It Shouldn't Have Taken So Long.....

[INTJ]

I stumbled across a pre 64 M-70 for a good price. The barrel and stock weren't so good but the action was in great shape.

I got it home, took it apart, and cleaned the action. I had a barrel and stock that were in better shape so I swapped them out. Barrel headspaced just fine.

The stock needed a little work. The floor plate was very tight and the action screws went in with effort, meaning I needed to lengthen the inletting at the bottom if the stock. Should have been piece of cake. Just put the 3/4 end mill into the milking machine and elongate the inletting.

When I got out the 3/4" collet, it wouldn't fit in the spindle. I am forever a newby machinist and I hadn't used the 3/4" collet. The 9/16" collet fit fine. I measured and the 3/4" collet was .0005" to .001" larger in diameter.

So I put the three jaw on the lathe, wrapped the collet with a brass shim, but the jaw were too long to polish the top 3/4" of the collet where it was too big.

I then took the drawbar from the mill and threaded the collet on backwards all the way until it stopped. I wrapped the drawbar with a brass shim and got it in the lathe. Using Med, then Fine Emory Cloth I got the diameter polished a bit, oiled it, and made it fit into the spindle.

It took maybe 10 minutes on the mill to elongate the floor plate inletting and everything for fine. The whole process of figuring out how to polish the collet took about an hour and a half.

It shouldn't have taken that long.......

 

[Danny1788]

Are they cheap Chinese collets?

 

[hoz53]

I stumbled across a pre 64 M-70 for a good price. The barrel and stock weren't so good but the action was in great shape.

I got it home, took it apart, and cleaned the action. I had a barrel and stock that were in better shape so I swapped them out. Barrel headspaced just fine.

The stock needed a little work. The floor plate was very tight and the action screws went in with effort, meaning I needed to lengthen the inletting at the bottom if the stock. Should have been piece of cake. Just put the 3/4 end mill into the milking machine and elongate the inletting.

When I got out the 3/4" collet, it wouldn't fit in the spindle. I am forever a newby machinist and I hadn't used the 3/4" collet. The 9/16" collet fit fine. I measured and the 3/4" collet was .0005" to .001" larger in diameter.

So I put the three jaw on the lathe, wrapped the collet with a brass shim, but the jaw were too long to polish the top 3/4" of the collet where it was too big.

I then took the drawbar from the mill and threaded the collet on backwards all the way until it stopped. I wrapped the drawbar with a brass shim and got it in the lathe. Using Med, then Fine Emory Cloth I got the diameter polished a bit, oiled it, and made it fit into the spindle.

It took maybe 10 minutes on the mill to elongate the floor plate inletting and everything for fine. The whole process of figuring out how to polish the collet took about an hour and a half.

It shouldn't have taken that long.......

usually its been the slot in the collet that wont fit over the pin in the spindle that has caused trouble for me

 

[INTJ]

usually its been the slot in the collet that wont fit over the pin in the spindle that has caused trouble for me

I backed out the spindle screw first thing to check that. I was SO hoping that was the issue......

 

[INTJ]

Are they cheap Chinese collets?

I don't remember where I bought them so I don't know. The sizes 5/8" and larger all need to be polished so they will fit. The smaller sizes are all fine.

 

[butchlambert]

I see the barrel headspaced OK, how about the extractor cut?

 

[Danny1788]

I don't remember where I bought them so I don't know. The sizes 5/8" and larger all need to be polished so they will fit. The smaller sizes are all fine.

Reason I asked is I had the same problem with some cheap collets that came with a mill I bought, almost all of them were oversized and needed turned down .002-.004” and the surface finish on them was junk before I turned them down. They work Ok after truing and turning them down.

 

[INTJ]

I see the barrel headspaced OK, how about the extractor cut?

Yep. Pre 64s usually allow barrel swaps and everything lines up. I have done several such barrel swaps. Manufacturing to that level of consistency seems to be a lost art nowadays......

 

[Liven The Dream]

Having been a Machinist in my early days !
Most work was Repair And Screw Machine work .
The set up time could be quite long ?
The job could be done in half the time .

 

[epc308]

Yep. Pre 64s usually allow barrel swaps and everything lines up. I have done several such barrel swaps. Manufacturing to that level of consistency seems to be a lost art nowadays......

Barrels for M1885 High Walls will time up the majority of the time, even with octagonal barrels. I wish I could have Mr. Peabody set the WayBack machine to go back and see how they did it with the equipment of the day.

 

[SBLH10]

I have bought 4 new replacement barrels from Winchester for the pre 64 Model 70. They all screwed on and headspaced / extractor cut lined up correctly each time. (1-270, 1-243, 1-220 swift Std Bbl. Last one was a 220 Swift. HVY VAR BBL). It was the last barrel Winchester had in stock for the 220 Swift or 243 win.
Chet
Just went down and found the invoice from Winchester for the last 220Swift BBL dated 09/16/68.
Ps: Brings back a lot of coyote calling days.

 

[Gappmast]

I have bought 4 new replacement barrels from Winchester for the pre 64 Model 70. They all screwed on and headspaced / extractor cut lined up correctly each time. (1-270, 1-243, 1-220 swift Std Bbl. Last one was a 220 Swift. HVY VAR BBL). It was the last barrel Winchester had in stock for the 220 Swift or 243 win.
Chet
Just went down and found the invoice from Winchester for the last 220Swift BBL dated 09/16/68.
Ps: Brings back a lot of coyote calling days.

View attachment 1181321

Those prices bring a tear to your eye

 

[nicholst55]

Those prices bring a tear to your eye

That $47 and change from 1968 comes out to $350 and change in 2019, so it isn't quite as good a deal as it sounds.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

That $47 and change from 1968 comes out to $350 and change in 2019, so it isn't quite as good a deal as it sounds.

I am just waiting to see what a couple buncha Trillion dollars injected into the economy does for the price of essentials. Milk should not be 8 bucks a gallon, and bread should not be 5 bucks a loaf.