Old Stevens favorite .22 Take Down

T

terry_g

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Canada's North West
I picked up this little rifle on the EE here a couple weeks ago.
I finally got home and got examine it.
It has a few miles on it but overall it appears to be in decent shape.
When I tried to look through the barrel it was dark.
There was a bullet lodged in the bore about half way down the barrel.
I was able to remove it with a brass rod. I gave the bore a good cleaning.
The rifling looks like new.

I cleaned and oiled the all the moving parts and made a trip to the range.
It functions properly and its accurate but it's hitting 8" high at 25 yards.
The home made rear aperture sight is too high. Perhaps it was made
for .22 short rifle ammo.

There is no dovetail for a rear sight on the barrel. It may have had a receiver sight from new.
I'm sure the rear sight is home made. Can anyone tell me what it would have had for a rear sight
when it was new? If anyone has a decent butt plate please let me know.

Terry

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That's not the original Stevens barrel. The original wouldn't have the threads on the breech end. It would have had a slotted dovetail rear sight. Many had rough bores from corrosive ammo and were swapped out over the years.
 
Definitely a replacement barrel. Not a factory rear sight at all, most have a fixed rear blade or a folding rear leaf. Tang sights were an option but not as common.

In your bottom-most picture it looks like the lever is drooping, that's a classic sign that the screws have stretched a bit. Could also have some out-of-round action holes. These are not meant for high-velocity ammo, keep it to standard velocity only. It is not about pressure, but rather breech thrust. The action is a swinging/tilting block, not a "falling block" - so the screws on which the breech block pivots take most of the rearward thrust of the shot. They bend and wear out over time and high-velocity modern ammo speeds that up a lot. You can make screws out of better steel and improve it a bit but...

The Favorites are neat rifles, I have several Stevens rifles in various actions and shoot 'em all but you have to know their limitations. They ain't meant for hotrodding.
 
mine has a Lyman peep on it.... My barrel looks different too, I'll have to get some pics... Im pretty sure mine has been toyed with over the years ... Gramps gave it to me many years ago, and I know he loved to tinker with his guns. No knurling on my hammer either.... Mine is currently in a box. I took it apart to fix the extractor, and cannot figure out the trick to getting it back together :( I may have a extra plate.... I'll check when I get up.... been a long night.....
 
One thing you have to watch out for of these older rifles is they just aren't made for modern ammunition,I broke a block of an older Husqvarna rolling block chambered in 'short' by shooting regular new ammunition....now I just shoot the 'quiet' ammunition with lower pressures
 
ratherbefishin said:
One thing you have to watch out for of these older rifles is they just aren't made for modern ammunition,I broke a block of an older Husqvarna rolling block chambered in 'short' by shooting regular new ammunition....now I just shoot the 'quiet' ammunition with lower pressures
Click to expand...

A lot of folks mistakenly believe that a .22 short is safe in these much older .22's; but the breech thrust (which as I say above is the important consideration in a Favorite or other Stevens swinging block action) of a high velocity .22 short is actually the same as a LR. You won't break a breech block in a Favorite but, as I say, you WILL bend the screws or stretch the screws which can lead to ruptured cases etc. When the lever won't stay tight against the action (the OP's looks like it might have that issue) then you have some stretching and you've got to watch it.

Some of the other Stevens actions (like the Crackshot 16 and the 14 1/2 etc) have even more delicate actions that have no way to keep the breech block from dropping on you when you shoot them, IF they are in poor repair. Turns it into an auto-eject, obviously "Not a Great Thing" for the Shooter in that case. In those latter actions I only use CB longs or yes, the Quiets are safe. In the Favorite, standard velocity or lower has been fine - the lever does add a degree of safety BUT as I say don't push them with modern high-velocity ammo. The pins will bend and it will still lead to a lack of head support/increased headspace and associated ruptures, etc.

Often when folks discuss the Favorite, they confuse the "boys' rifles" (like the Favorite) with some of the stronger Stevens actions, which look similar - the 44 1/2 for example, which was chambered in centerfire rounds and was their only true falling block. But that is simply not the case for the "boys rifles". Again, improving the quality of the screws/pins adds a degree of safety and reliability but even at that...
 
You have pretty good odds of finding a butt plate at a gun show, if there are any used parts dealers that frequent the shows in your area. I have had good luck finding parts I needed that way, for several Favorites over the years.

I agree with the others here, not a very original example, but a decent basis for a guilt-free rebuild, refinish, etc., if you are so inclined. It would take some careful welding to fill the screw holes, and the stamped markings if any there, would be obliterated, but it could be returned to some semblance of a factory issued version, or a full custom if so desired. Or just a shooter.

Remember esp., that these guns were built to BP pressure levels, and barely to those. Once the action is in good nick, stick to standard velocity or lower ammo. Buy a brick when you find it in stock, as most places don't.

I like the CCI Quiets.

Cheers
Trev
 
I've got a thing for these hing drop singles so I've had to tighten up a couple of them by making new screws. This is greatly helped by the fact that in all the swing down actions I've checked (about 6 of them at this point) the stock screws were all a rather sloppy fit. Just making up custom sizes tightens up the actions enough to make the levers like on this one snap firmly into position and snap open only with a moderately firm pull.

And a hearty DITTO! ! ! ! to the suggestion to run options like CCI Quiet, something subsonic or at MOST no more than Standard Velocity ammo in them.

A tang mounted peep sight was an option on these rifles. One of my swinging blocks of some brand came with such a sight. It's a couple of bits of springy sheet metal is all. the "base" has two elongated slots for the mounting screws that fit into the holes on the top tang. The slots let you move the sight for and aft over about 1/4 to 3/8 inch to adjust elevation. The staff is another bit of sheet metal that looks a little like a lollipop with a thick stick and which has the peep hole in the middle of the round "candy". That part folds down for transport and springs into position when raised. It's really cheap and easy looking and about as complicated as what someone stuck on the top of your receiver.
 
NorthCoastBigBore said:
Me too, should start a thread dedicated to the Favorites.
Click to expand...

Not just the Favorites. There's lots of others that are great fun too. The Remington 6 models and all the other less expensive Stevens guns too. And the Ethan Allen single that has a lever that makes it look like a lever action.

I think I need to pull 'em all out and take a picture.....
 
BCRider said:
Not just the Favorites. There's lots of others that are great fun too. The Remington 6 models and all the other less expensive Stevens guns too. And the Ethan Allen single that has a lever that makes it look like a lever action.

I think I need to pull 'em all out and take a picture.....
Click to expand...

Ya I hear that; I've wanted a No.6 for a while. I also like the various levers, although there is something about the sheer variety of unique Boys' Rifle actions from that 1880-ishthrough 1920's period that is very intriguing. And generally those little singles (like the rollers, the swingers, the break actions etc) have a style that just doesn't get translated to bolts or more contemporary designs.
 
NorthCoast, I see we drink the same flavor of Kool-Aid.... :D

I don't have any break action "boy's rifles" yet. Somewhere along the way. And I'm keeping my eye open for a TC hotshot as well.

One notable oddball I've got is a Piper Herstal single shot from Belgium. It's odd because it's a blow back auto eject. The bolt moves back and locks ejecting the empty casing. The shooter places another round by hand and then hits the bolt release which jumps forward into the ready to fire position. How's that for odd?
 
BCRider said:
NorthCoast, I see we drink the same flavor of Kool-Aid.... :D

I don't have any break action "boy's rifles" yet. Somewhere along the way. And I'm keeping my eye open for a TC hotshot as well.

One notable oddball I've got is a Piper Herstal single shot from Belgium. It's odd because it's a blow back auto eject. The bolt moves back and locks ejecting the empty casing. The shooter places another round by hand and then hits the bolt release which jumps forward into the ready to fire position. How's that for odd?
Click to expand...



I would like to see that.
 
BCRider said:
NorthCoast, I see we drink the same flavor of Kool-Aid.... :D

I don't have any break action "boy's rifles" yet. Somewhere along the way. And I'm keeping my eye open for a TC hotshot as well.

One notable oddball I've got is a Piper Herstal single shot from Belgium. It's odd because it's a blow back auto eject. The bolt moves back and locks ejecting the empty casing. The shooter places another round by hand and then hits the bolt release which jumps forward into the ready to fire position. How's that for odd?
Click to expand...

Didn't Winchester have one like that a long while back?
 
I went looking and you're right. The Winchester model 55.

A little different from mine in that it works from an open bolt rest position. Mine has a release to let the bolt snap forward and then a regular firing pin is released at the trigger pull. So it shoots from a closed bolt position.

So apparently there's more than one way to skin a single shot cat.....

There's a good look at the Model 55 starting about 3/4 of the way through this video. The first part is taken up with discussion and demonstration of two open bolt magazine repeaters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZE_C5YCi4
 
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