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Thread: Savage 94 stub has anyone done one?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy firebyprolong's Avatar
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    Savage 94 stub has anyone done one?

    I picked up a 94 savage last week that bubba had been to work on with a hacksaw. It's cut at 18.5 on one side of the barrel and 18.75 on the other. It's a twenty gauge and my first thought was that I have a 357 take off that would thread in really nice. I'd face it back to 38 and have at it. Anyone else use one of these as a stub? I've done a couple of h&r s but never one of these.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master



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    no, but i use a 357 chiappa x-caliber insert in the 20ga barrel.

    good luck though.
    WebMonkey
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  3. #3
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    The Savage 94 is a good one. Have at it and post it up so I'll get back to work on my stub job!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    I did a liner in 30-30 in a Savage 9478 20 ga. for a friend who wanted a break action rifle.
    Back about 10 years ago I picked up a pre chambered barrel for a 30-30 lever gun and turned it to slide in to the 20 ga. barrel for a close fit and epoxied it in using a loaded 30-30 round to set the headspace as the barrel does not have a rim cut. I welded up the extractor and cut it to catch the case rim. I drilled and tapped the top of the barrel for a scope base before epoxying in the liner and did not need to do anything with the firing pin or the hole through the standing breech.
    To our suprise this gun shoots either 150 gr. or 170 gr. factory ammo to the same point of aim at 100 yards. I cut the barrel to 18" and it is a really handy little rifle. The owner has shot several whitetails and a hog with it and I took a antelope at 125 yards with it.
    I don't know why but he named the gun " Uncle Frank " and he just loves the thing.

    Jedman

  5. #5
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    So there is no reason to cut the rim recess? That will simplify things quite a bit I think.

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  6. #6
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    I personally find the Savage/Stevens 94s and 220s to be the best handing and pointing of the single shot shotguns. I think you'd do well with that as a barrel stub conversion.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    94 & 220 my favorite too. Also Sav 219 rifles, far nicer than H&R and NEF. I did a 30/30 on a 16g
    94 that had a bubba barrel to short by 6". I have saved some nice shotguns that bubba cut to
    short with salvaged Cutts & Poly Chokes. Anyway I had a Brn 1919 30cal barrel. Was a heavy
    straight contour, had my Gsmith make a chamber insert for 30/30. I turned barrel to fit 16g stub
    and silver soldered it in. Did the extractor myself. I gave up on the forend stud on barrel and ended up brazing a bushing on for a screw like a H&R. I put a D&Ted scope base on the barrel. It
    shot good but was a heavy little devil. I was going to put it back on the lathe and contour the barrel ahead of the forearm but traded it off before I got around to it. I did make a new firing pin
    just because it was beat bad. I have several 94s, one original one my old man got for selling salve.
    It looks brand new with case color reciever and original blue.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I did one with a take off trapdoor Springfield barrel in a 45/70 shortened to a 1.8" long chamber. It is for those states that allow straight walled black powder cartridges not over 1.8" long. I've test fired it but still need to restock it.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I did two of them like Jedman did. One of them is in 357 and the other is in 44 Magnum, both of them shoot way better than they have any right to. The problem that I did Encounter was the firing pin diameter was too big on both of them. The 357 was so bad that the primer would blank out a hole about every third shot. The primer would crater so bad that It didn’t want to break open. My solution was to use a bushing to bring the firing pin down to a smaller diameter. No problems now, but I have yet to fit an extractor to either one of them. Projects in need finishing...go figure!

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy firebyprolong's Avatar
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    I was thinking that 357 would mean bushing the firing pin and I would rather use a 1/4-20 screw on style forearm. I just build a barrel band to hang the forearm. It has the added benefit of semi floating the barrel. I have a couple extra h&r forearms and will need to inlet a new butt to replace all the god awful plastic on this rifle. Just need time to fire up the lathe and cut some threads. I like the recessed head if only for the look, but if your building you own lugs the flat breach can make thumb nail extraction much easier.

    Fix it did yours only crater 357s or did you have trouble with 38s as well?
    I'm thinking that a 38 will more than suffice for now. If I want I can always bush the pin and drop a reamer back in later and go 357.
    Last edited by firebyprolong; 02-21-2018 at 12:31 PM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    On the 357 you are dealing with SPP or SRP primers and there is a difference in the hardness of the primer cup between brands. I can't remember for sure but believe Remington and CCI may be the tougher primers that can take more pressure before you get cratering.
    Do a search, as it can make a difference what primer you are using.
    Hope you handload ?

    Jedman

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy firebyprolong's Avatar
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    These 94s have a larger firing pin then a h&r so I'm in untested territory for me. I'd always avoided them in the past because h&r's were easy to find, now not so much.
    Jed, I don't change primers to fix mechanical issues. If a primer flows into the pin I fix the problem by bushing the pin. Same thing with action jobs on my smiths, if it won't set off cci and Winchester primers it's too light for me and requires attention. Nothing against switching primers if it works for you, I just find it easier to not have to worry about it. I don't really see 38s being a problem but if they are I'll just get to play in the shop a little more.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    Doing the job the right way is always best.

    Jedman

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy firebyprolong's Avatar
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    I've been wanting to try a nieder-Mann style pin on one for a while I might just do it on this. Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it. Not a lot of people around to bounce ideas off of around my neck of the woods.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Sorry for not getting back sooner, fire. I don’t think I ran any specials through it before I did my bushing, but I doubt you would have a lot of trouble with cratering from them. If I recall correctly, the 44 specials don’t crater on the other rifle.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Additionally, the 357 had a headspace issue that I didn’t catch when I did the epoxying, so that probably exasperated the cratering issue. I corrected both issues with the bushing. The final product isn’t as pretty as I’d like it to be, but it shoots like a dream!!!

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy bstarling's Avatar
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    357 Stub Up

    I did a Savage/Stevens 220 and 94 conversion to 357 magnum a few years back. It worked out well and really wasn't difficult.

    Bill

    Here is a link to the build: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jE9K2wOHbKfBaE5h2

  18. #18
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    This is a diamond in the rough 16 ga that will get TLC and wood furniture.
    When I run out of 16ga shells, I'll stub it to something.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy firebyprolong's Avatar
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    Mines still apart laying on the bench, needing to be finished. Those are exactly the the kind of rough guns that follow me home on a regular basis.
    I need to start taking vacation from my job in town just to finish projects. With a 2 year old girl, a place to keep up, stock to feed and full time job my "neat stuff" time gets choked down to nothing anymore. I keep sane by laying in parts and project guns for slack time later.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
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