Hard Bolt close on M70

[TrapperBR549]

I had this gun built last year and have been very pleased with it. It is a pre'64 M70 action with a Brux barrel, chambered in 280AI.
I recently purchased a can for it (still in ATF jail unfortunately) so I wanted to get the barrel threaded. The gunsmith that put it together for me is semi-retired as he says so it usually take awhile and he is a couple hours away.
I drive past a local shop twice a day so I dropped in there and he said sure, no problem.
Apparently he was wrong. The bolt is now hard to close. He said he took the barrel off but he said it should just screw back on to the shoulder on the back of the barrel and tightened to the specified torque.
I contacted the gunsmith that built it and he said the problem is the other guy didn't know what he was doing. He will fix it but I have to call him in 3 weeks to schedule a time.
Now I am trying to figure what the guy did wrong when he screwed the barrel back on. I am assuming the problem is the cutout for the extractor but I don't really know.
Any ideas?

 

[ebb]

Check to see if the front action screw is rubbing the bolt?

 

[ebb]

Back the screw off one or two turns and see if the bolt is still stiff. you can always turn it back where it was if it fixes nothing.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Remove the bolt and with a flashlight, look at the extractor cutout and see if it is lined up with the lug ways. The barrel needed to be tightened to line up, not to some torque value.

 

[TrapperBR549]

Back the screw off one or two turns and see if the bolt is still stiff. you can always turn it back where it was if it fixes nothing.

I will give it a try but I looked at it with a teslong and it doesn't appear to be close to sticking out. It was working fine before and that shouldn't have changed but anything is possible.

 

[Big Mc]

I had this gun built last year and have been very pleased with it. It is a pre'64 M70 action with a Brux barrel, chambered in 280AI.
I recently purchased a can for it (still in ATF jail unfortunately) so I wanted to get the barrel threaded. The gunsmith that put it together for me is semi-retired as he says so it usually take awhile and he is a couple hours away.
I drive past a local shop twice a day so I dropped in there and he said sure, no problem.
Apparently he was wrong. The bolt is now hard to close. He said he took the barrel off but he said it should just screw back on to the shoulder on the back of the barrel and tightened to the specified torque.
I contacted the gunsmith that built it and he said the problem is the other guy didn't know what he was doing. He will fix it but I have to call him in 3 weeks to schedule a time.
Now I am trying to figure what the guy did wrong when he screwed the barrel back on. I am assuming the problem is the cutout for the extractor but I don't really know.
Any ideas?

Find a NEW smith. Just my two cents Tommy Mc

 

[Will Henry]

The barrel is not indexed correctly and the 'smith either doesn't know what he did wrong or just doesn't want to admit it was his fault.. Easy fix and he should have readily agreed to fix it rather than try to blow smoke. WH

 

[TrapperBR549]

Appreciate the input. I really like the smith who built the rifle for me but he is not very convenient. I took a shortcut and paid for it. Live and learn.
Can anyone explain to me the correct procedure for removing and replacing the barrel to get it indexed correctly?

 

[Walt Krafft]

It will take a barrel vise and an action wrench. First determine if it was over tightened or under tightened. If under, it shouldn't take much more tightening to free up the bolt. If over tightened, it may be fubar. Loosen then tighten, testing with the bolt until it moves free. The question then is it tight enough to stay put. Blue Loctite may be your friend. If too loose it will need to be completely redone.

 

[Ggmac]

does it close hard with the safety on and chamber empty ? Check by using a magic marker on the extractor , both top , bottom , end and side, close bolt , inspect to see rubbmarks . If on end , the extractor cut needs to be deeper , if on underside of extractor, the extractor cut needs a little more cut ( barrel torque too much ) if on the top , needs more torque OR extractor cut widened

 

[tobnpr]

I contacted the gunsmith that built it and he said the problem is the other guy didn't know what he was doing.

Wouldn't take much over/under rotation to cause the extractor to fail to clear the extractor cut.
There's a thread on this forum showing that the clearance can be tight.

Winchester Model 70 tenon cutout

A customer brought me a Winchester Model 70 Laredo to chamber in 7mm STW and this will be my first Winchester project and I'm in a bit of a quandary so time to ask the pros again. I broke the current barrel loose and it's got a cutout in the tenon threads for, what I assume to be, the extractor...

forum.accurateshooter.com

Smith that originally barreled should have punched a witness mark, and the smith that threaded the muzzle should've checked for it, and put one there if needed- before pulling the barrel.

Quick visual inspection down the bolt raceway will tell you if this is the issue ( I don't see how it can be anything else). As mentioned above, might take locktite if it's over-clocked to secure it correctly if typical torque over-clocks it- or better- just open up the extractor cut. No reason to keep clearances between the extractor and sides of the cut gnat's ass skinny IMO.