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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Lucky Favorite (Read 6510 times)
uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #15 - Sep 10th, 2021 at 12:14am
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A while ago I was using .22 caliber nailgun charges in adapters to shoot .32 rimfire in a 1915 Favorite.  The lowest (coded grey if I remember right) were soft enough. The next up are brown, and they were also OK.  Noting that a 1915 is considerably stronger than an 1894, due to its' wider link. 

I tried a few brown coded .27 nailgun charges in a .25 Stevens 44, with no bullet, and had a dickens of a time getting them to extract.  Haven't continued with that experiment.   The 44 has been converted to centerfire, (by swapping in a CF breechblock),  and I'm using cases formed from Hornet brass.

It's possible, but laborious, to make passable .25 Stevens out of .17WSM, but a Favorite won't fire  them - the rims are too hard/thick.  I'm shooting those only in a 1938 Model 83 bolt action. 

If you can swallow the prices, there  is NOS ammo available on auction sites, and you can buy a kit from Sharpshooter Supply to reprime spent cases.   
« Last Edit: Sep 10th, 2021 at 12:19am by uscra112 »  

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chipmaker
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #16 - Sep 10th, 2021 at 1:51pm
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uscra112 
Thanks for sharing your experience with the favorite. 
My favorite handles the 27 caliber nail gun cartridge, without a bullet, just fine, with good ignition and extraction. However, I'm concerned enough about damage to the rifle, that I don't think, that I'll proceed with further experiments, with the Favorite.
Otto
  
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #17 - Sep 10th, 2021 at 3:15pm
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I’ve breech seated and fired both the level 3 (green) and level 4 (yellow) .27 caliber nail gun loads in my 44 1/2 .25 Stevens, the green loads seemed really mild, the yellow loads had quite a bit more zing. The green loads extracted okay, but the yellow loads cases bulged and had to be removed with a cleaning rod. I found both loads to be very dirty to shoot with lots of fouling. It was also very easy to slip the nail gun loads past the extractor being such a short case, which was a pain, and difficult to remove. I much prefer shooting and using .17 wsm ammo converted to .25 Stevens in my rifles. Now I have only fired a few of the converted rounds made from .17 wsm in both a 1915 and 1894 favorite, but I think they all fired fine. 

I think your favorite would probably handle the .27 caliber brown loads (level 2) just fine.
  
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chipmaker
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #18 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 10:48am
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Sure Shot
Did you happen to check the velocity of your nail gun loads? 
What bullet were you breech seating?
Otto
  
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #19 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 1:54pm
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No I didn’t check the velocity.
I used 55 grain cast bullets sized .251, meant for .25 acp, from Rim Rock bullets.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #20 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 6:43pm
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You may want to recheck your barrel, chipmaker.

I've now got five .25 Stevens rifles of various models, and all of them slug .257 more or less, including a near-mint Model 83.

ndnchf has a #4 Rolling Block, which, after obtaining supply of .251 bullets, he also discovered is .257 groove diameter. 

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links);   (post #53)

I too have supply of .25 aCP bullets that I bought early on, having read in Barnes that the .25 Stevens had a .251 bullet.  I should emulate him and swage mine up to .258.
« Last Edit: Sep 11th, 2021 at 6:50pm by uscra112 »  

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uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #21 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 6:55pm
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Scroll up from post #53 to see how he's made an adapter from .22 Hornet.  Lot of work, but once done it's reloadable.
  

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chipmaker
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #22 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 7:44pm
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Sure Shot
I also bought my bullets (.251") from Rim Rock. Very fast delivery. Brown nail gun cartridges from Amazon are on their way.
uscra112
Both the slug and chamber cast revealed a groove diameter of .251" in my Favorite. Do you have any data that the .257"barrels indicate a later production?
  
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uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #23 - Sep 11th, 2021 at 10:57pm
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Both my sideplate .25 Stevens Favorite (1892/93), which is in pretty good condition, and the Model 83 (1938) are .257.  Ditto my '94 Favorite, (post-1900), and both of my Model 12s (ca. 1912).   Where a .250 barrel fits in I haven't a clue. If they exist at all it must have been for a very short while.
  

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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #24 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 6:24am
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I need to slug the bores of my .25 Stevens rifles, I have 4 with excellent bores. I did try to insert the .251 sized bullets into the muzzles of my rifles. With the 044 1/2 the bullet went in easily with no engraving of the lands, and on my 44 1/2 ditto. I tried it on my 1915 favorite and model 45-44 1/2 that was factory re-barreled  by Savage owned Stevens, the bullets took a fair amount of thumb pressure to insert the bullets and were lightly engraved by the lands. So it seems with my small examples, the Savage made Stevens have smaller bores.
My O44 1/2, which I enjoy shooting, would benefit greatly with larger diameter bullets.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #25 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 6:27am
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Don't leave that 044-1/2 where I can see it.  It might grow legs! Grin
  

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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #26 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 6:46am
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uscra112 wrote on Sep 12th, 2021 at 6:27am:
Don't leave that 044-1/2 where I can see it.  It might grow legs! Grin

It’s a nice little rifle, it has a Lyman 438 scope with a post reticle.

I do believe that my Savage made Stevens .25 RF barrels, do have larger bores then a .251 diameter.
  
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #27 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 12:53pm
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uscra112
Your 25 caliber rifle bores of 257" groove diameter sure span a wide range of Steven's barrel production.
The attached photo shows a .257" lead bullet, that was driven through the barrel, of my Favorite, from the breech end.
Otto
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #28 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 2:45pm
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My ears were burning - lol  Grin

Yes, I too am playing struggling with .25 Stevens, but in a #4 rolling block. I've made one case from .22 hornet that uses a .22 blank for the primer. It was a lot of work to make. I've also converted some .17WSM, again a lot of work. The brown .27 nail gun blanks are the easiest way to go. I fired a couple, one with a breech seated bullet into the ground outside my garage. It worked fine, but was a little hard to extract. But this is the easiest way to go. I dont know how the strength of the Favorite compares to the #4 roller. But the brown blank and breech seated bullet seemed quite mild.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Lucky Favorite
Reply #29 - Sep 12th, 2021 at 5:37pm
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Roller is stronger than  '94 Favorite, IMHO.   1915 Favorite maybe equal.  Difference is the width of the link.  The link takes quite lot of stress, since the rimfires were rarely fitted up so that the breechblock bears against the shoulders in the frame.
  

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