Stevens Model 44 22LR - help requested

[JDHasty]

I glued a barrel liner in my 22 LR barrel last night with Loctite 262 and will be finishing up the muzzle and breech and there is will it will sit until my action gets back form John Taylor in the spring. He is going to make a new 17 HMR barrel for it that is the same contour as my 22 LR barrel, but it will have a wedding band transition. I drill and tapped the 22 LR for Weaver bases for a flat front Savage 110. Other than that, I'm pretty much stuck. I have a Niedner checkered steel shotgun butt plate that I've polished up and a set of two screw sling swivel studs for it. So, that's about all of the news I expect to have on this little fellow for a while. No sense ordering the stock set until spring.

[uscra112]

By the way, JD, Tom Rowe's book on the Stevens has gone to the printer, and he is taking orders. Email him. That'll keep you entertained while you wait.

[JDHasty]

Absolutely. I just sent an email.

I’m really enthused about getting the 44 going. I sure hope I have it ready by May or so. We shoot chucks through mid June. It takes me a month minimum to finish a stock though. If I get it back late March/early April it could happen.

I’ve got a friend trying to get me to trade him out of a 20 power Target Spot earlier tonight. We had Target Spots, Unertls that we practically gave away in the 1970s & 1980s. I’d kind of like to have one again. That would look nice on a Stevens 44.

[Chill Wills]

Yes! That Lyman Target Spot would be just the think on that era rifle. Plus, they are so repeatable.

[Rockindaddy]

I have been using NC Ordnance for years for replacement butt plates and grips. They are in the Carolinas. They will have the correct butt plate for your rifle. Treebone wood carving makes replacement wood.

[JDHasty]

Treebone doesn't list wood for Stevens, that is where I bought my Low Wall stock and a couple Neidner butt plates. Absolutely outstanding, without a doubt the best experience ever buying a stock set. I will call on a Stevens stock. Thank you.

[uscra112]

For Stevens, call CPA, obviously. https://www.cparifles.com/ I just ordered a plain forearm for the .28-30 barrel on the 44-1/2 project.

[JDHasty]

I talked to George at Treebone and that is exactly what he said. I also told him I was thinking of ordering a MVA High Wall action and he said: Do it, you won't be sorry.

[JDHasty]

Ordered the stock from CPA this morning. Four to six weeks lead time. I went with this one https://www.cparifles.com/collection...nt=28161250825

I went with their "standard" grade wood. Two steps up from the bottom and what they use on their factory base rifles.

I have another Niedner butt plate that is all polished up and a set of Super Grade sling swivels. Once the stock gets here I can work on inletting the butt plate and swivels.

I noticed that Midway has a discounted Bentz chamber reamer available. I prefer to shoot Mini Mag HV HP ammo, we shoot varmints like ground squirrels with our rimfires, is this a 22LR chamber that others have experience using Mini Mag (or similar) in. I know that I don't want a real match chamber on this rifle, we have match rifles and they do great with target ammo, but not all that well with straight up hunting ammo. Mini Mag is consistently really good in almost all of our sporting rifles, so it is something we always have cases of.

[uscra112]

The Bentz would certainly be better than the typical sloppy "sporting" chambers. It's a compromise design intended for semi-autos; fairly tight and short in the throat but looser in the back to ease feeding. Apparently very popular with the 10/22 crowd. I can't say from personal experience though; I've used a Lilja for all my single-shots. It certainly shoots MiniMags well enough to hunt with. I don't expect target-rifle accuracy from the MiniMag because it's a supersonic load. YMMV of course.

[JDHasty]

I went ahead and ordered a removable pilot Bentz reamer from PTG after talking to quite a few folks yesterday. About 3/4 the cost of the discounted reamer from Midway.

[uscra112]

Hope you get it. I waited six months for the last "in stock" reamer I ordered from PTG.

[JDHasty]

John Taylor should be sending my action home with the new 17 HMR barrel about March. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the reamer gets here by then. The new barrel will have to come my way by way of north Idaho, John doesn’t do any bluing. We start varmint shooting about April 15. Funny how every year I’m really scrambling from about mid February to get everything ready.

I am pretty skeptical that the stock for Stevens 44 will be ready when the season starts. I will be able to inlet the butt plate and sling swivels, but inletting it to the barrel and action and shaping will have to wait until I get the action home. Stock finishing takes another month and it’s pretty tender until it’s had a good three weeks or so to cure. It can be hauled out to the range without much worry, but it really doesn’t do it any good to be drug around in the field until it’s had time to cure.

I shot quite a bit of PMC Zapper when I was shooting SB silhouette and taking home my share of hardware. To the best of my knowledge I was alone among the guys who were competitive in shooting HV ammo. Most who weren’t buying ammo by the case were buying their ammo from me. I sold a lot of PMC Target in the yellow boxes. But I sold any ammo people ask for and I could get my hands on. That Zapper shot extremely well out of my Kimber Mini Classic and that was the rifle I shot silhouette with.

We have been blessed with being able to rely on Mini Mag HP out of all of our 22LR sporting rifles to provide very, very good accuracy. This is the first one I had any say in what chamber reamer will be used.

[JDHasty]

Hope you get it. I waited six months for the last "in stock" reamer I ordered from PTG.

Was sitting on the porch when I got home today.

[JDHasty]

I got a tracking number from CPA, the stock should show up Friday. If somebody can measure from trigger to the back of the frame I sure would appreciate it. My action is in Idaho and I want to double check the length of pull so I can get to work inletting the Niedner butt plate.

[uscra112]

Trigger pivot to the flat is 11/16 on the one I'm looking at.

[JDHasty]

Thank you! That will allow me to get busy on the stock.

[JDHasty]

I received the stock yesterday and am underwhelmed by what I am looking at. My inclination is that somewhere between me ordering it and it being shipped out there was some misunderstanding regarding what grade of wood I ordered and was charged for.

I ordered and was invoiced and charged for Grade 3 wood

Grade 3: Standard American Walnut
Figured in the butt area 30-50%, perhaps not equal on both sides. This grade is standard on our rifles and suitable for any high-grade rifle. Best value in figured wood.





https://www.cparifles.com/pages/wood-grades

I wetted down a blue shop rag with mineral spirits and wiped it to see if perhaps there was something I was missing when I unpackaged it. It’s a good solid piece of American walnut heart wood with no sap wood. Nothing wrong with it, but it certainly doesn’t impress me as being consistent with the description or photo on their web page.

[JDHasty]

I got a call from CPA, it was a big mixup on their end. They are going to get the right stock coming my way pronto.

[JDHasty]

Barrel is almost done. Stock blanks should be here today or tomorrow. This show should be getting back on the road soon. I am going to make an effort to learn how to have photos hosted off site and linked to. Instead of here.