670 safety acting odd

[Ksmirk]

Evening fella's I've got an odd things going on and was wondering if someone might be able to head a bit of light my direction. Here's what's going on, I've got a Winchester 670 that I've been woking on for the past few years and pulled the action and bolt completely apart and sent off for bead blast and blue since the barrel had a few pits that wouldn't look right with a polished finish.... got it back and all back together and now the safety will not work! nothing was stoned or filed on just bead blasted, it worked fine prior to taking apart so I'm scratching my head.

What I find odd is that if I close the bolt handle say a little shy of halfway the safety lever will function? before I go crazy and start to re fit the thing what am I missing here? why would it work prior but not after? couldn't think bead blasting would change anything that much.

I appreciate any direction you can point me! this is the first Winchester I've played with, love the rifle and the main reason I wanted to pretty it up as I think it'll make a fine hunting rifle. Thanks and have a wonderful evening.

Kirk

 

[matthias]

If it was mine I would refit the safety/firing pin and move on.

 

[Ksmirk]

Sort of the direction I'm leaning! just curious since I've never really messed with 3 position safeties thought there might be something simple I'm overlooking....... I tend to overthink most things.

 

[matthias]

Everything is clean and bead blasted . Work the safety a few times to make some marks on the firing pin cut out and it will tell you the story.

 

[Bill Rodolph]

Did you do any trigger work? Working on the sear/trigger relationship can allow the firing pin to go forward just enough that the safety won't work. Or for that matter, the back of the sear and or cocking piece. Anything that allows the firing pin to go forward. If that is the case, then you will have to lengthen the notch in the firing pin where the safety rotates.

 

[SBS]

Evening fella's I've got an odd things going on and was wondering if someone might be able to head a bit of light my direction. Here's what's going on, I've got a Winchester 670 that I've been woking on for the past few years and pulled the action and bolt completely apart and sent off for bead blast and blue since the barrel had a few pits that wouldn't look right with a polished finish.... got it back and all back together and now the safety will not work! nothing was stoned or filed on just bead blasted, it worked fine prior to taking apart so I'm scratching my head.

What I find odd is that if I close the bolt handle say a little shy of halfway the safety lever will function? before I go crazy and start to re fit the thing what am I missing here? why would it work prior but not after? couldn't think bead blasting would change anything that much.

I appreciate any direction you can point me! this is the first Winchester I've played with, love the rifle and the main reason I wanted to pretty it up as I think it'll make a fine hunting rifle. Thanks and have a wonderful evening.

Kirk

Happens every time I have reblued these parts. Just bead blasting and bluing will remove enough metal to make the safety either hard to operate or won't work, depending on how close it was before. When it's close to working, it will work if operated just before dropping the handle all the way down as you say. That's because the cocking piece (attached to the back of the firing pin) actually drops farther forward just as the bolt closes due to the angled interface of the cocking piece and the trigger sear. Just take the bolt apart and move the ground out portion of the firing pin a little rearward at a time, trial and error, until the safety operates to suit you. I use a Dremel with a fine stone for this, and a magic marker to see where the safety is engaging the firing pin each time. Kind of a pain, taking the bolt apart and putting back together several times, but better to do this rather than cut too much and then have to grind on the sear. This problem also occurs in rifles that have been used a lot -- wear will make the safety hard to operate and the fix is the same as the above. Done a fair number of them over the years.

 

[Ksmirk]

Did you do any trigger work? Working on the sear/trigger relationship can allow the firing pin to go forward just enough that the safety won't work. Or for that matter, the back of the sear and or cocking piece. Anything that allows the firing pin to go forward. If that is the case, then you will have to lengthen the notch in the firing pin where the safety rotates.

Just cleaned up the crown and adjusted the trigger so the only thing I cut was the crown in the lathe, everything else was rather nice as this is an older rifle prior to lawyers

 

[Ksmirk]

Happens every time I have reblued these parts. Just bead blasting and bluing will remove enough metal to make the safety either hard to operate or won't work, depending on how close it was before. When it's close to working, it will work if operated just before dropping the handle all the way down as you say. That's because the cocking piece (attached to the back of the firing pin) actually drops farther forward just as the bolt closes due to the angled interface of the cocking piece and the trigger sear. Just take the bolt apart and move the ground out portion of the firing pin a little rearward at a time, trial and error, until the safety operates to suit you. I use a Dremel with a fine stone for this, and a magic marker to see where the safety is engaging the firing pin each time. Kind of a pain, taking the bolt apart and putting back together several times, but better to do this rather than cut too much and then have to grind on the sear. This problem also occurs in rifles that have been used a lot -- wear will make the safety hard to operate and the fix is the same as the above. Done a fair number of them over the years.

Sort of what I was thinking but like I said I tend to overthink things, I'll go ahead and start the tedious back and forth of taking that bolt apart. Thank you sir for the great explanation!

 

[SBS]

Be sure to polish the ground out notch in the firing pin when you are about finished. A fine cratex in the Dremel will take out the grinding marks, making it easier to operate the safety and removes very little metal. A little good grease applied to the area and you should have a smoothly operating safety.

 

[Ksmirk]

Just got some new craytex tips Tuesday...... I'm a big fan! much easier than the stones but both have their place. Thanks again for the pointers.

 

[Ksmirk]

Well after a couple of searches for a washer taking flight the garage floor is cleaner and I have a working safety! didn't take a mess to remove and actually surprised how little was taken off that kept it from functioning. Thanks for the direction fella's!