.458 Winchester Model 70 Feeding Problem - 05/05/07
I am interested if anyone else has encountered this problem and who (if anyone) is qualified to fix it.
The rifle is a PF which has been in the family since about 1980. I think this problem would occur whether it was PF or CRF.
Problem: The magazine holds three rounds in a staggered box magazine of course. The first and third are to the right and the second to the left. When the first round is ejected, the second round tends to tip upward, with the base held securely in the magazine but the nose tipped upward enough to sometimes hit the rifle above the chamber and fail to feed. Not good for dangerous game! The first and third rounds feed OK.
Analysis: The magazine appears to have identical dimensions, including the follower, as my pre-64 CRF in 30-06 caliber. These 30-06 rounds all remain parallel in the magazine and don't tip up.
Loading three 30-06 rounds in the .458 magazine works just fine! The rounds stay securely parallel to the barrel until the bolt pushes them into the chamber.
That gave me an idea. Load a 30-06 round into the .458 magazine first and follow it by two .458 rounds. Result: Both .458 rounds feed OK. The "second" round does not tip up its nose.
My conclusion: The .458 rounds are so much fatter that they sit in the "staggered" magazine more upright and less left-to-right. The left lip of the magazine does not properly restrain the second .458 round because the round needs to be more to the left (which I can accomplish by putting a 30-06 round, with its smaller diameter, in first).
The only fix I can see would be to have someone widen the magazine on the left side. OR...hunt dangerous game with only one in the magazine and one in the chamber...duh...
I would think this problem would be common on lots of Model 70s.
In the event I can't get this fixed, I will have to order, by mail, a DGR pretty pronto. No one seems to have one around here that I can try for fit. My concern is that some cheek pieces are too fat, and my eye naturally comes up to the left of the sights on these. If someone could recommend a "skinnier" one I would appreciate that. Weatherby's standard stock fits me just fine. For reasons I do not have time to debate, if I have to buy a DGR, it would preferably be a .375 H&H.
The rifle is a PF which has been in the family since about 1980. I think this problem would occur whether it was PF or CRF.
Problem: The magazine holds three rounds in a staggered box magazine of course. The first and third are to the right and the second to the left. When the first round is ejected, the second round tends to tip upward, with the base held securely in the magazine but the nose tipped upward enough to sometimes hit the rifle above the chamber and fail to feed. Not good for dangerous game! The first and third rounds feed OK.
Analysis: The magazine appears to have identical dimensions, including the follower, as my pre-64 CRF in 30-06 caliber. These 30-06 rounds all remain parallel in the magazine and don't tip up.
Loading three 30-06 rounds in the .458 magazine works just fine! The rounds stay securely parallel to the barrel until the bolt pushes them into the chamber.
That gave me an idea. Load a 30-06 round into the .458 magazine first and follow it by two .458 rounds. Result: Both .458 rounds feed OK. The "second" round does not tip up its nose.
My conclusion: The .458 rounds are so much fatter that they sit in the "staggered" magazine more upright and less left-to-right. The left lip of the magazine does not properly restrain the second .458 round because the round needs to be more to the left (which I can accomplish by putting a 30-06 round, with its smaller diameter, in first).
The only fix I can see would be to have someone widen the magazine on the left side. OR...hunt dangerous game with only one in the magazine and one in the chamber...duh...
I would think this problem would be common on lots of Model 70s.
In the event I can't get this fixed, I will have to order, by mail, a DGR pretty pronto. No one seems to have one around here that I can try for fit. My concern is that some cheek pieces are too fat, and my eye naturally comes up to the left of the sights on these. If someone could recommend a "skinnier" one I would appreciate that. Weatherby's standard stock fits me just fine. For reasons I do not have time to debate, if I have to buy a DGR, it would preferably be a .375 H&H.