Why couldn't they have just put something like that in instead, is my question.
If you look at the changes in ownership of those who are licensed to build the M70, you can see why they would have replaced the Winchester trigger with the Browning trigger:
- On January 16, 2006 U.S. Repeating Arms announced it was closing the New Haven, Connecticut, plant where Winchester rifles and shotguns were produced for 140 years.
- On August 15, 2006, Olin Corporation, owner of the Winchester trademarks, announced that it had entered into a
new license agreement with Browning to make Winchester brand rifles and shotguns, though not at the closed Winchester plant in New Haven.
- In 2008
Fabrique Nationale announced that it would produce Model 70 rifles at its plant in Columbia, SC.
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company
WAS a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven Connecticut.
The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.As a result, they made a business decision to dump the Winchester trigger and replace it with their in-house
Browning box trigger.
Because Fabrique Nationale/Browning changed the M70 receiver to use their Browning box trigger, the Winchester trigger no longer fits. As a result, I have a preference for the older NH rifles. If you have a SC M70, you're stuck with a box trigger, and their Browning box trigger is probably as good as any for a hunting rifle, including the Timney. Some could care less as they prefer the feel of a clean breaking trigger straight out of the box without any tinkering. But, some like to tinker with their rifles and are fond of the robust Mauser design for a hard use hunting rifle. I prefer the former for target rifles with the later for hunting rifles.
Best