Stevens 200 conversion?

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viking499

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LGS has a NIB Stevens 200 .243 sitting on the shelf. It has been there for awhile, I would say well over a year. And he will mark the price down periodically in the hopes that someone will take it home. The price has gotten down to where I keep on thinking about, almost daily.....

The problem is that I already own a sweet shooting model 70 in 243 and two 6.5x55's along with a 204 and 223. So, in my eyes, my small to medium rifle collection is pretty well full for my uses. Don't need a "big" caliber for anything around here. The Swede does everything I ask it to do. If I need a bigger caliber someday, I will buy it then.

If I were to pick up this Stevens, what would I do with it? Don't know.......the idea of making it a project gun has come to mind. I know it is not the base for creating a precision shooting platform. I am not a precise shooter, more of a tinkerer. The Stevens and Savages from what I have read are easy to modify, change barrels on, etc. And parts are abundant and readily available.

Use the action for say maybe a 6mmBR or some other caliber. Find a Boyd's or other replacement stock and get rid of the factory plastic. Tinker to replace the trigger. Etc.

Anyone here ever done something like this?
Does the action length limit me or is all Stevens a long action?
What would be a good caliber for conversion? Do I have to stick with the 243/308 bolt head or is it convertible?
Do you also have to switch the internal magazine box or will it accept. Different calibers without switching?
 
Lots of folk have bought Stevens 200s for the action. My projects include 358Win and 300 AAC chamberings, all on the short action. AFAIK, they make two action lengths - short and long. Used to be that Savage made everything on one action, but the Stevens all post-date that era.

Available bolt faces include .378 (223), .473 (all 30-06/308 derivatives), and .540 (magnum).
 
The Stevens 200 used to be sold as the Savage 110, so any parts and accessories applicable to one are applicable to the other. Barrels are claimed to be easy to switch. Sticking with the same breach-face size would minimize the cost.
 
So, there is two different action lengths?

Is the Stevens a small or large shank rifle?

Who sells Savage barrels?
 
The Stevens 200 actions make a nice base for tinkering. I'm close to finishing one in 30 Remington. Its primary use will be for cast bullet shooting. The next project I'm considering is a 25-222 Copperhead.

Boyd stocks are readily available along with other after market parts and accessories for the Savage line making the Stevens 200 a very viable starting point.

The Stevens 200 come in short and long lengths. The short action is not that short. The 308 magazine box can handle cartridges almost 3 inches in overall length. The action I have is from a 308 and is a small shank.

The barrel I used is a Krieger, as I needed a gunsmith to thread and chamber it since no one makes pre-fits in 30 Remington.
 
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If you've got a few minutes, give savageshooters.com a look. There's a lot of knowledge of the Stevens rifles over there. But I do know that the 200 is the same as the Savage 10/110 in terms of compatibility. So there are a lot of options as far as barrels and stocks and triggers... If the price is good, I'd go for it. Just need a barrel in the caliber of your choice and a set of headspace gauges.
 
Criterion makes really good pre-fit barrels at a good price. You can order through Jim Briggs of Northland Shooters Supply (763) 682-4296. Jim is also a wealth of info. when it comes to re barreling a Savage.
 
I'd look at the savage shooters forum.
PLENTY of info and those guys know how to build them for sure.

I put a rifle basix trigger in mine and made it quite a sweet shooter.
 
I have a 223 stevns 200 Changed to a boyd's classi stock and factory bottom metal from boyds too . Swapped in a sav-1 rifle basix trigger and with a low cost at home crowning kit cleaned up the end of the bore. That's all for now. Good 1/2" rifle with heavier 68gr/70gr bullets. You can also change the bolts break fass so about any cartridge base can be used. Think your on the right track with a 6br , for me it would be the 7br with a short 16.25" barrel.
 
I'd get it. Keep it as a spare .243, or put a different caliber in it. .22-250, .260, .308, and .338 Federal all come to mind for different reasons. Put a stock appropriate to intended use and barrel profile on it.

The Stevens 200 can certainly be used as the base for a precision rifle. Been done many times. Put a 26-28" heavy match barrel, good trigger, good scope and bases, and appropriate stock on it, and guess what? It's a precision rifle.
 
but the Stevens all post-date that era
Click to expand...

Not quite true. I have a Stevens rimfire from the early 50's.

The 200 is basically a 110 without the AccuTrigger. There are great triggers to be had for that line though. And there are a lot of barrels being made for it too. It's becoming the 10/22 of centerfire rifles. You can start with a 200 and build it into a super shooting rifle. Lots of people are doing just that. It's cheaper than buying a Savage that is already set up to be a great shooter. Of course you have to do the work but for many that's half the fun. Personally I like to buy rifles ready to shoot right out of the box.
 
Not quite true. I have a Stevens rimfire from the early 50's.
Click to expand...

Well, yes, the Stevens company made quite a number of rimfires before the merger with Savage, and the plant continues to make rimfires - which was the purpose, IIRC, to Savage acquiring the Stevens company in the first place.

But we were talking about the Savage/Stevens 200, which isn't one of those. It is, in fact, an "entry-level" Savage 110. No frills, basic stock, finish may not be as nice as a Savage-labelled 10 or 110.
 
Stevens made rifles in WWII too like the Savage Lee Enfield No. 4 rifle and the Thompson sub-machine gun. Their long history goes back to the 19th century when they made falling block rifles. They invented the .22 caliber round too BTW. But they continued to make some centerfire rifles after that including a .25-20 Winchester caliber among others that started out as wildcat calibers.

They have a long history and although it is true that they were making pretty much all .22's when Savage bought them out they were also making some shotguns. That's why I said it wasn't "quite" true about them making centerfire rifles not just postdating the era when Savage had bought them out. That merger goes back to 1920 so all the stuff they made in WWII was technically during the buyout era but they made centerfire rifles long before that. It's true that Stevens made mostly .22 rifles when Savage bought them out because the caliber obviously had caught on big time especially as a caliber used to train kids and for small varmints etc.. But again their centerfire rifles go back as far as the 1880's when they sold millions of their falling block rifles.
 
have a 223 stevns 200 Changed to a boyd's classi stock and factory bottom metal from boyds too . Swapped in a sav-1 rifle basix trigger and with a low cost at home crowning kit cleaned up the end of the bore. That's all for now. Good 1/2" rifle with heavier 68gr/70gr bullets. You can also change the bolts break fass so about any cartridge base can be used.
Click to expand...
True. I bought a Stevens 200 in .223 that was extremely accurate with 75 grn match ammo. I converted it to 243 with a heavy barrel and Boyd's pepper laminate stock(had to change the bolt head, forward baffle and magazine box, follower and spring). I later converted it to .308 win which is what it is today. It is the staggerfeed version so when I put a factory syn/camo stock for a centerfeed, I had to move the front action screw hole for it to work. With a Riflebasix trigger and a Nikon Pro-staff 3x9x50 camo scope set up it shoots great and is now one of my favorite rifles!
 
don't know what you gonna do, but I know I bought an ugly ass Stevens 200 in 7mm-08 a few years ago, did a little work on the trigger, put a nice Boyds walnut stock on it and it is a tack driver deluxe....regularly outshoots some of my pompous buds and their high dollar rifles....it is a beautiful rifle I love and goes with me a lot. may get a nice 7mm-08 in another nicer rifle like a Ruger M77....but the Stevens is amazing. get one
 
Viking 499 I did just what you are talking about. Built a 6BR out of one and it turned out great. Will try and send you some picks . Will send you a PM Will need your E-Mail add.
Dave
 
so to sort of bring this thread back to life, would a stevens 200 in 243 be a long action or a short action savage? I'd like to rebarrel one to 308 and shoot cast, but I don't need a long action, and don't really want one. (gun is online, I do not have the ability or measure the screw spacing)
 
My Model 200 was a short action chambered in .223 that I converted to .243 and then to .308. I'd be willing to bet that one originally chambered in .243 would be a short action.
 
well boogers. I just checked and midway has discontinued the barrels I was considering. (threaded 308 or 300blk barrels)
 
I really want to put a heavy barrel on my Stevens 200 in 308. I really want to do the work myself so I can learn something new. However, I think some trigger work would really help tighten up my groups for now. Anyone have any experience with the Stevens trigger?
 
How much are they asking? If it's a good deal maybe I'll buy it :)
I'd be tempted to make a tube gun out of it.
 
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