- Joined
- Apr 12, 2013
- Messages
- 560
I have a Win model 70 Classic featherweight in 243Win that I dearly love, but it just isn't very accurate. I can handload and get to barely under 1.5" groups with 80 grain bullets only, anything else and it's a 2-3" shooter and believe me I've tried. So, I am considering trying my hand at rebarreling it with a long chambered barrel (I have a source for borrowing go-nogo gauges) from a good barrel house like Schilen. I am not tooling up to cut chambers or true actions, build benchrest rifles, or so forth, just to upgrade the factory barrels on a rifle or two I already have. I think I can use my lathe well enough to headspace the long chambered barrels out there and cut the extractor groove one way or another. That said I still need action and barrel wrench/blocks, and I need them early to confirm barrel thread specs...it seems there are 2 choices for the M70! What do y'all think of the following:
Action clamping: 1/2" steel plate bolted to the bench with aluminum action blocks bolted to it cut for the M70 action...basically a half moon over a flat block.
Barrel vise: 1" Aluminum square block bored to diameter for the existing barrel, drilled and tapped for grade 8 cap screws (that I already have), then cut in half for clamping the barrel.
I still haven't figured out if I should just put a big wrench on the barrel vise or add longer bolts and attach a handle for a cheater pipe.
How do you keep from scratching up the finish of a blued barrel and action?
Does this sound workable? What am I missing? Yeah I should just buy a lightweight Savage for stuff like this...but I really like that M70 FW.
Action clamping: 1/2" steel plate bolted to the bench with aluminum action blocks bolted to it cut for the M70 action...basically a half moon over a flat block.
Barrel vise: 1" Aluminum square block bored to diameter for the existing barrel, drilled and tapped for grade 8 cap screws (that I already have), then cut in half for clamping the barrel.
I still haven't figured out if I should just put a big wrench on the barrel vise or add longer bolts and attach a handle for a cheater pipe.
How do you keep from scratching up the finish of a blued barrel and action?
Does this sound workable? What am I missing? Yeah I should just buy a lightweight Savage for stuff like this...but I really like that M70 FW.