Shoot 'em up. No reason they wont work just fine if you want to use them. I've used everything from the light 87 gr. to a 104 gr. and I prefer the heavier bullets, but the 87 gr. aren't far off in accuracy. I shoot all mine with smokeless, and don't use gas checks.
Might want to slug the bore first, to see how the .258 compares, and maybe size them down if they're a bit larger than a couple thousandths over your groove diameter.

The gas checks wouldn't bother me. I wouldn't install gas checks myself, but I doubt they'll hurt the accuracy. I think you're correct on the bore dimensions, but I found mine was a bit tighter and had to size some bullets down a little or they had issues chambering due to case bulging.

I'm using 5.4 grs. of Unique in my Stevens 52 on the 44.5 frame.

slumlord44 wrote on Mar 10^th, 2014 at 2:30pm:


I've used Unique in loads for my Stevens 44's. Of course I'd start down about 5.0 grs. and work it up to see what your gun likes, and shoots most accurately.

It's going to be tougher for you if you are having loads built. I generally load up 5 rounds of a caliber, and make up at least 20-30 rounds of ammo with various load increments, and bullet weights. Then I fire them at the range, and look at both accuracy and cases to determine which is best.
Sometimes I also take my loading supplies to the range, and use my old Huntington hand tool to make up loads at the bench, and work up from a starting point. It's much more efficient, as once I get a good load I don't have to shoot the others up that might be hotter loadings. The Huntington accepts all the standard reloading dies, so it's a fantastic tool for on site reloading.
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