M70 Winlite Front Screw Bottoms on Bolt

[calinb]

I picked up an XTR Featherweight in .30-06 with the factory McMillan stock . It was manufactured around 1990, I think, and it's in great shape but it has one problem. Unless I leave the front stock screw quite loose, the screw bottoms and binds on the bolt. It appears that this stock may have been "bedded" at the factory with the hot glue. Regardless of the minimal material used in the factory bedding job, I think I will have to re-bed it, because the bedding and/or the stock appears to have compressed enough to cause the screw to bottom.

As a quick check of my theory, I laid a short length of popsicle stick into the stock where the recoil lug fits and it eliminated the bind. It appears that, along with the forward screw in the recoil lug area, both the trigger guard screws do help to hold the stock to the receiver in this rifle. What's a good torque value for the screws? Also, I've read that bedding about 2" up the barrel from the recoil lug is a good thing for the M70.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

-Cal

 

[natman]

You could shorten the screw. If you can get a nut in the right thread, put it on the screw, grind a couple of threads off and then remove the nut. The nut will help clean up the threads as it comes off.

I don't know if this or rebedding is the way to go without seeing your gun.

 

[calinb]

Thanks, natman. I didn't mention that my first attempt at a fix was to take a thread or two off the screw in length but it wasn't enough. Of course I could shorten the screw even more and, given that a popsicle stick thickness solves the problem, I think I could solve the bottoming problem by removing a couple more threads or so, but I figured something else must be wrong. The screw appears to be the correct for the rifle. (The screw is shorter than the handguard screws and its taper fits the beveled washer under the screw head perfectly.)

I'd be happy to post some pics, if you'd be willing to have a look at them. I sure appreciate it.

-Cal

 

[Wickens]

By all means shorten the screws to fit your stock. You don't have to rebed your action. Different stocks are have different thicknesses and you just make the screws fit.

 

[calinb]

Pics of Bedding

It looks like this post-64 M70 has a floating barrel, but I can't get a dollar bill to slide down the barrel. Maybe that's enough of a reason to re-bed. I haven't spent much time on load development but my best load shoots 1.25" at 100 yards, which I figure is okay for a hunting rifle--and that's with the scew loosely tightened to keep it from binding the bolt.

Should I cut the screw down more or do a new bedding job? What do you guys think?

Thanks,

-Cal

 

[Mac's Precision]

Difficult to tell without inspecting the gun in person. IF the recoil lug fits the bedding tight and correct with no for and aft movement then I would shorten the screw to fit. Torque the action screws as equally as you can....assuming you don't have a torque driver to use. Shoot for best group size and see what you get. I would bet that properly tightening the screws will improve that group. IF it doesn't shoot better I might seek to rebed it for a full floating barrel

Regarding torque values for stocks...

limit your torque to 25-35 inch pounds for non pillar bedded stocks. Torque figures above that with non pillar stocks can pull the screw head into the stock. Now that I mention this...check to make sure this hasn't happened in your case as it might explain the too long screw.

You may go as high as 55-65 inch pounds on pillar bedded stocks. In many cases you may want to experiment with the torque setting to see if there is a sweet spot where it is happy.

Best of luck...
Hope that helps
Mac.