Jertex said What about Timney triggers? Other trigger choices? Does it help to have the action bedded & free float barrel and what would this do to value? 

Not likely to help.  The factory trigger is one of the best, & more than good enough for big game hunting.  There is some adjustment to it, if you remove the stock, but I don’t know how to do it.  A tiny bit of red grease applied to the sear surfaces will reduce let-off, but isn’t likely to improve grouping from a bench.

Bedding might help, or it might not, but there’s no “undoing” it if it doesn’t.  You could try slipping a business card under the brl at the fore-end tip to see if the extra pressure helps or hurts.  I don’t think bedding would reduce value to any major extent on such a common caliber 70, but it will make it harder to re-sell if you ever choose to do so by arousing suspicion.  But if you’ve only tested it with that one brand of ammo, it’s too soon to conclude that your groups are the best it will do. 

Jertex said
The factory trigger on this one has got to be 6lbs, so I’ll definitely be looking for information on how to adjust it if indeed it is adjustable.

  

I wouldn’t be satisfied with 6# either, but I still don’t think that’s what limiting accuracy, assuming good bench-rest technique; off-hand, a different story.  There are at least a couple of 70 experts on this forum who can tell you more, but I can’t.  Have you looked for a You-Tube video on the subject? 

TXGunNut said I know factory ammo is expensive and hard to find these days but maybe you’ll get lucky.
  

Unreal to have to say this about a cartridge as commonplace as .243.  What’s going on???  Yet the country can afford to blow 65 BILLION (and counting!) in Biden’s War Against Russian Hacking? 

Hi Jerry-

Your M70 is a standard rifle.  In the 243 WIN chambering, the standard rifle is considerably less common than the featherweight version, but not exactly rare either. For perspective, according to Roger Rule’s book there were 24,707 Featherweights, 6,812 Standard Rifles, 4,614 Varmint Rifles, 683 Target Rifles, 291 Super Grade Rifles, and 260 Super Grade Featherweights made in 243 WIN.

You can look up the year of (receiver) manufacture, based on polishing room records, under the “Resources” tab on this website.

The factory override trigger on the M70 has sufficient adjustment for weight of pull and over travel that it can usually be adjusted enough to get a satisfactory result.  Personally, I don’t mess with the sear engagement surfaces on M70 triggers (I’d leave that to an experienced gunsmith), but you can mess with the three hex nuts on the trigger adjustment screw that control weight and overtravel without messing anything up.  It’s probably not even going to be necessary to put a lighter spring in the trigger to get a lighter pull, just make sure it’s not all gunked up with congealed/hardened grease.

Good Luck!!!

Lou