Greetings to all, Working with my Stevens 44 in 25-20SS has been anything but easy to get good accuracytill I went from fixed ammo to BS. Thanks to the suggestions from Ken Meyers and some others it's coming on line with a big improvement in accuracy. At present I'm using a Hoch 258-105 bullet breech seated, JSL, cast 1 to 24, with cast weight of 107.5 grains. Primers used are Federal 205M and Remington 7 1/2.  For powder AA#9 at 7.5 grains is producing a avg MV of 1534 fps, and good accuracy at 100 yards. Five shot 100 yard groups are running as low as half inch to just under and inch. However at 200 yards the bullets are tipping. See the attached test targets. The tipping is easy to see in the 10 shot 200 yard target. My Stevens 44 has a 1 in 13" twist rate, and I'm sure has all to do with the tipping. Being this is a 44 and not a 44 1/2, I ask those of you in the know about Stevens 44s if I should go any higher in powder charge to try stabilizing the bullet more to reduce the tipping at 200 yards and beyond. The rifle is in great condition and very tight. I'm just not sure how high I can go safely with the powder charge. Please advise.   
                            thanks, Sendaro

Quickload suggests that, when breech seating a 105 grain bullet, you can go to 9.0 grains without exceeding 20k psi, which is a usual and customary top for an ordinary 44 in good condition.   Those charges are putting you into 1650 fps territory with a 24" barrel.      

I'm just beginning trials with a 96 grain bullet, and found so far that accuracy fell off above 7.5 grains.  Quickload said that should be 1500 fps, but the Chrony said 1465.

Phil

The bullet is a round-nose Loverin that I reamed the gas check off of.   Lyman 257464.  Drops right at 96.0 with 20:1 alloy.   I've been using CCI small pistol primers so far.   Results a bit mixed.  The barrel is an original Stevens, 13 inch twist .2575 groove, marked .25-20 but somehow was reamed for .25 rimfire.  (Figure that one out.  How it survived for me to buy it almost 100 years later is beyond me.)  Rifling was crisp, so I've reamed it .25-20 to see what it will do. I'm not expecting miracles.  Done no more testing since July, what with all the work that needed doing around here.  Restoring an old farmhouse is like the old saw about boats.  Holes...money...time, etc.

Phil

I suspect that it was a "mistake" that left the factory by the back door, but never got installed in a gun.  The rifling is pristine.

I have a Stevens 44 with a .25 rimfire barrel and a factory "25-20" marking.  Mine is a Model 47, with a tang sight and semi-adjustable front.  The barrel has a .251 groove diameter and a 17" twist.  The barrel number matches the action number.  I do not think these were "back door" projects.  Just people not paying attention and poor quality control.