a felt tipped pen and make some witness marks on the screws and guard to see if you have movement before you reach for a dremel. CP.

"It seems to me that, even with a free-floating barrel, there should be SOME support, at least for the first half-inch or inch or so..."

Why not try out some cardboard shims as pressure pads where you please before you start the power tool surgery?

I also have one of the new FN Model 70 Featherweights in .270, and all it needed out of the box was a little trigger adjustment. That was a bit of a PITA, but apart from that, I've been very satisfied with the rifle. Here's how that rifle shoots with ammo it likes:





I am also in the process of reviewing a new (Portugal assembly) Model 70 Ultimate Shadow Hunter SS in 30-06. Best groups from this rifle, with preferred ammo, are one ragged hole.





Unfortunately, it sounds like you got a problem child. If it shoots that poorly and you've eliminated the usual suspect causes, I'd be having a discussion with the factory.

Yes. I am referring to the chamber area. Bed the lug, shank and about 1 inch or so forward is what I do.

I prefer the lug to be tight so I only tape off the sides and bottom. Again, this is just what I do.

IMO, you won't need a pressure point but easy to install later if you feel you do. Float the barrel first before you remove material from the stock then simply use enough tape to help you center the barrel in the stock as you slip the action into the compound.

Don't be in a rush to shoot. Your compound may need a couple days to fully cure. After you pop it out spend a little time on the clean up and be sure nothing is binding anywhere especilly the mag box.

This is likely not a scope issue and DD's are bullet proof. Unless you have adjustable windage screws. If you do, toss those in the garbage and buy new Leupolds or Tally's.

Post the exact load you are thinking about as there are plenty of .270 shooters who can help you there....

I don't tape the sides of the lug, just plenty of One Shot as a release agent. I do put a little on the bottom of it though.

Hi, you might give some 150 gr bullets a try. My 270 Vanguard shoots 150's better than 130s. Randy