SquirrelStalker welcome to the the fun, these one shot at a time rifles seem to grow on you and take over your safe or should I say safes.   

The Stevens 414 is an excellent accurate rifle, although at my age it would be a sitting down under a tree Squirrel rifle, I have a very nice light weight Stevens Favorite that I walk with for such endeavors.

Let us see a photo of your rifle as is, and when you get into your version of a fine squirrel sniping single shot finished, sounds like a fine project.

MIKE-T

Thanks M-T, glad to be here. I should have some pics up in a little while. My gun is a.22 long rifle. The rear sight is not original but it will do for now. The front sight seems to be original but it is soldered on. I don't know if that is correct. I am undecided as far as wether I want a scope or a tang sight, or both, since the holes are there. The holes are there for the scope base blocks. The rear two holes are further apart then the front two. I don't know if that is normal. The modern Malcolm repro (6X 18' long) is one scope I am considering. Last night I cleaned the heck out of the barrel with a brush and Hoppes # 9. It looks good. The buttstock is the roughest part of the gun.It may need replacement if I can not fix it.Another thing that has me curious is the forend stock,which I have not taken off yet. It is lose, and the screws just turn when I try to tighten them.I will get into all of this stuff later. Right now I am going out to shoot her a little.

Not bad SquirrelStalker, being in long rifle is a good thing, and I've cleaned up worse looking stocks than yours, it just took a lot of work and time and a couple required some small amounts epoxy to be solid again.

Since the bore cleaned up so well it should be shooter
MIKE-T

Hi SquirrelStalker!  I love that name!     So you got Squirrels round your place huh?     

Thats a nice Armory 414. looks like good honest use and a bit of grime. Perfect.

I have a Squirrel dog, a Rat Terrier. Cant use him for the squirrels we have here. They're too big.   

He's hell on rats and mice though. 

                        Joe. 




          Joe.

Sweet......... I am looking at scopes on ebay. The Unyrtle and Lyman  scopes are up in price these days. There are other external adjustment scopes out there but I hate buying a scope that I can't hold and look through.What type of scope is that on your 414?

If you can locate one , a Unertl 6X small game scope would be something to consider. I have one on a CPA in .22, great squirrel rifle.
Bob

I like that GWarden. I really like the Unertl scopes on these rifles.Hey smoke, I get your point about weight, but it is not an issue with me.Most of my modern rimfire rifles sport bigger scopes and bipods. My style of squirrel hunting leans more toward post and snipe than stalking. I really like that butt stock with the raised comb and cheekpiece. Very nice rifle.The Leatherwood Malcolm repro scopes are nice as well.

Nice rifle and great shooter's. I have a short and long rifle version and they are both keepers. I use TruOil and 0000 steel wool to clean up old stocks. Wipe it off immediately to avoid build up and a glossy finish. There two Lyman 438 field scopes on the buy and sell section here. I have a 438 on a 44 that works well and looks good on the gun.

Hey Westerner, I would like to see a picture of your Rat Terrier. I have a Yorkshire Terrier. She is a big yorkie, almost nine pounds. The squirrels in my yard would rather bump into me rather than cross her path. She loves venison jerky and a good cup of coffee. This is no upper west side yorkie. People usually don't associate the small breeds with hunting.Seeing my yorkie drag a squirrel back to me after the kill is something to see.

those leatherwood scopes are a very good buy. the scopes themselves are excellent and the mounts are functional enough for hunting without problems. if you get into competion where you  have to constantly change range adjustments you can alway purchase different mounts and use to same scope.

They are steel and a perfect fit for your rifle, once dialed in for your rifles preferred ammo you can lock down the adjustments and they stay put and they look good on the old single shots!
MIKE-T
Here is a 3X mounted on my 1885LW 22 K-Hornet.


Quote:

SqSt the scope has a lot of movement in the rings back and forth, the Malcolm does not slide in the rings like the Lyman's and Unertl scopes, so you move it where you want it for eye relief and lock the front band and that is where it stays! 
The bases do have the same distance between the holes front and rear!

MIKE-T

Azzhandler

Are the one that was looking for LH stocks for a 414? If so send me an email.

Don G

Thanks for the good advise. Making bases to match the holes on the gun is definitely the way to go.

Here she is...

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I am curious about the trigger. My 414 has a very heavy trigger , which is surprising considering it's age. It has a nice clean break, but it feels like five pounds.

Oh boy, I am having tough time sighting in the 414.

She won't hold a consistent group. I'll get 1/12 to 2" at twenty five yards,then two or three in the same hole, and then a few more two inches apart, sometimes strings. I tried several different brands of ammo from subsonic to mini mags. When the gun warmed up, it was putting five round of mini mag into a dime size hole. But if I walk away from the gun for a while, she opens up again. I noticed a dark ring about two inches down the barrel that won't come out with a bore brush, there is some pitting in the barrel, and there is always unburned powder left in the barrel. At first I thought it must be a loose scope.But everything seems tight.

A friend has a 414 with a heavy trigger.  Some other guys we shoot with in a gallery league also shoot 414s. Last week, we spent an afternoon yakking about 414 rifles & trigger pulls.

Some of their 414s have ordinary flat springs like the regular Stevens 44 series.  Others have slightly heavier flat springs that may or may not be original.  And others have been converted to coil springs very much like a 417.  Converting to a coil spring might (or might not) require a new hammer.

The consensus of our yakking is that the spring setups seem to be interchangeable and that switching around may give you a trigger pull more to your liking.

The consensus was that Wisner's and whatever Numerich is called these days will probably have the parts you need for substituting mainsprings, but you probably will not be able to get all the parts you need from just one source.

A lot of barrels are sensitive to different types of 22 rimfire ammo and there is a lot of 22 rimfire ammo available that is not terribly accurate.  

If I had that rifle, I would first find some tight fitting soft cotton patches, fit one to a good rod with a good jag and push it slowly down the barrel.  Feel for rough or loose spots. Inspect the patches. If the patches have have particles of lead on them, use more patches.  If everything felt tight and uniform, I would be happy, but regardless of the results I would then range test it.

My test would use one of the common brands of mid-price standard velocity target ammo, one with lead bullets and a good bit of lube.  Get at least 4 or 5 boxes, same brand & hopefully the same lot numbers.  

Then get a bunch of gallery targets, at least 10 of them.  The ASSRA or WSU types have 6 bulls per target, the NRA types have 11.  Number the targets.  Put them up at 25 yards.  If you shoot outdoors, pick a nice day.

Put the rifle on a good rest or on sandbags.  Get comfortable and get sighted in.  Eliminate as many variables & distractions as possible.  

Then shoot the same number of shots (somewhere between 2 and 5 shots) at each bull and shoot for score.  Shoot each bull on each target in the same order.  With each bull you shoot, try and equal or better your previous score. 

The guys who are serious paper punchers with 22 rimfires do not clean their rifle barrels very often.  Somewhere between your 25th & 50th shot, your scores should improve.  The paper punchers will tell you that happens when the lube is uniformly coating your rifle's bore. Keep shooting until you have shot at least 100 shots for score.  200 shots would be better. Take notes. Call your shots.  Keep track of your scores.

The 414 was intended to show good results in such a test. If you use thee NRA targets, good ammo should stay in the 9 ring, or inside the 23 ring with the ASSRA target for most shots.  That gives a basis for comparing ammo types.

For what it's worth ..............  my 414 tests well with the Lapua line.  From Standard Rifle to Rifle Match to Center X to Midas +, it groups tighter each step of the way.  All 40Gr. std velocity.  Virtually no fouling. I start with a clean barrel - run A DRY patch through (no more than two) after 50 - 100 rnds. - no solvent needed. After 250 - 500 or so rounds - Maybe a light cleaning with Butches or similar - patches & maybe a nylon bristle (not bronze/brass) brush - light oil - dry patch.  Good to go again. It'll probably take the better part of another box to get re settled in with lube coating. I like to test with 15 - 2 round groups followed by 4 - 5 round groups. I wouldn't use any high or hyper velocity stuff and I, personally, have had no good results with sub-sonic. Other shooters have said the sub sonic is good. Testing at 50 yds. is fine, but I prefer at 100. Barrels, shooters, conditions, ammo lots all differ. Just have fun. I LOVE my 414.

The funny thing about my ammo testing is no matter what I have put through the 414, she does ok. I have used the following ammo that I had in my cabinet. Remington target, RWS target, RWS subsonic, CCI standard,and CCI mini mag copper. The mini mags gave the best performance.That is not what I want to shoot out of the 414. I want a standard velocity load. I bought the Remy target loads on sale and it was a great deal for the 500 rd box. The funny thing is, when I first shot the rifle, before the scope was mounted, she shot great with the CCI CB longs.

Wow.... 200 yds. You have my profound respect. I am very happy to be here.I know I will gain very much from people that take what they do very seriously.

I need to explain this target more clearly. The center of the group was the first shot. then, the two lower hits, then the two upper outer shots, and the last three or four back where she started.

What is the diameter of the red dot in the posted target?

The 22 Long Rifle was marketed by Peters and Stevens marketed the first rifles (Tipups?) about 1887 because the .22 Short did not do well at 200 yards.  The WSU holds the Bruce Garbe Memorial match, 50 shots from a 22 rimfire at 200 yards, in early June each year, as a part of their annual matches.  We Tuesday Afternoon shooters switch to 200 yards each May, so that we can compete in spirit.

In this year's Hudson match, 100 shots offhand at 200 yards, most of the competitors shot 22 Long Rifle rimfires.

SquirrelStalker
Older 22LR rifles that I have owned that have been cleaned, and shot with enough quality target ammo to lube the barrel as others have correctly pointed out, and I get a few unexplained fliers, more times than not I have found a small burr in the muzzle crown. The older rifles sometimes get banged around. If I recrowned the barrel it took care of the fliers. I am very fond of my 414 in 22LR!

Today I tested the gun with the forearm removed. No change. There is one thing I am noticing that is consistent. When the shots spread apart it is always two or three in one spot, then she'll move a half inch to an inch and put two or three in that spot.

I did just that today. The Unertl came off. Five shots. The first three touched each other. The last two hit an inch to the right. Again, same pattern. If the barrel was shot out, it could not put three bullets in the same hole, right?

A few pics of the breech and muzzle.

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The 414 is back with my gunsmith. She is getting a new crown and some professional barrel treatment. What I thought might be throat erosion just may be something else. My smith thinks the ring we are seeing may be from moisture , eventually turning into rust.He said that he has seen this before in very old rifles that sat unused for long periods of time, that had an insect nest in the barrel. He is an old timer and I respect his opinion. He is also going to lighten up that trigger

I'm happy to hear your persistence is paying off.  Didn't need to reline that barrel after all. 
20 shots into 1/2" while laying in the snow sounds pretty good to me.  The group, not the snow.

Thanks Harry. I am well advised. A little humor in the mix is always a good thing. Actually, that picture could come in handy. I recently asked my taxidermy man if he could make me a crazy attack squirrel mount with open mouth. He asked if I have been sniffing too much Hoppe's lately. Then he said "I'll do it". Stay tuned.

A picture of the new crown and the nice group.

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     I noticed the "crown" in the earlier pic as a red flag.  In fact, I was surprised it could shoot that well with a divot next to the bore.  Then I noticed you are still shooting at 25 yards.  If that was mine,  I would set my sights for the distance I wanted, then practice and test at at least 100 yds.  I also think you are cleaning too often.  These rifles were built for sitting, kneeling and prone competition, multiple shots.  If you clean it too much, you won't get to the "sweet spot" of the lube.  When some of these guys "clean", they just brush out the remaining powder dust.  These barrels are of a soft steel, easy doesit on the cleaning.   

Ah!  My mistake.  When I read "cleaning", immediate visions of brass or stainless brushes working the bore came to mind.  What you are doing shouldn't hurt it at all, if you don't send the dirty patches out through the muzzle.  You wouldn't believe the amount of metal grinding primer remains and bullet metal that comes out of those patches.  I didn't believe it either until a guy showed me on filter paper the residue he released from a patch with carb cleaner.