SIGforum
Adjusting MOA Trigger Winchester 70

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/230601935/m/8170060715

September 04, 2025, 01:09 PM
2000Z-71
Adjusting MOA Trigger Winchester 70
So get home from working a 12 hour night shift do I:

A) Go to bed.

B) Throw the tennis ball for the dog, drink a beer and go to bed.

C) Take apart my new Winchester Model 70 and adjust the trigger.

If you guessed C you would be right. Why they decided to change the trigger on the Model 70 I will never know. It was a great trigger and incredibly simple in design. Now we have the, "Adjustable" MOA trigger. Why they advertise the trigger as being adjustable and even include instructions in the owner's manual on how to adjust it when they clearly don't want you adjusting it is beyond be.

Why do I say they clearly don't want you adjusting it? Because the front of the trigger housing where the overtravel adjustment and trigger pull weight adjustment screws are covered in what appears to be glop from a hot glue gun. Was able to remove it after quite a bit of work with a gunsmithing pick. Still couldn't adjust the screws because they poured glop down inside the heads of the screws. With a little scrubbing and gun cleaning solvent I was able to degunkify the screw heads so I could get a 1/16" Allen wrench in them.

Naturally the trigger weight adjustment screw was turned all the way in to its heaviest setting. Instructions said to turn the screw counterclockwise and it would, "Fall out" once the lightest setting was reached. So I course I let it, "Fall out" to get the lightest setting. Something just doesn't seem right having an open screw hole in the trigger housing of a hunting rifle.

Then set the overtravel to its minimum. Which was turn it clockwise and tighten all the way until the trigger no longer functions, then back it off until the trigger does break. Again, something doesn't seem right on a hunting rifle of having one singe screw be able to move under vibration on recoil and possibly render the trigger inoperative.

It's set now at roughly 4 pounds which is as light as it will go. It is a nice trigger with almost no take-up or overtravel. The feel is better than my Model 70 in 7mm Mag that I had worked over by a rifle smith who tuned the trigger to 2-1/2 pounds, but it is heavier.

I'll try it and see but it just doesn't seem nearly as robust as the original Model 70 trigger. And a big F. U. to the guys at the factory with their hot glue guns. I hope they stick their fingers to their weiners with hot glue next time they have to whiz at work.




My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball.
September 08, 2025, 10:54 PM
mesabi
The MOA trigger sucks, especially the hot glue. Ernie the Gunsmith's springs are the best solution.
September 09, 2025, 02:47 AM
sourdough44
You forgot ‘D’, that would be just watch a few videos on how that MOA trigger could be adjusted, then do it at a later time.

With the older/original Model 70 trigger, I always wondered when owners were looking at getting a replacement. If one wasn’t comfortable, could always fine someone who was, to adjust it.

It seems most of the ‘adjustable triggers’ now allow a range of adjustment, bottoming out at 3.5-4 lbs.

I don’t buy many new rifles, more likely to get an older used one. If the trigger isn’t to my liking, I look at methods to adjust.
September 09, 2025, 08:56 AM
Expert308
quote:
Then set the overtravel to its minimum. Which was turn it clockwise and tighten all the way until the trigger no longer functions, then back it off until the trigger does break. Again, something doesn't seem right on a hunting rifle of having one singe screw be able to move under vibration on recoil and possibly render the trigger inoperative.

Maybe that's why they put the glue glop in there. At least they didn't use red Loctite. Eek