Winchester 70 safety unsafe?

[rcmodel]

The M70 type safety will get pushed off of safe when carried over the shoulder on a sling with a backpack.

Just HOW exactly?

Carried on the right shoulder muzzle-up normally?
The safety would be on the outside, under your arm.
On the off-side from any possible pac strap coming within about the width of a Model 70 from getting anywhere close to touching it!

rc

 

[H&Hhunter]

Of course a safety can brushed off in some circumstances. Any safety can unless it is a latched safety as some British express and double rifles had. However I've carried a Model 70 over the shoulder "Africa" style for many hundreds of miles on safe without the first problem. I've also carried them slung with a pack on over either shoulder without the ever having one slide off of safe. They simply don't come off of full aft safe position very easily.

Are their better safety systems on other rifles? You bet there are several that come to mind. The Styer Safe Bolt when in full safe is latched and requires a button in the safety slide to be depressed to disengage. The Blaser, and the krieghoff decocking safeties are also just about bullet proof. With that said the M-70 safety when in the full aft position should not be coming out of position easily and I suspect that OP's rifle has a serious issue.

 

[sage5907]

I've carried a Winchester 70 for several hundred miles on a sling over my shoulder. Yes, the safety gets pushed off the center position to the front by a brush from a coat sleeve or by rubbing it against a bush, etc, and the solution to the problem is to always keep the safety in the rear locked position. This keeps the safety wing from being hit by anything, and it also keeps the bolt locked so it can't be pushed up. I use my rifles and although I take care of them I also know the tricks to make them perform in the field.

 

[H&Hhunter]

NEVER carry a Model 70 with the safety in the middle position! The middle position is for unloading only. When you want to unload your rifle flip the safety to the middle position which unlocks the bolt so you can lift the bolt handle to eject your chambered round. That is the only time you ever use the middle position on a Model 70 style safety.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have carried a pre-64 Model 70 many a mile in the Colorado Rockies, with a backpack, and never had the safety disengage.

 

[sage5907]

I agree with what H&Hhunter said about keeping the safety in the rear position but it needs further clarification. First, when not using the rifle I alway keep the firing pin down on an empty chamber. This is accomplished by having the safety off, pulling rear on the trigger and closing the bolt. This action lets the firing pin go forward slowly. Secondly, when I load the rifle I place the safety in the center position, load the box magazine, run a round in the chamber and then move the safety to the rear position. For unloading the rifle, place the safety in the center position, open the bolt to eject the cartridge in the chamber, and then open the magazine cover to remove the rounds in the box magazine.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

That's exactly how the 3-position safety was designed to be used.

 

[sage5907]

Hey Vern, we're on the same team! I just wanted to make sure everyone knows how to use the Model 70 safety. The Winchester Model 70 safety has been the envy of most of the firearms manufacturers. So has their latch for the box magazine, and their Mauser type controlled feed bolt. Most of the manufacturers couldn't afford to manufacture this excellent safety, the magazine latch and the controlled feed bolt so the trigger safety, blind magazine and push feed bolt came along to reduce manufacturing costs. The old wing type Mauser safeties on their DeLuxe rifles were clumsy to say the least when a scope was mounted. The Mauser Supreme action had a Sako trigger safety where the action could be opened with the rifle in the safe position, but the bolt could not be locked down. I have heard it said to never trust the trigger safety on a rifle and they were talking about the 700 Remington. If you dis-assemble a Model 70 safety and see how it locks the firing pin it will confirm your faith that the safety will work as designed.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I agree with you. Remington "solved" the problem of the rifle firing when the safety was released by eliminating the bolt lock-down feature.

I can just imagine twisting and turning through the blowdowns, and suddenly a 7X7 bull elk jumps up and "click!" 'cause the bolt handle had brushed against something and lifted slightly.

The manual of arms for the Model 70 is:

1. Open the bolt when you pick it up -- to be sure it isn't loaded.

2. If you intend to load it, close the bolt and put the safety in the mid-position.

3. Open the bolt and load as normal.

4. Close the bolt and pull the safety all the way back.

To unload:

1. Use that wonderful magazine latch to dump the rounds in the magazine.

2. Put the safety in the mid-position.

3. Eject the round in the chamber.


Winchester Model 70 -- the rifle that never goes hot until you are ready to shoot.

 

[sage5907]

Vern, I had that happen to me years ago with a Mauser Supreme action with a Sako #4 trigger. I saw a big whitetail buck and I knew if i ran to a point about a quarter mile away I could get a shot. I made the run, sat down to shoot and the firing pin fell but the rifle didn't fire. The bolt had been pushed about half way open during the run, and with the bolt half way open the firing pin was dropped slowly onto the primer. I put that rifle in the gun cabinet and have used only my Model 70's since that happened.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

And as time goes on, you'll hear more and more stories like that about the Remington Model 700.

 

[Dbrewer]

Sorry for the pause silly work was getting in the way. Regarding the method of carry it was right handed action carried over right shoulder muzzle up as god intended. I examined my pack gear and saw no obvious cause. The gun has been to a smith and I have friends with model 70s. I believe the mechanism is true and operating to design. So unless being tall is causing it to carry against my body differently, or my pack is rubbing it in away I haven't identified then I'm low on ideas. Anyway it reassuring most don't have this issue. It's a beautiful and classic design.

 

[sage5907]

Dbrewer, you have never exactly said that the safety is working it's way off the safe position when it is in the rear position that locks the bolt down? If this is happening then the safety parts need to be removed from the bolt shroud by a gunsmith and checked for problems. The works of the safety consist of a spring that fits over a pointed pin. The point of the pin fits into each of the three indention's in the safety cam. The indention's could be filled with a mixture of fine dirt and gun oil, the point of the pin may not fit properly into the indention's, or most likely the spring could be weak. The pin and spring are in a recess in the bolt shroud and this recess could be filled with dirt and oil. This pin is also pushed forward by the safety lever cam into the bolt to lock the bolt down. This is a small job for a gunsmith who knows how to work on a Model 70.