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rnnhntr
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Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Mar 27th, 2025 at 6:35pm
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The pictured Stevens Model 44 in .22 LR was a basket case when I got it. The stock was in three pieces, the bore was so rusted that you could not see through it, and the outside of the barrel and butt plate were badly pitted. Amazingly, the inside of the action was in good shape and the outside of the action had minimal pitting. I cleaned it up, glued the stock back together, and lined and cold-blued the barrel. It now shoots decently, but is still a bit homely. I have started shooting .22 BPCR and want a rifle for it, so this old girl is getting a major makeover. The middle picture shows most of the parts and pieces for the change, a 27" Green Mountain barrel, a ball and spur lever, and a Model 51-style stock. The third picture is a composite that shows the general look I am going for. The action work including fitting the new lever will come first, then the barrel, and lastly the stock. I plan to send the action and lever out for color-case hardening, and will rust blue the barrel, hammer, breech block, etc. 

  
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jimmy
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #1 - Mar 27th, 2025 at 7:18pm
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Does CPA recaseharden in the Stevens pattern? That would look better. (to me)

Awesome project. The 51 is a great looking rifle.
  
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Sure shot
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #2 - Mar 27th, 2025 at 7:47pm
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jimmy wrote on Mar 27th, 2025 at 7:18pm:
Does CPA recaseharden in the Stevens pattern? That would look better. (to me)

Awesome project. The 51 is a great looking rifle.

It would look better to me also,if the color case were done in the Stevens ripple pattern. CPA does this,there may be others that do the Stevens pattern.
  
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TomKlinger
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #3 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 8:12am
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I think it will look great!


Tom Klinger



P.S. Stevens didn’t always use the ugly stripes, they also did some in standard bone pack.
  
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bobw
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #4 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 9:34am
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TomKlinger wrote on Mar 28th, 2025 at 8:12am:
I think it will look great!


Tom Klinger

P.S. Stevens didn’t always use the ugly stripes, they also did some in standard bone pack.


Lol, glad I’m not the only one!  
I’ve caught some heat for not doing the strips.
Bob
  

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GT
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #5 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 9:45am
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I like to see resurrections like this, it's looking good.  Thanks for sharing and keep us posted.
Greg
  

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  T. A. Edison
"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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marlinguy
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #6 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 11:30am
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Although we see far more Stevens tiger stripes, I also prefer the standard bone charcoal colors personally. 
This is looking like a great job, and very well done!
  

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calledflyer
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #7 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 11:31am
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On a pristine rifle the stripes would be worth having. They are unsightly- gaudy at least, ugly in most cases- and I'd never seek a replacement. I'd head for a traditional color case or even a good bluing instead. The sample rifle you pictured is a nice looking piece. Just my two cents.
  
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calledflyer
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #8 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 11:35am
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btt

I double posted a message and then the whole thread disappeared when I went to delete the second one.  So, I posted this from my sent file and it returned. perhaps this is how so many threads vanish. Instead of simply removing one's own unwanted stuff it removes the whole thread? I don't know enough about computers to understand, but blind chickens sometimes get tossed into the pot too.
« Last Edit: Mar 28th, 2025 at 11:40am by calledflyer »  
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Sure shot
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #9 - Mar 28th, 2025 at 12:54pm
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TomKlinger wrote on Mar 28th, 2025 at 8:12am:
I think it will look great!


Tom Klinger



P.S. Stevens didn’t always use the ugly stripes, they also did some in standard bone pack.

The very early Stevens rifles did use color case with a different Marcel pattern, then they switched to the familiar ripple pattern. Savage owned Stevens used a different Marcel pattern also. However, the OP's rifle would have the ripple pattern case hardening to be period correct. 
His rifle his choice. 



  
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Deadeye Bly
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #10 - Mar 29th, 2025 at 8:45am
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If you plan to shoot 22BPCR with it, those curved butt plates aren't the best for prone shooting, great for offhand though.
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #11 - Apr 1st, 2025 at 11:47am
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I prefer a "standard" case pattern to the stripped Stevens pattern, so that is what it will get. I agree that the crescent buttplates are not great for .22BPCR, I have a shotgun-style buttplate that is going on it. I hope to start the actual work on the action this week and hopefully do the barrel next week.
  
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #12 - Apr 5th, 2025 at 4:05pm
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Beautiful rifle.  love that Stevens 44.
  
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RJ-35-40
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #13 - Apr 6th, 2025 at 4:53pm
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Nice..!
So please tell me, what is that finish in the grip area?
Fine checkering or something else?
  
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oneatatime
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #14 - Apr 6th, 2025 at 7:20pm
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" The third picture is a composite that shows the general look I am going for."
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #15 - Jul 6th, 2025 at 12:50pm
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I finally got moving on this project. The lever is fitted to the action and all works as it should. For those of you who may want to try this, here is how I did it. Note: Your results may vary. To start with, the following sketch has the dimensions I took off of my action and original lever.
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #16 - Jul 6th, 2025 at 12:58pm
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The first step was to machine and then stone the lever to width. Fortunately, the casting from CPA has the sides parallel. I milled each side down approximately 0.014" which left the lever about 0.002" oversize. I then stoned each side to polish and final fit them so that the lever slides into the bottom of the action and moves freely, but has no slop. The following pictures show the lever as received and a couple post machining compared to the original lever.
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #17 - Jul 6th, 2025 at 1:01pm
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My next step was to drill the holes for the pivot pin and the link pin. I found that an L-size letter drill worked for the lever pin hole and a #13 drill worked for the link pin hole.
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #18 - Jul 6th, 2025 at 1:20pm
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The next step in the process was to file the head of the lever to shape. I laid the old lever on the new and used the #13 and "L" drills as guide pins to trace the outline of the old lever onto the new one. Then it was a matter of files and stones to get the shape correct.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the next two steps, which were to mill the slot that the link fits in and drill the hole for the lever plunger and spring. I used a 1/4" center cutting end mill for both steps. I laid the old lever on the new and used the #13 and "L" drills as guide pins to to mark the angle for the link pin slot and then clamped the new lever in my mill vise with axis for the bottom of the link pin slot parallel to the mill table. After milling the slot I indexed the hole location and plunge milled the hole. Getting the pivot slot and plunger hole locations and depths correct was the hardest part of fitting the lever.
  
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rnnhntr
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Re: Makeover for a Stevens Model 44
Reply #19 - Jul 6th, 2025 at 1:24pm
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I was fitting as I went, but the final assembly of the action still took some polishing and fiddling, but it all went together and works as it is supposed to. I am starting on fitting the barrel next. I will wait until I have the barrel fitted and the stock work done before polishing and finishing the metal. 

I am guessing that I have between 8 and 12 hours of time in doing this first one and I would absolutely not try this without a good milling machine. All that said, having now done this once, I will probably do another for a plain-Jane Stevens 44 I have that started as a .25 Rimfire and has been relined to .22LR.
« Last Edit: Jul 6th, 2025 at 1:37pm by rnnhntr »  
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