You're thinking 777 is a custom number?

Westerner
Why not?
Sure shot
Yes. A late model 1894, with the narrow 6 O'clock extractor. 
No numbers on the barrel except the 25 Stevens marking.
Yes. The Stevens A&T marking is on the right side flat and upside down.
Any idea on the tang sight?
Otto

Because they are just stamped numbers?  No provenance?

chipmaker wrote on Sep 8^th, 2021 at 12:24pm:


There is generally a letter used with the number, on yours it looks like it may have been a U or B. It's where the lever contacts the lower tang.

As for sights a Lyman #1 or 2 are an option. I have one that had a Stevens vernier on it when I got it. Marbles makes one, A Montana Vintage Arms will fit. 

I think the correct letter code for a Lyman base is "F".

Dellet
I knew about the letters in the later models of the 1894 Favorites but didn't realize that they were so far away from the numbers.
You are correct that there is a letter, where the lever touches the lower tang. I'd guess that the letter is a "U". 
Attached is a photo of the area.
Thank you for the tang sight information as well. 
uscra112
Do you agree that the addition of a letter and number, along with the extractor type and location, is consistent with a late model 1894 Favorite?
Otto

It is the Trade mark favorite stamping on the top of the frame that leads me to believe that it is a very late model 1894 favorite. Your rifle also has a 24 inch barrel rather than the standard 22 inch barrel which makes it more interesting.
The favorite with standard open sights was cataloged as a #17.
A #18  came with a Stevens tang sight. The #19 came with the Lyman tang sight.
The favorite is a good one to collect because of all of the changes and variations since it was made from the 1890’s to 1939, and by Stevens and Savage.

Most nail gun loads are far too energetic for a '94 Favorite.  Only the very lightest are even reasonable.

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.   

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.

No I didn’t check the velocity.
I used 55 grain cast bullets sized .251, meant for .25 acp, from Rim Rock bullets.

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.

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.

Don't leave that 044-1/2 where I can see it.  It might grow legs!

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

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.

The smokeless load for the 25 Stevens RF is listed as giving a velocity of 1180 fps with a 65 grain lead bullet.
Both BP and Dellet, who post on these forums, reported firing two black powder 25 RF rounds and observed a velocity of 1112 fps. Dellet also reported that Canuck 25 RF cartridges, gave a velocity of 1124 fps, when fired from a 22" barreled Favorite.
I thought that, if a nail gun cartridge and 50 grain bullet, gave a velocity at or below 1100 fps, that it would be safe to fire in the Favorite, until a friend mentioned that the nail gun cartridges might have a different pressure curve, from black powder or the smokeless powder used in the Canuck cartridges, that could still damage the Favorite, even though it produced the same muzzle velocity.
Different powders do burn differently and can create significantly different pressures, while producing the same velocity, so it seems as if the preceding caution might have merit.
Does anyone know of any reports of high pressure signs, when using the green or brown nail gun cartridges, in firearms? 
Otto 

Hey Guys & Gals

New to the Forum , tho not new to Stevens .

The Favorites in .25 Stevens & .32 rf have 24 '' barrels
the Favs. in .22lr have 22 '' barrels .

I've not seen any Favorites with barrel numbers
matching the receiver numbers only the Model 44 & 44 1/2 .

Also the 1894 Models that I have only have Favorite
on the top of the receiver and some don't .

I do appreciate exchanging info. with you Stevens Guru's
as the more I learn the more that I know that I don't know.

prost , skoal & cheers .. skwerl