Stevens Model 44 22LR - help requested

[JDHasty]

I have a barreled action sitting here that appears to be in pretty decent shape. The barrel looks to have been relined and barrel and action refinished in hot bluing. The refinishing work isn’t perfect, but I’ve seen far worse. The action is tight as a tick, but perhaps the trigger return spring is broken. It cocks only if held barrel down. I don’t have a butt plate, and they just don’t seem to be that easy to locate. Perhaps I’m not looking in the correct place. I don’t have any wood, but am thinking that a stock for a 44 1/2 from CPA might suit me. I think I will fill the dovetail cut and put a scope on it and use it for ground squirrels. Perhaps a shotgun butt plate would be a better fit for my purposes.

It appears that CPA sells the Model 44 trigger return and hammer springs, tang screws, butt plate screws.

If anyone has any experience rounding up parts for a Stevens 44, I sure would appreciate them sharing what they have learned. I’ve always really appreciated the looks of the Model 44 and have come quite close to buying a basket case and restoring it quite a few times.

[Rockingkj]

Try homestead parts. A google search should get it for you. Or search Stevens parts.

[1Hawkeye]

Cpa has some wood for 44's as well.

[uscra112]

OK, first thing that glares at me is that it's got the wrong main spring in it. Looks like somebody tried to adapt it to a 44-1/2 spring, and probably the hammer, too. Beats me why.

Should look like this:

[JDHasty]

I’ll try and break it down and photograph the parts. Thanks for the input so far. I know nothing about these, but have always liked the looks of them. It will be a winter project for me.

Just looking toward the future here and thinking: De Haas claims to have chambered them in 22 Magnum with good results. I would sure like to put together another barrel in either 22 Magnum or 17 HMR for it, but have some concern due to the area under the pressure curve being much larger and thereby imparting more total energy to the breach block for a longer duration with either 22 Magnum or 17 HMR. Not that I am by any means into hot rodding any vintage rifle, but if I were able to use it for rockchuck and prairie dog shooting as well that would be a plus.

There is a world of difference between these hot rim fire rounds and something like 22 Hornet, which I would not even consider given the vintage of the steel used and the design. I’ve found De Haas to be reliable in the past, but am open to considering other folks opinion.

[JDHasty]

Cpa has some wood for 44's as well.

I’m liking what I’ve seen there. Since this will not be an original restoration, so much as something nice to use, I will be putting a threaded brass insert for UM sling swivel studs in the butt and fore end. A great deal of our field shooting is done off Harris Bi Pods. They certainly aren’t period correct, but sometimes there are concessions made. I totally “get it” when a guy wants a period correct vintage rifle, I have a few myself. I have three kids and that is what works best for them, so that’s what I generally do.

[1Hawkeye]

I just was on CPA's site and they offer an unfinished model 44 buttstock with a shotgun butt.

[uscra112]

The old 44 is plenty strong enough for any known rimfire round, past or present. At one time they were even sold for .32-40 and .38-55, but those were a little too much. The .32-20 is about the most they should be barreled for.

To take the breechblock and lever pivots out, remove the screws on the right side, and then the "bolts" can be pushed out to the left. They have a little detent in them which has to be lined up when re-installing them, which is the only reason for the screwdriver slot on the left.

Reassembly goes much easier if you make a slave pin about 2" long and about .285 diameter, with a long taper on one end. This makes picking up the extractor much, much easier. Slide it in from the left, and push it through with the bolt.

The toggle linkage should clamp the breechblock against the barrel face. The great failing of the design is that the holes in the link wear, and when that happens the lever doesn't "snap" as the linkage goes over center, and the headspace opens up. I've fixed quite a few by reaming all the holes oversize and fitting 5mm dowel pins, which are harder and tougher than the originals. If yours needs this, ask me for the details.

Phil

[45workhorse]

Try homestead parts. A google search should get it for you. Or search Stevens parts.

Thanks for the link info. I might be able to get a little Hopkins and Allen back up and shooting again.

[marlinman93]

OK, first thing that glares at me is that it's got the wrong main spring in it. Looks like somebody tried to adapt it to a 44-1/2 spring, and probably the hammer, too. Beats me why.

Should look like this:

According to Wisner's Gun Paarts they offered two types of springs. The early spring you show, plus one Wisners calls an "intermediate" that is similar to what his 44 has. Here's their bolt in spring:

http://www.wisnersinc.com/wp-content...9/Stev-12B.jpg

Long ago I owned an original Stevens 44 chambered in .44-40 also. Only one I've ever seen, but serial numbered to the action, and it was extremely tight action. Not sure how much shooting it had seen since it was in about 85% condition.

[sparky45]

You might even check Jack First Gun Parts for some Stevens parts.

[uscra112]

The 44 never used a cantilever spring, so far as I can determine. Wisner is wrong about that. Stevens switched the 44 from the "arch" spring to a coil-spring strut sometime before s/n 76437. How long before I don't know but it might coincide with the introduction of the 1915 Favorite, which used that "strut" design. Or it might have been introduced by Savage sometime after 1920, (s/n circa 65000). I know that my s/n 50744 has the arch spring.

Here's an interesting factoid, however. The 44 "arch" spring has exactly the same form factor as the earliest Favorites, except the Favorite spring is thinner metal. If you buy an early "Favorite" spring from Wisner or Jack First, you get a 44 spring, which fits in nicely but takes two hands to cock. (Ask me how I know!)

Now, the Favorite was switched to a cantilever spring fairly early during the run of the 1894 model, so that may have confused Wisner into thinking that the 44 did also.

I can see why Stevens might have switched the Favorite - the cantilever design accelerates the hammer better in the beginning of its' swing, and that compensates for the lighter hammer. Or maybe they didn't want two springs in inventory that looked so similar but weren't. We can only speculate about it now.

Personally I much prefer the arch spring. The cantilever spring puts more pressure on the sear at full cock. I'm of the opinion that the arch spring is the reason why we find so many old 44s that still have a good trigger, because the geometry of the arch design moves the force vector closer to the hammer axle at full cock, reducing the pressure and wear on the sear, (but increasing lock time). The 44-1/2 setup with its' stirrup also does this to some extent.

[JDHasty]

Thank you much for the responses. My action appears not to have the right side slotted head bolts, so it may be an early example?? It surely does snap closed though. Perhaps when I pull it down I will find that someone bushed the pivot holes.

[uscra112]

That made me look more carefully at the serial number. Yes, that is a specimen from 1899 or earlier; 1899/1900 was the approximate date that they changed over. It will have the extractor at 7:00, not at the bottom like the post 1900 models.

If the action is that tight, you got a good one.

I had to take one apart to be sure, but I can now say with certainty that the trigger springs for the 44 and the 1915 Favorite are identical.

[JDHasty]

Well, I gathered the courage to slip the block and lever out and it uses a pair of screws not the later bolt and screw assembly. The extractor is serial numbered to the frame and barrel. The trigger spring now engages and functions correctly upon reassembly. The firing pin may have a return spring that is frozen, damaged or missing. It just slops back and forth. It appears to me as though the barrel is lined and the liner stops short of the muzzle. I will get a good look with my Chinese bore scope tomorrow if I start feeling a bit better. Been under the weather the last couple days.

[JDHasty]

That made me look more carefully at the serial number. Yes, that is a specimen from 1899 or earlier; 1899/1900 was the approximate date that they changed over. It will have the extractor at 7:00, not at the bottom like the post 1900 models.

If the action is that tight, you got a good one.

I had to take one apart to be sure, but I can now say with certainty that the trigger springs for the 44 and the 1915 Favorite are identical.

It is tight as a tick. Perhaps a tiny bit too tight. There is a screw that may be an adjustment for wear that can be reached from the top.

[uscra112]

There is no spring for the firing pin. No need, since the breechblock rocks back away from the fired cartridge rather than trying to side down, catching the pin in the primer indent doesn't happen. (This was an endemic problem in the 44-1/2, and gunsmiths often installed a spring in those.)

Yes, that screw in the breechblock leg was one of Stevens' many schemes to counter the dread "floppy lever syndrome" that they all developed. Turn it in half a turn and see if the lever still "snaps" closed.

It does look like there's a liner in that barrel. Standing a bit proud at the breech end.

Can you detect any radial play in the link pins?

[JDHasty]

There is no spring for the firing pin. No need, since the breechblock rocks back away from the fired cartridge rather than trying to side down, catching the pin in the primer indent doesn't happen. (This was an endemic problem in the 44-1/2, and gunsmiths often installed a spring in those.)

Yes, that screw in the breechblock leg was one of Stevens' many schemes to counter the dread "floppy lever syndrome" that they all developed. Turn it in half a turn and see if the lever still "snaps" closed.

It does look like there's a liner in that barrel. Standing a bit proud at the breech end.

Can you detect any radial play in the link pins?

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days and have been reluctant to touch anything with a tool, lest I bugger up a screw head or mar the finish. I’m going to try and leave it alone over the weekend, but will check the link pins for play when I take it down again.

The liner isn’t standing proud, it has a shallow relief cut encircling it. I’ve been intending to do a bit of research to see if I can figure out what that’s all about. I was standing in my buddy’s driveway about 300 yards from Redman’s front door last week, but I learned my lesson about asking them anything decades ago. Not real pleasant folks.

John Taylor who really knows liners used to be in Puyallup, fifteen or twenty minutes from me, but he escaped to free Idaho a few years ago. He’s a very pleasant man and his work is absolutely incredible. I sure miss him being local to me, but totally salute him for putting distance between himself and Olympia.

[uscra112]

+1000 re: John Taylor. He's done some liners for me recently, and I find his work flawless.

[Deadeye Bly]

For what it is worth, I have a pattern for a straight grip shotgun buttstock for the 44/44 1/2 and a duplicating machine. It takes the large Stevens repro plastic butt plate.