Stevens 44 What To Do

[snipin101]

Hello all. So my wife sent me a online auction the other day with some old guns for sale. So I seen an old Stevens with zero description about the rifle. I bid a little and won it. I went and picked it up today from the auction house. I know it is very rough around the edges to say the least lol. My question is what would you guys do with this rifle? I would absolutely love to send or take this rifle to someone and get it back in great shooting condition. I know it would take some money for sure but then I would have a great gun. It's chambered in 25-20. I would like to keep it chambered for that. The bore looks about like the rest of the gun. Could it be sleeved back to that or would it need to be bored out to something in 30 cal then rifling cut? I don't even know where to start as I am not a gunsmith and don't have matching tools. Is there anyone that restores old rifles like this that does a good job? These questions might get me started lol. Thanks for any helps or opinions.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Restoration is worthwhile and you will have a family heir loom to boot. That is the journey that I took with my Winchester Low Wall in 32WCF (made 1892) and now I have a rifle that I shoot up to 3 times per week!

[country gent]

I would pull the barrel clean and polish the outside have a liner installed and chambered to 25-20 The action I would hand polish and have color case hardened. Wood would be refinished or replaced possibly with a medium to upper end walnut. The steel butt plate would get the same as the action.

When done it will be to pretty to shoot.

Even a good cleaning and polish will do a lot then block sand and tru oil finish on the wood will greatly improve the appearance.

[dverna]

John Taylor is who I would reach out to.

[country gent]

CPA might make new wood for it. By sleeving you maintain the original markings. Cntact Gail there they might even color case harden with the stevens pattern.

[marlinman93]

The question is which .25-20 is it? If it was the .25-20 Win. it would likely be marked ".25-20 WCF" so it might be the .25-20 Single Shot Stevens cartridge, and if so I wouldn't reline it and chamber it to that cartridge due to how tough the cases are to buy.
I wouldn't consider a restoration, and barrel liner unless you're prepared to also go new wood, color case hardening, and rust bluing the barrel. If you're going to do it, do it right. But expect this to be a pretty expensive gun when done, and have more into it than it will ever sell for. But if you plan to keep it afterwards, then it's worth it.
John Taylor could reline the barrel, but if you want one person who can do all the restoration work, then I'd recommend Al Springer at Snowy Mountain Gun Restorations. Al's work is beyond compare, and he can do all the refinishing, including restocking. I've had Al do my color case work, and rust bluing for a very long time now, and love everything he's done for me! Extremely fair pricing, and great finish work!
If you have the ability to do metal polishing, and fit new stocks, you can save a lot of money on this restoration. If you can't do the stocks, they will likely be the major part of your costs.

[old turtle]

Very nice find. I agree dverna, John Taylor does excellent work.

[snipin101]

Thank you guys so much for the info. I would like to make this gun something special and keep it forever. Ever since I got my first pedersoli sharps while it's a repro I grew to love shooting single shot rifles. Then I got a Remington rolling block in 43 Spanish and really enjoy shooting classic single shots. The barrel just says 25-20 so I'm going to guess it's not 25-20 win.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[G W Wade]

Nice find, hope it turns out like your dreams for it. GW

[John Taylor]

Lining the barrel is no problem. 25-20 single shot might be a little tough finding brass, but then so is 25-20 WCF. Buffalo arms has ammo but at almost $5 a shot. You can find 25-20 WCF for under $3 a shot. You could also go to 32-20.

[snipin101]

As long as I can get brass and dies loading will be no problem. I cast and reload pretty much everything I shoot. I would like to keep it original loading but seems 25-20 win would be a little easier to find brass for.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[JDHasty]

I ran out of space to post photos here, so have been posting about my Stevens 44 project here

I bought wood from CPA. It’s just wrapping up. All I need to do is finish my foreend hangers and get scope blocks ordered and installed.


https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threa...1282801/page-2

[sureYnot]

I ran out of space to post photos here, so have been posting about my Stevens 44 project here

I bought wood from CPA. It’s just wrapping up. All I need to do is finish my foreend hangers and get scope blocks ordered and installed.


https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threa...1282801/page-2

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...Forums-and-PMs

[Rockingkj]

Thank you guys so much for the info. I would like to make this gun something special and keep it forever. Ever since I got my first pedersoli sharps while it's a repro I grew to love shooting single shot rifles. Then I got a Remington rolling block in 43 Spanish and really enjoy shooting classic single shots. The barrel just says 25-20 so I'm going to guess it's not 25-20 win.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

I have a Stevens 44 that is 25-20 win but the barrel is simply marked 25-20 so not automatically 25-20SS. I would stay with 25-20 , 32-20 type cartridges. It said the 44 action is not strong enough for larger cartridges. If the action was a 44 1/2 then you could go with larger cartridges. It will make a dandy rifle for you. If you take the forend off the rifle the action model number of the action is stamped on the front side of the frame.

[RustyReel]

I don't own one of those, but if I owned THAT one and was planning to redo everything anyway, I would take a couple of days and clean the heck out if it, agressively just to see what was under all that "patina". If it was shootable, I would shoot it. May change your mind about redoing everything. Doesn't need to be pretty to be a family treasure.

[dverna]

An uneducated comment but will throw it out anyway.

Could the action take .38 Spl level loads? I know JES can rebore to .35 cal.

.25/20 brass is not easy to get. I suppose 200 cases would last a lifetime but at $.50 each vs $.10 for OF .38's that is an $80 saving (25% of rebore cost). Plus .38 is easier to cast and may be more accurate.

I have wanted a single shot or bolt action .38/.357 for a long time so that is what sparked the thought.

[gunther]

25 20 ss cases are not available right now, except for the online auction sites at $5 each. Except for Lee collet neck sizing dies, @$50+, dies will run $250 plus. And may not work very well. Yup, I found a rifle of this caliber.
Got the last 14 cases Buffalo Arms had, @$3 each, and $5 each for 40 more off an auction site. Found out that the folks who make custom dies for this caliber make them for .257 bullets. Most old barrels will be a lot happier with slightly oversized cast bullets. New liners are pretty soft and will likely prefer cast bullets as well.
25 20 wcf is a cake walk by comparison. Cases are hard to find but they are occasionally produced by
Starline or Winchester, and dies are affordable.
A 44 action in a centerfire caliber is a Blackpowder only proposition. The pins that hold the breech together, and the action generally, are not stout enough.

[pietro]

.

Color me different, but I like it as-is - as living history.

With the idea of never judging a book by it's cover, the first things I would do if it was mine would be to scour the bore and then see how it shoots.....

If it shoots good, I would then clean the metal with oil & Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner pads @ $7, direct

( https://www.big45metalcleaner.com/ )



I would also renew the wood with Homer Forby's Furniture Refinisher

( https://www.giahardware.com/Minwax_3...nt_p/30032.htm )


FWIW, I've successfully restored a few dozen long arms with these products, over the past 30-40 years - and sold the guns to dealers who snapped them up, saying that the finishes looked original.

( I never represented the finishes as original - like a smart fish, I just kept my big mouth shut )


.

[marlinman93]

An uneducated comment but will throw it out anyway.

Could the action take .38 Spl level loads? I know JES can rebore to .35 cal.

.25/20 brass is not easy to get. I suppose 200 cases would last a lifetime but at $.50 each vs $.10 for OF .38's that is an $80 saving (25% of rebore cost). Plus .38 is easier to cast and may be more accurate.

It can handle medium level .38 Special, but what's to keep someone from chambering a .38 +P in it someday? I don't take chances when reworking old guns as no way to control how they're used after I'm gone.

[Shawlerbrook]

Reline to the original caliber. Definitely talk to John Taylor.