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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel (Read 23433 times)
toolmkr
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #15 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 10:22am
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The 414 early models had the hard rubber butt plate, later going to steel. Check the Stevens catalogs of the period.(1918-1924) The leaf main spring is found on the early models, not sure when they went to the coil main but suspect it was about the same time frame as the butt plates. By the way if someone wanted to change type of main spring he would also need to change hammers along with adding a spring guide and other details for proper function.
  
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waterman
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #16 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 11:57am
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Before you go to any great effort or expense rechambering the 22 Short barrel, try it as is.  22 Short chambers of that time often accepted 22 Longs or even 22 Long Rifles.  The Long has the same bullet weight as the Short and should stabilize.  If the barrel has the usual 1:25 to 1:28 twist, it will not stabilize a 40 grain Long Rifle bullet.

Don't discount the Short for teaching your daughter to shoot.  They are fine at 25 yards and OK at 50.  My 2 sons and 1 grandson learned to shoot with a Winder in 22 Short.  The only drawback is trying to find ammunition.  CCIs work pretty well.   

I have bought mainsprings from Wisners.  They work just fine.  Getting a good trigger pull on those Stevens 44 actions seems to be dependent on the strength of the mainspring.  If the mainspring is too strong, the trigger pull becomes too heavy.  The original mainsprings broke frequently, but alternative solutions have drawbacks.

I shoot in a gallery offhand league on Fridays.  One of our competitors shoots a cut-down 414.

waterman
  
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charte
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #17 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 12:05pm
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Merwin, unfortunately I'm on the hook....I have a buddy from High School coming to visit for a concert.  I'm already in hot water from my wife on that one Wink  But I'll make it up to her on Sunday.

I'll keep watching the posts to see when the next event is.

Terry, thanks....I did try them, but they are out and didn't know when the next production run will be.  If I can't find something soon, I'll ping them again.  Nice people though.

Toolmaker, thanks...I think then I'll just find a kit to make a rubber butt plate (that looks funny reading it back Tongue)

Waterman, I agree....I'm going to stick with the 22 short.  I did find some CCI's on Cabelas, and bought them.  Dirt cheap to shoot, and almost no noise if I recall the one I shot in my youth.  I already have 22 lr and a nice Ruger 22 mag, so no point in trying to make another.  The 22 short adds to the uniqueness of the gun.

Thanks!!!
  
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ledball
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #18 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 12:32pm
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The hard to find main spring for the 44 Stevens comes in all dfferent sizes [weight of pull] which is the reason I suggest the coil spring arrangement, it is easy to make the coil spring adjustable for weight of pull, by threading the shaft.The different hammer refered to was on the 417 Stevens rifle to try to increase lock time, it probably worked if your strong enough to thumb- back the hammer.  The 44 Stevens does not need a replacement hammer for the coil-spring set-up.  ledball
  
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toolmkr
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #19 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 5:02pm
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Ledball, I beg to differ but I've seen a couple of 414's with coil spring mains and they are very similar to the 417,but they are different, the 417 hammer has the full cock at a much lower position than any 44 or 414 along with a very much stronger spring.
  
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Green_Frog
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #20 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 5:07pm
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I had one of the Winchester low-wall Winder Muskets in .22 short, and in an indoor shooting range while wearing normal hearing protection, all I could hear was the hammer fall and the "ding" when the bullet hit the backstop... there was virtually NO sound of the round going off!  Fun stuff!!  Cool

Froggie
  
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ledball
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #21 - Jan 25th, 2010 at 8:33pm
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toolmkr;
          The Stevens 417 rifles do have a different hammer than the regular 44 actions, as you say it has a shorter hammer fall, it also is different in that the coil spring engages the hammer farther from the center of the axis making the hammer hard to thumb back. A coil-spring works just as well in anyother  44 action rifle with the regular hammer. I've done maybe six of these for myself and local friends. the coil spring allows for a much better trigger pull because it can be made adjustable.  ledball
  
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MAD MIKE
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #22 - Jan 26th, 2010 at 11:30am
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    CPA's got the hard rubber buttplate for your rifle. I believe it takes the "S" pattern.       ...MIKE...
  
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toolmkr
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #23 - Jan 26th, 2010 at 1:09pm
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I think "Vintage Grips" has the correct butt plate. Not sure if it is as thick as original but will have horizontal ridges as orig.  Good luck
  
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charte
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #24 - Feb 4th, 2010 at 2:14pm
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Spoke to John K about the spring.  Looks like he still has some that will work for my model.  I'm sending off a $10 check today!  

I also got the blueing kit in.

I'll send some project pics as it starts to come together.  My challenge is time, but I hope to get it done in the next months!

« Last Edit: Mar 14th, 2010 at 8:35am by »  
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rafter-7
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #25 - Feb 11th, 2010 at 5:23pm
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here is my 414 its the only file photo I have the barrel extends about 5 more inches longer than the wood. the earily ones have a metal butt and the later ones have a plastic/baklite thing mine has a metal one and its in LR

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

^
7
  
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toolmkr
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #26 - Feb 12th, 2010 at 9:44am
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Looking at the catalogs for Stevens, they show hard rubber until about 1920. After that they state metal butt plates as standard
  
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slumlord44
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #27 - Feb 12th, 2010 at 7:23pm
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Toolmkr has it right. I mispoke earlier on this post and got it backwards. My 1918 catalog shows the ruber butplate. I have one of each. My long rifle gun is a later one with the metal butplate and my short gun is an early gun with the ruber butplate.
  
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charte
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #28 - Feb 22nd, 2010 at 7:21am
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Hi all, quick report.

I received the hammer spring from John as advised above.  It fits like a glove!  Looks exactly like the old one, and the hammer operates well.  It was 10 bucks shipped........darn good bargain.

Now I need to finish the blueing project ................
  
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charte
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Re: Stevens 22 short with heavy barrel
Reply #29 - Mar 13th, 2010 at 11:58am
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Small update on the project.

I blued the barrel and the hammer.  Wow, they look great!  Given it's my first time, I'm happy.  Not quite from the factory looking, but heck of a lot better than it was.

I re-assembled everything, including the new spring and did some test firing.  Works like a charm!!!!  I don't think this baby has been fired in 50 years or more!  Good to see it come back to life.  Accuracy is ok, but my test range is only 7 yards, so no test at all, really.

Next I need to take the wood off again and refinish that.

Finally, the receiver looks like it was case hardened originally.  Someone put on some strange brown coating that tends to gum things up.  I guess it's a cheap way to simulate case hardening, but it's not so great.  Doesn't come off easily either, otherwise I'd strip it and just blue the whole thing.  I may just leave it.

I'll post pics when I get the wood in shape.

The Stevens lives!!!
  
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