Old Stevens .22 (A pleasant day at the range)

[plinky]

The other day I had decided to buy a new .22 rifle. I left work early to hit the gun store but when I got there strangely they were closed. Maybe it was a sign...when I got home I pulled out an old family gun which was ugly when we got it, then suffered damage in a water leak. When Dad passed away, I kept this one as it wasn't worth much but had some sentimental value. Being desperate for a new .22 I soaked this rusty piece in Hoppes and buffed away. I was surpised that most of the rust came off or at least was toned down. Best of all the bore looked decent.



Tonight I put a BIG spare scope on it and took it to the range. I believe it shot as well as I've seen it shoot. These four groups were at 25yd rested. Best group is .52" and was loaded as a single shot. When feeding from the mag, it was shaving a chunk off of many bullets. I also shot a group offhand and it was just a hair over an inch. I don't shoot rifles off hand much so I was pleased.



Having established that the gun still functions, I plan to give it some more restoration. I'll refinish the stock and try to find an aperture sight for it.

So...nothing earthshaking here, but I was happy to turn back the clock a few years with this rifle and hope to continue to do so. It is a Stevens Model 84C BTW. I'm not sure how old it is but it's been in the family for at least 35 years and looked pretty old when we got it. Just thought I would share a happy, stress free range trip.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

It's really hard to have a bad range day with a single shot or turnbolt .22, isn't it?

 

[Mr_Ouija]

Not bad, I spent the better part of the day behind my new russian bolt gun, a Vostok CM-2. This thing shoots like a house on fire when I do my part. I even made an entry for the July Rimfire Challenge part of my day, probably the best shooting I did all day!

Glad I picked up this old beater.

 

[plinky]

Yep, that's the way to ENJOY shooting. Nothing hurts and my nerves aren't frazzled.

I'll...umm...still have to get the new .22 of course. In fact I need it even more now.

 

[Mr_Ouija]

Haha! I picked up two old (the no serial #, old) .22 rifles from a pawn shop, then ended up getting the beat up russkie. The russkie shoots like a new rifle, though she obviously has been heavily used and abused by every owner prior to me.

 

[Nugilum]

Sweet, another Stevens Springfield Model 84C- owner!

This is the rifle the scouts used to fight over at summer camp. Long barreled, old, and heavy for a .22LR. I'd guesstimate these rifles are 60 to 65 years old. I remember seeing "later 1940's" for a manufacturing time frame in a parts manual.

Do you remember what ammo you were shooting? Mine does around 3/4" at 50 yards with any bulk ammo. I'll bet it'll do MOA with higher quality.

I must admit I haven't noticed any bullet shaving with my 10-round and two 5-round magazines. I'll need to experiment with that one.

So, what are your plans with yours?

 

[plinky]

I was shooting mostly Mini Mag HPs. 10 rounds of Win T22 did about the same though while I was sighting in. I'd like to get MOA but I don't think it ever has. I had a Mossberg 144 that would do MOA. Why did I let that one go? :banghead:

The mag is a 10 rd Winchester marked unit and probably contributes to the shaving and the occasional jam. Something else I should replace.

Numrich has barrels pretty cheap but I'll probably just refinish the stock and scrub the metal some more. If I can find someone to reblue it, I'll consider that.

 

[22-rimfire]

Sonds like a fun project gun. Honestly, I'd just buy another 22 as there are lots of them that will shoot 1 MOA. You need more than one 22 anyway. I would do some research on the magazine issue and find one that will hopefully work correctly.

 

[Avenger29]

The mag is a 10 rd Winchester marked unit and probably contributes to the shaving and the occasional jam. Something else I should replace.

If you are going to get rid of the Winchester mag, how about sending it to me. I'm having a hard time finding affordable, working mags for my Winchester 69 bolt action rifle, and that might work...

 

[Red Tornado]

That's definitely a great day at the range! Nothing like cleaning up an old .22, especially a family heirloom. Could the shaving problem be weak mag springs not getting the angle high enough? Just a random thought.

Mr Ouija,
You got the old style CM-2? Is that the CDNN rifle you were jonesing for? I'll check for a range report at RFC.
RT

 

[Mr_Ouija]

Red Tornado: Yes, that's the one. I haven't got a complete range report yet, but did a lot of shooting Sunday... about 6 hours worth. She's in pretty rough shape but shoots just fine.

Thread is here.

 

[plinky]

Mr. Ouija, that is a fine shooting rifle. I checked out the Rimfire Challenge thread. Good job. Looking at the pics you wouldn't expect it. What did they use that rifle for after it's target career? Looks like it will clean up nicely though.

Avenger29, if I can find a replacement mag you are welcome to the Winchester unit. There is a locating dimple on the right side that was ground off for use in the Stevens and that would likely be a problem. It locates kind of sloppily in the Stevens and tends to angle the first few rounds too high.

I ordered a Savage Mark II FVT today. I had been looking for something (CZ, Marlin...) that I could put some target sights on but this rifle is all set up. Should be fun.

 

[Mr_Ouija]

Couldn't tell you where its been before me, I bought her used from CDNN and they don't give any extra info. I am pleasantly surprised, especially after I brought her home from the range and found a ding in the crown that could be effecting accuracy. I noticed a few other little things and will be fixing those, so hopefully it shoots better afterward, if that's possible.

 

[Nugilum]

Sorry this took so long, but here are some pictures of one of my five-round magazines (Big pictures for detail):

Side View:

Front:

Top, Front Up:

Back:

Bottom, Back Up:


Now, I found my magazines in a gunsmith's shop. He had been in business for 30 years, so he had the built-up inventory. Unfortunately he's gone.

The only place that I know of for these magazines is Numrich E-GunParts (link).

Hope this helps!

 

[86thecat]

Picked up a dirty old 84-C from my local gun shop for $40. Cleaned it up and it shoots 1 inch at 50 yards using the included tang peep sight and bulk ammo. A friends daughter used it Sunday for her first range trip and was hooked, Sweet.

 

[Mr_Ouija]

Those Stevens mags look nearly identical to the Rem 5-teen mags and the Savage MkII mags. The difference being how they're held in place on the spine and followers. The metal follower in the 5-teen mag allows 6 rounds to be loaded, where the Savage MkII mag's polymer follower only allows 5. The Savage mags have more meat to them, so you could trim them down to make'em fit tight and they're available at wal-mart in 5 and 10 round versions for like $16 if memory serves me right.

 

[plinky]

Thanks for the help on the mag guys. It's amazing how similar all those mags are. Even the Winchester is the same except for the mod that's been made to it. It now has a hole about 3/8 of an inch from the top on the right side.

I saw mags on Numrich and if they are new I was considering getting one. But if a Savage Mark II will work that will be better. I should have one to try very soon.

Mr. Ouija, I hope you can get your rifle to shoot right. j/k

 

[Mr_Ouija]

I think the only way to make that CM-2 shoot better is to replace the trigger nut (me), but I think I will recut the crown to be sure.