Author Topic: Stevens 200 tuned a bit (Read 2672 times)

rickt300 · « **on:** December 24, 2009, 06:14:51 PM »

I easily lightened the trigger pull and set the overtravel adjustment. Nice light trigger. I used black automotive silicon to bed the barrel to the forearm allowing it to bond to both the barrel and the stock, thereby using the barrel to stiffen the forearm. I also put a standard base on the rear of the action and a Weaver 402 extended base on the front as I plan on mounting a Banner 1.5x 4.5 on it. Might change my mind though. Any good barrel prepping ideas? I usually just shoot and clean normally and have generally come out with good shooters. The rifle is a 270. Wish it were nicer out, I'd shoot it.

diggler1833 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 25, 2009, 01:57:33 AM »

If you bedded the barrel inside the barrel channel you will be changing the barrel harmonics everytime you rest the rifle on a different spot on the stock.

Barrel should shoot just fine and typical for a Stevens without any prep/break-in.

Good luck.

rickt300 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 25, 2009, 04:52:44 AM »

I bedded the first inch of the foreend to the barrel. I have been doing this to virtually all of the synthetic stocked rifles I have owned and it works really well. This eliminates foreend wiggle, makes the gun feel more solid and seems to improve grouping no matter where you hold the stock as the silicon, sort of a rubbery substance when dry and the stock help dampen vibrations.

trotterlg · « **Reply #3 on:** December 25, 2009, 06:30:57 AM »

When my Savage 10 in 17 Remington had a plastic stock on it I also bedded the front inch to the barrel to stiffen it up. It seems to work fine. I now have a floated wood stock which is even better. Larry

rickt300 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 25, 2009, 06:50:21 AM »

I bought this rifle as my takes a licking and keeps on ticking gun. I wanted a light rifle powerful enough for any reasonable task I might put it to in Texas. Seems like the coyotes are hell bent on committing suicide when I have a 270 in my hands. I too like wood better.

possum6 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 25, 2009, 07:23:26 AM »

I bought mine in .243, had a smith do a 2# trigger job on it. I believe it could light matches if I could do my job

diggler1833 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:03:30 AM »

Quote from: rickt300 on December 25, 2009, 04:52:44 AM

I bedded the first inch of the foreend to the barrel. I have been doing this to virtually all of the synthetic stocked rifles I have owned and it works really well. This eliminates foreend wiggle, makes the gun feel more solid and seems to improve grouping no matter where you hold the stock as the silicon, sort of a rubbery substance when dry and the stock help dampen vibrations.

Delay my last, if you only went an inch you won't have too much change in barrel harmonics. I went off of your initial post saying that you bedded the barrel to the forearm to stiffen the forearm. The Savage/Stevens rifles are amazingly accurate, even with stocks that you can move with little to no effort. My biggest bitch about mine was the fact that every time I switched targets my POI would shift some...still had the same size group, just about 1/2-3/4" away from the point where the previous group was.

The Accustock is supposed to help...too bad that the ergonomics still are lacking to me.

Good luck!

rickt300 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:25:30 AM »

I changed my mind and mounted a 4x leupold on the rifle. Sometime today I will empty some factory ammo and load 52.5 grs. of H414 into it and top it with 130 gr. Nosler solid base soft points.

Big Blue · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2010, 05:41:09 AM »

I've owned a few Stevens 200 rifles in the past and all were shooters. Instead of bedding the fore end to the barrel, I have used a Dremel to remove enough material from the inside of the fore end to allow me to lay a piece of 1/8" key stock down each side which I then epoxied into the fore end. I've also used J.B. Weld for that purpose with good results. It completely stiffens the fore end and even allows the use of a bipod to be attached to the sling swivel stud without the worry of the fore end being pushed against the barrel.
Don

rickt300 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2010, 06:18:19 AM »

Shooting went real well though it turns out the rifle likes 51.0 grains of H414 under the 130 gr. Nosler solid base bullet a great deal better than 52.5 grains. It also shot very well with the 150 gr. Hornady on top of 48.0 grs. of H414. I don't use a bipod and what I wanted to stiffen the stock for is to use a sling to carry the rifle with. The goal is a lightweight hunting rifle that maintains it's zero and using silicon to bond the barrel to the stock does this very well.

Big Blue · « **Reply #10 on:** January 01, 2010, 06:49:26 AM »

I ordered a new Stevens in .223 and should be picking it up tomorrow. I had a heavy barreled Savage Mod. 12FV which shot great, but it was just too heavy to take in the mountains. Like you I wanted something light to carry. The 1-9" twist worked great in the 12FV with 69gr. bullets and 26.0gr. of Varget and I'm hoping this rifle will also like that load.
For your .270 you might want to give IMR4350 or H4350 a try. Those two powders always worked well for me with any of the .30-06 based cartridges.
Don

rickt300 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 01, 2010, 12:33:08 PM »

I have a lot of H414 and it seems to work like a ball powder version of the 4350's. It is shooting plenty well enough and there is plenty of horsepower for my Texas deer and hog hunting.

deerman12 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 01, 2010, 01:52:27 PM »

Hey Rick,
Can you tell you how you did your trigger. I usually do my own triggers. Thanks

rickt300 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 01, 2010, 03:23:14 PM »

I took some good quality fine sandpaper and carefully cleaned up the sear engagement surfaces, then I backed off the screw that puts tension on the trigger. While there is some creep I have no problems shooting the rifle well.

Big Blue · « **Reply #14 on:** January 01, 2010, 04:02:42 PM »

Quote from: deerman12 on January 01, 2010, 01:52:27 PM

Hey Rick,
Can you tell you how you did your trigger.

Here's a link to a tutorial on adjusting a Savage 110 trigger. That was the pre-Accu-trigger which the Stevens wears now. Hope it helps. http://www.varminthunters.com/tech/savage110trigger.html
Don

deerman12 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 02, 2010, 05:34:27 AM »

Thanks big blue! Now I got a project for the weekend.

moorepower · « **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2010, 04:56:55 AM »

FYI the triggers are surface hardened, so they "could" wear quickly after stoning. SSS has a premo trigger.

deerman12 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 07, 2010, 07:33:26 AM »

I have heard, too.

rickt300 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 08, 2010, 03:56:46 AM »

The tutorial shows a trigger very similar to the one on my 200 except in the tutorial there is a sear engagement screw which is not there on my rifle.

doninva · « **Reply #19 on:** January 16, 2010, 01:49:56 PM »

Kind of a dumb ole country boy who doesn't do well with abrivations. What does SSS stand for and how much are their triggers for the Savage 200. Thanks, Don

doninva · « **Reply #20 on:** January 16, 2010, 11:01:39 PM »

Never mind, I figured it out

. Don

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2010, 06:38:28 AM »

i had two 110 06 savage.. for hunting ,,i cant imaging needing a better trigger..
of course im a believer in learning your gun an making it nearly a part of your arm..
not inclined to mess with shooting machines.. now combustible motors an such were a different story..slim