Can the .25RF model 44 or 44 & 1/2 be rebarreled and used for a .22LR or .22 WMRF? 
Thanks!
Amanda

You could re barrel or reline to .22 LR, .22 WRM, or .17 HRM. The .25 firing pin may work fine with the .22 WRM and the .17 HRM. I have 44's re lined to both.

It's also good for shooting .25 Stevens RF. See the June 2010 Single Shot Exchange for how to do it. SSE has back issues available.

I took apart a .22rf and a .25 rf stevens 44 today, switched breechblocks and fired a .22 with the .25 block.  The extractor even worked.  Here's what the fired case looked like.

dave

SSDave-
Thanks for the picture. How would I go about relining the barrel to .22LR? I have heard of liners, just wouldn't know if I could just buy a liner, install it and be done with it, or if it requires lathe or mill work.
Thanks!
Amanda

If you have the skill and knowledge to chamber and headspace a rifle barrel in the lathe, you can do the liner with hand tools.  If you don't have that skill and knowledge already, you're not going to learn it easily doing it by hand.

It's possible, but not particularly recommended to do the work without a lathe.  Getting the hole hogged out and a new liner in is possible with a hand drill and a piloted bit.  However, once you are to that stage, you still need to chamber and headspace the liner.

The chambering and headspacing of any barrel is infinitely easier to get done on a lathe than with hand tools, and will be a lot better job when it is done.

I think I've seen more botched up liners than any other home gunsmithing job, with the possible exception of rechambering an existing barrel to a larger cartridge and maybe removal of a separated case.  The liner jobs that aren't hidden at the muzzle (mark of a good professional) usually don't have a good chamber either.

dave

John Taylor who posts here (johntaylormachine.com) is very good with liners, he has posted recently that he is backlogged with work and not taking on more at this time.  You might contact him and have him do it when he is able.

Curt Hardcastle, who also posts here (hardcastlecustommachine.com) is very meticulous and could also do this work well.  Steve Durren, at Johnson Sporting Goods in Adrian Michigan does excellent work and could do it.  John King, in Kila MT, could also.   

I haven't had as good of experiences with Randall Redmann, although he is was for years the classic relining guy.  I have one rifle done by him about 20 years ago, it's been okay but the second rifle I had done at the same time was less than stellar.   

I personally think that for almost all rifles except those with very special barrel profiles or markings, that rebarrelling is a better option, and almost as economical.  It's also a lot lower risk; it is rare for a good rebarrel to not shoot well, but not all liners will shoot up to the level of a good barrel.

dave