Missed a factory defect
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First post from a new member.
I recently picked up a new Model 70 Super Grade and didn't notice until I got home that the magazine follower doesn't go to the very top of the magazine. Upon close inspection, there's a small rise in the metal casting of the magazine chamber that makes the follower stop about a half-inch below the top of magazine. As a result, when only one or two cartridges are in the magazine, they're too low for the extractor claw to latch onto them properly. Works great as a push feed but practically useless as a controlled-feed. I figured this out after comparing the action to that of my Columbia,SC made Model 70 Featherweight. Can't say I've ever purchased a new rifle with a defective magazine follower, and especially one that carries the cost of a Super Grade. The rifle is currently awaiting assignment by a gunsmith at the Winchester Service Center in Missouri. This is definitely something that anyone buying a new Model 70 should check before taking it home. Hopefully, Winchester will send me another one rather than a new one that's been grounded down to make the parts fit.
I recently picked up a new Model 70 Super Grade and didn't notice until I got home that the magazine follower doesn't go to the very top of the magazine. Upon close inspection, there's a small rise in the metal casting of the magazine chamber that makes the follower stop about a half-inch below the top of magazine. As a result, when only one or two cartridges are in the magazine, they're too low for the extractor claw to latch onto them properly. Works great as a push feed but practically useless as a controlled-feed. I figured this out after comparing the action to that of my Columbia,SC made Model 70 Featherweight. Can't say I've ever purchased a new rifle with a defective magazine follower, and especially one that carries the cost of a Super Grade. The rifle is currently awaiting assignment by a gunsmith at the Winchester Service Center in Missouri. This is definitely something that anyone buying a new Model 70 should check before taking it home. Hopefully, Winchester will send me another one rather than a new one that's been grounded down to make the parts fit.