Convert Stevens 25 rf to 25/20?

[NorthCoastBigBore]

The few of the Stevens Favorites that have survived the years without becoming worn to near deaths door, are reasonably able to be used with standard velocity or lower, ammo. The worn ones are a hazard to the eyes with just about anything you can load.

The Stevens Model 44, is built to the same pattern, but is slightly larger in scale, and is said to make a quite acceptable .22 for modern ammo if in great shape. Stevens even (very briefly, it was a piss-poor idea) made the Model 44 in 32-40 caliber. They shot themselves loose in very short order.

In a perfect world, we would all have Model 44 1/2's, a true falling block gun, comparable in strength to the Winchester Low Wall 1885.

In a perfect world....

Kind of a shame that the more modern iterations of the Stevens Favorite were built so damn ugly. The design is fairly elegant, and it would have taken only a few minor internal changes to beef it up and have the pivot pins supported right up to their related parts, thus putting the pins in shear instead of having them able to flex.

Fully agree... I don't particularly want to stumble across a 44-1/2 as I may have to buy it and they aren't particularly cheap.

Yes, they squandered an opportunity to take that company from a cheap mass production operation to a far more substantial enterprise by not addressing those basic flaws. Even by bushing the Favorite receiver, tightening things up and changing some geometry the RF models would have made a more... lasting impression? I do love the styling and that's why I keep shooting 'em.

 

[marshall]

The 44 action , as well the 44 1/2 action was made in many CF calibers. up to 44/40CF. I have heard of a 44 1/2 in 45/60, but that is hearsay.
I have had them in 22 short, 22 lr, 22 shot , 25, 32 rim. 25/20SS, 25/21, 25/25, never seen a 32/40
They built some super nice target guns in the early 1900's , Ideal models, Walnut Hill models, Lady models . full fledged target stuff. I never had a good 44 1/2 action as any good ones, I seen (3) where out of my paygrade at the time.
But they never where " hi power" guns. Most started out as black powder guns, and never really up graded as far as the steel, action went.
The 25acp idea is something I never thought about, but I was a collector , not a shooter of them, other than some of the 22 pistols, and a 44 ideal in 22lr, that was as new, with a original Stevens target scope.

 

[trevj]

The 44 action , as well the 44 1/2 action was made in many CF calibers. up to 44/40CF. I have heard of a 44 1/2 in 45/60, but that is hearsay.
I have had them in 22 short, 22 lr, 22 shot , 25, 32 rim. 25/20SS, 25/21, 25/25, never seen a 32/40
They built some super nice target guns in the early 1900's , Ideal models, Walnut Hill models, Lady models . full fledged target stuff. I never had a good 44 1/2 action as any good ones, I seen (3) where out of my paygrade at the time.
But they never where " hi power" guns. Most started out as black powder guns, and never really up graded as far as the steel, action went.
The 25acp idea is something I never thought about, but I was a collector , not a shooter of them, other than some of the 22 pistols, and a 44 ideal in 22lr, that was as new, with a original Stevens target scope.

I know that Stevens made the 44 in 32-40, for a very brief period, as it turned out an unwise decision. The 44 1/2 in 45-60 seems a stretch, at least, from the factory. Be running some pretty skinny walls around that chamber area.

I do know that the folks currently making a 44 1/2 actually scaled up the overall size just a wee bit to be able to fit a larger barrel shank in than the originals had.https://www.cparifles.com/pages/cpa-44-1-2-action

Kinda kicking myself for not jumping on the 44 1/2 that I passed on a table in Edmonton, the guy was looking for $850, with three barrels and extractors, .22 rimfire, .218 Bee, and .30-30 Winchester, as I recall. It was very nicely done.

 

[marshall]

I have not done the Edmonton shows for the last 12-15 yrs, maybe a good thing , as if I had seen that gun, I would have bought another I don't need.
The 45-60 is beer talk, so that could be a wet dream. Some where I have a catalogue, Stevens with all these listed and the factory calibers.
I have never had a 44 to look at, but I know they made them . John Taylor had one in the 1990's