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Work order — Winchester Model 70

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: high.

Shop difficulty: Tier 1 of 3

A classic two-screw bolt rifle with a simple bolt and a bolt sleeve that unscrews. The traps are small: the sleeve is stiff to turn on a new rifle, the claw extractor must be aligned, the three-position safety position matters, and bolts are serial-matched for headspace. 50 parts (stand-in: pre-1964 controlled-round-feed Winchester Model 70 and 70 Featherweight per the Gun Digest exploded drawing legend (courtesy James M. Triggs), keys 1-50: receiver, barrel, sights, bolt with ). Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~30 min, rebuild ~45 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• padded vise — Turning a stiff bolt sleeve
• torque driver — Action screws

Watch for:

• With the firing pin down, the bolt sleeve has to be turned back to its notch. On a new rifle it may need the firing pin gripped in a padded vise. (reassembly; Winchester Repeating Arms)
• The claw extractor has to be lined up with the right-hand lug or the bolt will not enter, and the safety must be in its intermediate position. (reassembly; Winchester Repeating Arms)
• Bolts are fitted and serial-etched for headspace. In a multi-gun shop job, bolts must never be swapped between rifles. (reassembly; Winchester Repeating Arms)

Tools

• Bore guide — Cleaning from the breech without damaging the throat or the crown.
• Hex key or screwdriver matching the action screws — Removing the barrelled action from the stock. Not needed for routine cleaning.
• Torque wrench — Reinstalling action screws to a consistent value, which is an accuracy variable on every bolt rifle.

1. Clear and make safe

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Place the safety in the on position.
3. Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully rearward, extracting and ejecting any chambered round.
4. Unload the magazine: on a hinged floorplate rifle press the floorplate latch and let the rounds fall out; on a detachable magazine rifle remove the magazine; on a blind magazine cycle the bolt to feed and eject each round.
5. Inspect the chamber and magazine well with a light and physically confirm the chamber is empty.
   Warning: Look and feel. Both, every time.
6. Remove all live ammunition from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Field Strip

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure.
2. Confirm the firing pin is cocked — the cocking indicator should protrude at least 1/8 in from the rear of the bolt sleeve. If it is not cocked, cock it with the rifle unloaded and the muzzle in a safe direction by raising and lowering the bolt handle.
   Tip: If the indicator will not protrude, the bolt has been partially disassembled. Sort that out before going further.
3. Place the safety in its INTERMEDIATE position.
   Warning: Not the fire position. The Model 70's three-position safety has a middle detent that locks the firing pin while still letting the bolt be worked, and that is the position the manual specifies for bolt removal.
4. Raise the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully to the rear.
5. Depress the bolt stop at the left rear of the receiver and remove the bolt.
6. Clean the bore from the breech using a bore guide, and clean the bolt face, lugs, and chamber.
   Tip: Winchester notes it is always advisable to remove the bolt before cleaning.

Remove the Barrelled Action from the Stock

1. Verify the rifle is unloaded and remove the bolt and magazine.
2. Remove the action screws from the bottom of the stock, noting which screw came from which hole.
   Tip: They are often different lengths.
3. Lift the barrelled action out of the stock.

3. Refinish

The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks "factory fit" should not be swapped or reworked.

4. Reassemble

Remove the Barrelled Action from the Stock

1. To reinstall, seat the action in the stock, start both screws by hand, then tighten the front screw first and the rear second to a consistent torque.
   Warning: Inconsistent action screw torque is one of the most common causes of a rifle that will not hold zero. Consult your stock maker’s specification rather than guessing.

Reassembly

1. Use only this rifle's own bolt.
   Warning: The bolt is selected and fitted at the factory for correct headspace and is etched with the rifle's serial number. Never interchange bolts. If yours is lost or damaged, the rifle goes back to the factory for a fitted replacement.
2. Place the safety in its intermediate position and check that the claw extractor is perfectly lined up with the right-hand locking lug.
3. Insert the bolt into the receiver with its lugs aligned with the lug tracks.
4. Push the bolt fully forward and lower the handle to the locked position. The safety can now be operated.
5. Confirm the safety is in either the intermediate or the rear on-safe position, then perform the function check.

5. Torque

Notes: From Winchester's Model 70 owner's manual, where the value is given at the end of the trigger adjustment procedures. It is the value for any reinstallation of the barreled action in the stock.

Fit or check on rebuild

• Use the rifle's own serial-matched bolt — Headspace.
• Action screw torque — Affects zero.
• Re-zero sights or scope — Sights and optics come off for coating, and point of impact must be re-confirmed. This is a standard check, so no source.

6. Function check

• Verify the rifle is unloaded and the magazine is empty before each check.
• Cycle the bolt and confirm it cocks and closes fully into battery.
• With the action cocked, engage the safety and press the trigger. The firing pin must not release.
• Disengage the safety without touching the trigger. The firing pin must not release.
• Press the trigger and confirm the firing pin releases cleanly.
• Confirm the bolt release retains the bolt.
• Load dummy rounds and confirm they feed from the magazine and eject cleanly.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

If it won't go back together

Sources

1. Winchester Model 70 Bolt-Action Rifle Owner's Manual — Winchester Repeating Arms primary
   https://www.winchesterguns.com/content/dam/winchester-repeating-arms/support/owners-manuals/2019/17-WRA-424_Model%2070_SR_OM_WEB.pdf
2. Model 70 Owner's Manual (web edition) — Winchester Repeating Arms primary
   https://www.winchesterguns.com/support/owners-manuals/model-70.html
3. Model 70 Featherweight — Specifications (Winchester Repeating Arms) — Winchester Repeating Arms primary
   https://www.winchesterguns.com/products/rifles/model-70/model-70-featherweight.html
4. The Gun Digest Book of Exploded Gun Drawings (975 isometric views) — Winchester 'Model 70 and 70 Featherweight Bolt-Action Rifle' — Gun Digest Books / Krause Publications (scan on archive.org) secondary
   https://archive.org/download/the-book-of-exploded-gun-drawings-975-isometric-views/The%20Book%20of%20Exploded%20Gun%20Drawings%20-%20975%20Isometric%20Views.pdf

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.