I am the proud owner of a Stevens model 44, in .22lr

[koger]

As the title says, I have traded for a pretty sweet Stevens 44, in .22 lr with a 26" heavy barrel. I don't have it in hand yet, but it is a looker. The wood has been refinished but modestly, the barrel has original bluing and the action has case, both are fading, but normal for a rifle of this vintage. The action is tight and snaps up tight from the video the seller sent me, extracts nicely, and appears to have a nearly mint bore. I have wanted one of these,or a Low Wall for years, but all have been priced out of bounds. These are scarce as hens teeth here in KY, or Tenn.. I have only held one, and a CPA, which is out of bounds price wise also. It only has regular sights. I am very excited, this will be a daily shooter.

[NyFirefighter357]

Congrats!

[Winger Ed.]

Its always good to see folks get what they want.

[arlon]

I have one that's been in the family since new I suspect. It's in great shape except for the bore and I had it relined. It's really accurate. Has tang sight and aperture target front sight. Not original sights but they sure work well. Good luck with yours. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!

[koger]

The best thing about the deal, is I traded something I didn't really need, for the rifle. It was a 30/30 over a 20ga Savage 24, walnut stock in about 90% shape. I loved the gun, but just did not use it.

[uscra112]

Congrats! You already know that the old 44 makes a very fine .22 rifle, especially for offhand target work. Sounds like you got a really good one, too. It will be worth investing in some premium ammo to see what it will do.

[badgeredd]

Watch out for the Stevens 44 addiction! It bit me without warning.

[marlinman93]

Stevens made some excellent barrels back in the 44 era, so with a good bore it should be a great shooter. The 44 in .22LR is a great combination too!

[uscra112]

Watch out for the Stevens 44 addiction! It bit me without warning.

So true! I've got 12 that I know about, plus five Favorites.

[22cf45]

I'm sure you already know this but just in case, I wouldn't shoot anything but standard velocity ammo in it. These older barrels were made of softer steel than we now have. It won't blow up or anything like that, but could very possibly enlarge your chamber over time.
Phil

[uscra112]

I'm sure you already know this but just in case, I wouldn't shoot anything but standard velocity ammo in it. These older barrels were made of softer steel than we now have. It won't blow up or anything like that, but could very possibly enlarge your chamber over time.
Phil

Dubious, IMO. The same barrel steel stood up just fine when used for much bigger centerfire cartridges, such as .32-40, .32 Ideal, and the very popular .25-20 Stevens.

The much smaller and weaker 1894 Favorite models are better left to standard velocity ammo, however. The link in those isn't up to High Velocity pressures over time. (1915 Favorites are a different story.)

Jacketed centerfire ammo is always a poor idea in Model 44s. The barrel steel IS softer than modern barrels, so the rifling will suffer premature wear.

All that said, I do find that CCI Standard Velocity is one of the more accurate of the bulk ammo choices in mine. My best one does respond to match grade ammo like Lapua and Eley, but who can afford it? Stingers and other such hypervelocity numbers don't shoot accurately in any gun, so leave them alone.

[marlinman93]

The Stevens 44 in .22LR should handle almost any modern .22LR ammo. Most of these guns have seen thousands of rounds of it over the last century of owners, so I doubt it is going to cause damage today.

[arlon]

I have a 52 (44 action) in 38-55 and a regular 44 in 38-55, they both shoot fine. I can't imagine any 22lr doing much damage to any 44. That said mine likes std vel so much it doesn't make sense for me to shoot anything else and it has had the bore relined.

[Drm50]

I had a nice 44 with bad bore. Had it lined and it's a good shooter. My Bro has it now with a antique scope on it.
Kind of heavy to tote around the woods for a 22rf. I wouldn't be afraid to shoot any modern 22rf in a 44 but Bro shoots target ammo anyway. I've had a few of them in CF. A very nice 25/20 SS that shot as good as my best 22s.

[uscra112]

A "secret" of the 44 action is how it can crowd the cartridge into a competition-type chamber, just like a bolt action does. I bought a Lilja reamer some years ago, and use it on every liner or barrel-setback job. They all shoot very well. Downside is that some bulk ammo is so much oversize that it won't go into the Lilja chamber at all! (Thunderduds especially bad about this.)

For a woodswalking single-shot not much can beat a good 1915 Favorite. One of the old time gunwriters told a story of how Axel Petersen set up a Favorite for the writer's daughter, and how she could put a scare into the big guys with it on the target ranges.