Need a gunsmith for a Stevens 1984 project

[Shanghai Jack]

Not sure this is the right forum but . . .

Looking for someone who can do a rimfire to centerfire conversion.

Thanks

[Bent Ramrod]

John Taylor might be able to do it. He posts on this site frequently.

[pietro]

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Welcome to the board, Jack !

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[Cree]

Hey Jack, and welcome. Could you clarify what action you mean? I think we’re all assuming you meant the 1894 Stevens, but I suppose there could be a 1984 action, too, especially with Stevens.

I’d be leery of hotrodding them, though. It’s a fairly small action, width-wise, and there simply isn’t much to hold it together. I played around with one years ago in 25 rimfire, trying to figure out what to do with it, and finally just sold it to someone more excited about it than me. If you check out Wisners.com and (maybe “Leroy’s Ramblings”) you might find some pretty good info on the old and varied Stevens single shots.

Frank de Haas had some great info in his books - the name of which escapes me now, might be “Single Shots Rifles and Their Actions” or some such - oughta be able to pick up a copy online cheaply. I found it very helpful in understanding what can and cannot be done with the myriad of old single shots we all seem to run across.

Many of today’s gunsmiths consider De Haas to have been accurate in his assessments of both bolt and single-shot actions and their relative strengths. With liability today far outreaching what it was in Mr. De Haas’ time, I think you may find some resistance to rechambering the 1894 action to centerfire. I’m not saying if that’s right or wrong, only that’s the world we live in. Were we discussing the 44 1/2 Stevens action, well, that’s a horse of a different color.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[uscra112]

First question has to be whether we're talking about a Stevens Favorite action, or a Model 44. The "94" model Favorites are really not strong enough to be converted to centerfire, period. The 1915 Favorite in .32 RF can safety be converted to .32 Long Colt, but I would caution against converting to .32 S&W Long, since some factory ammo tests to 17,000 psi.

A Model 44 is a different story. They will stand low-pressure centerfire pistol cartridges, up to about 20,000 psi. (They last longer if kept to about 15,000 psi, however.) Breechblocks for .22 and .25 rimfire aren't too hard to convert. I've done a couple myself. The .32 rimfire pin is too far off center to be moved easily, but it can be done - just more work and expense.

No conversion should be attempted unless the action breeches up tightly. Most old 44s need at minimum the fitting of oversize link pins to assure this. In addition, many if not most of the post-1903 rimfire actions were made without bothering to fit the rear of the breechblock so that it bears solidly on the shoulders in the frame as the action locks up. This was OK for .22s, but it is not OK for centerfire cartridges. Correcting this is a complex task, requiring barrel setback to attain proper lockup.