doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com M70 super grade swivel suggestions

My son drew a Elk license for Montana this year and it will be a good place to use the new to me old 1937 M70 in 300 H&H. And if he can be successful and take a criter with it then I can retire it.
Anyway I digress abit. The rifle has the wider super grade swivel bases and I am exploring options for a sling. Some I have thought of are:
1. Buy original Winchester sling swivels that fit the wider base of the swivels or aftermarket if avaiable. I do not know if they are.
2. Make my own
3. If something is available, replace the originals with newer narrow swivels that with fit a todays standard sling swivel.
4. modify the originals by machining them narrower to fit today's standard
Now before anyone goes off the deep end I also do not think much of some of the options.
However if you have an idea I would like to listen to it.
Thanks

Aftermarkets are not available AFAIK. Originals are occasionally available on eBay and Gunbroker for a price or three. At one time, for a short time immediately after the '64 changeover, Win offered SG swivel bases that were made wide to fit the earlier inletting but the humps were cut down to accept the narrower modern swivels. I'm not clear on the details but remember getting a 52 Sporter stock from the factory in '69 but the swivel bases they sent were the cut-down ones. The Win 2-screw non-detachable bases are the same dimension and they'll substitute nicely if you remove the swivel bow but then again they're worth quite a bit also and it would be a shame to ruin a set. But I forgot, you already have the bases.

The originals were made in at least 4 sizes: 7/8"(carrying strap, most often encountered and cheapest), 1"(small sling, 2nd most common), 1 1/8"(Marlin deluxe, VERY seldom encountered, most collectors don't know its details 'cause they've never seen a set) and 1 1/4"(Win NM SG, very rare and highest-priced). They were also offered separately as an aftermarket add-on, albeit with studs rather than 2-screw bases.

SARCO at one time offered a reasonable substitute that originated as a detachable military swivel in one of the Scandinavian countries; I believe that Mark knows the details.

Here's a pic of some SG swivels, original and otherwise. The Scandinavian swivel is the one on the bottom left. The middle swivel is a 7/8" Win and the swivel on the right end is a modern narrow 1" one.

I like these swivels A LOT and have used them for many years, however they're getting so expensive that I can't afford them any longer.
Regards, Joe

I once bought a set of the military swivels at a gun show. They didn't fit without modification, but I can't remember why. I think the pin would not fit into the base receptacle without drilling the base. I didn't want to do that. If you could figure out a way to reduce the diameter of the pin, I think they would work. I don't know what rifle they came on. My solution for LRF would be to bite the bullet and pay ebay prices for a set of Winchester swivels.

I swore there was a response here from Jagermeister but he must have withdrawn it, to bad since his idea gave me some design inspiration and I wanted to say thanks.
I have been leaning toward just making my own set out of steel and have been giving the design some consideration. The Hogue polymer design would serve the function although I could not bring myself to putting plastic parts on a classic gun.

Thanks to all who have contributed it is appreciated

If you pay about a hundred bucks for a set of original swivels, it will add at least that much to the value of a 300 H&H Super. I just bought a great 1947 Super and, good gosh, the swivels were there.

Hell, if you're going to retire the gun after the hunt I'll lend you a set of repros I have. At least I assume they're repros, not nicely finished, have casting and tool marks, but they fit on a 1/2" stud and use a 7/8-1" strap.

Your are welcome to them for hunting season.

Rob

Thanks, however another kind member has already PM'd me and is sending a set. I will either use his set and make a copy or just use them as he has offered. I do appreciate the offers. I will not mention the member as I do not know that he would want that however he can say who he is or give me permission to say.

I have a policy that a gun or bow is only good for one animal harvest and needs to be retired there after. I do get to buy and make guns with this policy

So did the originals. I've owned probably 2 dozen sets, 2 sets were on pristine 99.9% rifles. All, repeat all, of the truly original ones I've seen have had a rather dull & rough blue or more usually a black finish. The few I've seen with a high polish had all been reblued.
Regards, Joe

Interesting Joe, I'll get a picture up and tell me what you think. The interior is not square either, i.e. the bttom of the yoke, the bar that contains the spring loaded pin, is not even, thicker on one side.

Today I received the lent set of swivels from the un-named forum member and they are very nice. Here is a pic:


Thank you to the member.