A bit of file work to clearance the hamer strut and spring for smooth function.

Useing an original Stevens Steel buttplate from the parts box (I didn't reuse the home made leather one from the original stock!) First mark out and predrill the screw holes. Slight counterbores are needed for the flange around the rear of the screw holes in the buttplate.

Note, the angle of the predrilled holes has to align the heads of the screws with the outer contours of this buttplate. The plate was not a perfect fit but some slight shapeing of the wood later will ensure a perfect fit all around the edges.

And here it is installed, not too tight, still got a bit of shapeing to do down low at the toe of the stock to close a little gap. There should be contact but no pressure at the toe as pressure is what causes the toe of the stock to snap off later, typically the toe will break when the rifle is grounded a bit hard by the kiddies. So wood supports steel and steel protects wood..

 

I'm liking this!

 

I thoroughly enjoy posts like these from members more experienced than I. Thanks so much for taking the time to take pictures and explain things for the rest of us.

 

We'll run thru it together. New pins to retighten the action. A test fire of the original barrel and possible fire lap to see if it can be saved as a squirrel head accurate gun at 25m. Rust blue of the barrel if its good enough. May have to make a new extracter by hand and case harden it. Not sure if the action will be french grey or if I'll go thru how to do a faux case color to emulate the original color case that has faded away with the years.....also, we'll try makeing a brand new forend useing the remnants of the original and much abused buttstock and when its all done, I'll prolly sell or swap it for the next project.

 

Once the buttsection of the stock is shaped a bit smoother, just some file work, final fit the steel plate. Progressively pull the screws up tight and tap lightly around the edges of the plate with a brass rod or small smasherwacker to shape the metal closer to the wood. The last step is to file all around the steel buttplate to remove any unevenness and true up the edges. The new stock is larger than needed so bring the edge of the plate and the wood closer to final dimension and shape. For most of the rest of the finish, the plate stays on for sanding and part of the initial finish. This gets the edges of the plate smooth, keeps from rounding over the edges of the stock where it meets the wood. I'll seal the back of the stock later in the finishing process. So, salvaging a nearly 100 year old buttplate to help keep this rifle period correct....not totally original (original was usually a rubber plate) but very close and consistent with what was availalble on many of the factory Favorites of that time.

 

Install the stock, snugly and lightly mark where the holes for the screws are to be drilled.

Top and bottom tang screws marked and dimpled for hand drilling.

Eyeball, adjust the angle of attack as you drill a tad at a time...use a drill matching the diameter of the screw shank at the depth of the thread. The screws shall be oval head, single slot. No flat head pillips screws ever allowed. And, only flathead slotted screws on the buttplate as thats what it came with.

Lube the screw threads, hand soap, spit, greese, bees wax, what ever and carefully screw in the screws with proper fitting bits. The upper screw is a straight shank modern oval head. The lower screw is a taper shank oval head original screw, special drilling is required for a heavy tapered shank....

For the heavily tapered shank lower screw, the lower tang screw is drilled progressively with different diameter bits to various depths so the screw dosn't split the stock. Only the threads are to bite the wood, the shank should not expand the wood.

The screw holes, tapped now, should line up with the tangs with the stock just touching or a whisker short of touching the action. In this case, the wood just touches, a tiny bit of room for glass bedding later to keep the oil out of the stock end grain. Oil soaked wood, and it happens to all of them with time, turns black and punkey in a few years. A touch of glass bed is the best sealer for end grain there is.

Screws in and just a bit snug for now. Good enough to go to the range with this weekend and determine if the barrel is good as is or needs work. It'll need crowned for sure, thats next.

 

The original muzzle crown...rusted, worn and the muzzle looks round, that means the most important rifleing is prolly a bit worn. Bad for accuracy, the most important rifleing is the muzzle as it impacts even release of the projectile preventing it from being tipped by early release of gas to the side.

I was trained by old men...that means handwork before machine work. Learn to do it right by hand then learn to do it fast or ruin it fast with a lathe or mill. I was also taught to recognize the differences in weapons and age and potential accuracy. This ain't no PacNor Barreled Dakota or Cooper so, at 100 years old, hand tools (as proven on several mauser and marlin and rolling block and sharps projects) is suitably accurate with hand tools. It would be a waste of time to set up a lathe for this recrown. We want to get to tight rifleing, behind the crown wear. 75 thousands to 1/10" deep should do the trick....lets see.

A few initial turns with a proper pilot on this 11 degree crowing cutter. A squooch of oil, clear the chips and back to pressing evenly and turning clockwise only to make the smooth chatter free cut.

Approaching 1/4 the depth of the cutter teeth, time to clear chips and reoil. About 50 to 100 turns in to this part of the project. Even pressure, not too hard and the cut remains chatter free in this old gal.

Here we are, a measured 80 thousands deep, I can see the pimples of the rifleing around the bore and if I'm past the crown wear on the rifleing, a bullet will be snug in the muzzle and I won't have to shorten this original barrel at all.

Looking good. A fresh round of .22 LR can't be thumb pushed hard into the muzzle. The full diameter of the bullet stops firm in the muzzle.

Here, maybe you can see on the right bullet (unmarked bullet to the left) the slight impressions of the rifleing and a slight ring all the way around the diameter where the slug was marked because the bore is slightly smaller than the bullet diameter now. With luck, this old gal has a good chamber (it looks quite clean), dosn't leak and will hold a 1 or 2 inch group at 25 yards for hunting and plinking. We should know this weekend.

 

Couldn't wait. And, based on an initial test fire and function test at 20 feet, this barrel will be mostly fine as is for a hunting and plinking rifle. Maybe need to make a new extractor, may be able to fix the original, time will tell.

First two shots...CCI 22 CB Short....

And then 5 more CCI 22 CB Shorts, as good as my myopic vision and tiny v-groove sights will allow...

A better aim point and 10 each of Federal 40g target velocity 22 LR....

Not bad for 100 years old. Who says Old Gals can't dance?

 

Nice!

 

Cool build! I would love to do something like that!

 

Very, very nice.

 

The lead in (inside edge) of the lower lever screw has worn threads. This is from years of improper assembly...first install the lever. Then pull out the barrel, depress the extracter ejector spring and install the breech block screw. That way, the screws are not cocked going into the threaded lead in.

Two ways to save it. Retap the frame to the next larger size and make a new lever screw or simply make the lever screw longer. Thats easy...and it retains the original screw and its original good threads in the right side of the frame.

To make the lever screw longer, simple increase the depth of seat for the head of the screw. A scope base screw counterbore does the trick on the left side of the frame....Now the original screw bites into all the remaining good threads and pulls up snug like it should. And plenty of meat in the left frame to hold the head of the screw...the factory screw head pocket is very shallow for these thin profile headed screws.

 

One each abused fireing pin. A bit burred and gritty.

Low speed and don't shorten the tip but neatly round it over and smooth it up....1894 favorites had a chisel tip firing pin...1915 saw them switch to round tip.

Remove all the mushroom and flash from the hammer end too. Might need to reharden this firing pin...it'll make it last a bit better and a lil slicker in the hole too.

After a light cleaning, ready to go back in place till final finishing.

Well, so far so good, still got plenty out front.

Backside looks much better now too. Guess I'll harden it after all and put it back in with a new cross pin after blueing and finishing everything else.

 

All the early Stevens Boys/Bicycle Rifles were inexpensive to own and inexpensively made. The Favorite is no exception in any original caliber. Folks to this day persist in chambering them for small centerfires and 22 Magnum and even now, the hot 17s. Big mistake in my opinion. Of the suitable rimfires, only the 22 LR is still readily available and suitable for the action.

As previously indicated, the action relys on two pins and a binding or overcenter relationship between the pinned parts for its lock up strentgh. As such, a well fitted action will snap shut and stay shut when fullcocked. It requires an unbinding or snap to reopen. When they are worn, and in 22 LR, the fingers of the shooting hand do double duty holding the action closed by the lever during fireing. There are two fixes. Both implemented by the factory, both dooable at home. Replace the worn pins with snug fitting new ones of lasalle steel or drill rod. Add a compression spring and plunger to a cavity drilled into the lever boss. The latter is much harder, even the factory only reserved this fix for a few of the rifles refitted when loose...as such, I've only ever seen two of the spring loaded levers in my life. One is fitted on a buddies rifle now. One is fitted on my mothers Curly Maple stocked 1894 favorite. The addition of the spring is a neat long lasting repair and if I had a mill, I'd attempt it here. But, usually, a simple set of new and well fitted pins is sufficient.

So, 100 year old pins to the left. New pins of drill rod to the right. Both pins were clipped long and finished on the ends in a drill press with a file. Each of the corresponding holes in the breech block and lever measured .150". The drill rod measured .154". A bit of polish was all that was needed to fit the new pins to a thumb push fit in the breech block and lever. (Incidentally, the original pins measured all over the place, about .135" at the largest...plenty worn and loose.) Final dress the pins to length so they are no wider installed than the part they are fitted to...

The new pins installed....they will be staked in place after final refinishing. For now, an aluminum drift (nail!!!) is used to pess them in and out.

Once the new tightened up guts are reinstalled, the lever in fact snaps shut, stays shut when fullcocked and gives a snap when opened. So, another good repair on another good old rifle, just the way J Stevens Arms Co refitted them way back when.

Gettin close now. A test fire. A decision on whether the extractor can remain as is (tip is a bit rough) and then its all about the refinishing.

 

Looks like I'm loosin photos at the begining of the thread at another site. I'll have to try to rebuild those entries and watch closely here.

 

Folks typically over sand a stock during refinish and rub away the original features...in this case the bevels at the wrist were removed from the original stock. Plenty of meat in the replacement so lets put the bevels back on. Like a Marlin 338 the wrist should finish larger than a smooth curve drawn around the tangs.

First mark out roughly where the bevels should stop at the full diameter of the wrist...about 1 inch back from the action on both sides.

Carefully, with a sharp chisel, pare away most of the excess wood creating a cone shaped bevel pointing toward the butt. Leave the stock proud of the action. These were not closely fitted guns, keeps down production costs. So just like a Marlin 336, the wood will finish slightly larger than the action panels.

Beginning to smooth up and refine the left side panel with a file.

Initial chisel work on the right panel.

The rough shape of the panels from above after the tang area of the stock is filed down proud of the tang edges. When the file kisses the tang, stop with the pareing down, leave some wood for final shapeing and blending. Refinement of the shape and panel angle comes with more file work around the tangs and sanding before finishing.

A look at the right panel and upper tang after a bit more file work to round over the approach to the tang and further smoothing of the panel.

The wrist around the lower tang being pared down till the file just kisses the tang, don't remove the SN or other markings!

A bit of smoothing around the nose of the stock at the upper tang to create a smooth transition from the tang up the nose to the top of the stock.

 

The view from below after some further shapeing of the wrist around the lower tang.

A replacement stock will usually be 1/16" or more larger than you want it. Thats good for fitting a buttplate. To remove burrs that developed on the inside edge of the buttplate during the initial install and to establish the final size and shape of the steel buttplate and subsequantly the stock, reverse the direction of cut as shown and lift the tail of the file. This puts a slight bevel on the cut, removeing the inside burr on the buttplate and pareing the stock into a taper that you'll extend from the butt forward during final shapeing. When finished, go around the buttplate parallel with the file to remove the bevel and establish the edge of the buttplate perfectly parallel with the line of the wood that will be carried forward to the wrist. The buttplate will come to its final shape at this time and dictate the final shape of the stock. Strive for a pleasing shape.

The size of the bevel being placed on the buttend of the stock shows how much wood is excess to allow for some shapeing and final fitting.

A little finger under the end of the 12" long file is about the right angle for establishing the final shape of the buttplate.

And here, most of the rough work done. Its pretty much shapeing and final sanding now.

 

This is very dense and dark walnut. Read that hard. Hand sanding the initial shape and form is out of the question. Off to jitter bug land. But we'll start with 120 to move the shape to perfection slowely and to prevent lots of swirrlies that have to be hand sanded out later. The key? Keep it moveing, use the entire pad and don't tip onto an edge and create a gouge. Nice flat surface running forward from the properly shaped butt to the wrist.

Both sides power sanded to final shape and ready for handsanding and whiskering.

If you don't wet the wood, sand off the whiskers and repeat untill the wood stays smooth when dried, it'll whisker up thru the finish later with humidity or a rainy day hunt....finish destroyed at that point. A bit of warm water and a low powered heat gun or hair dryer is what is needed to wet out the surface, swell the damaged fibers from sanding so they stand up and can be sheared off at the surface of the stock. If you are sanding thru to 600 or 800 grit, waisted time, fibers compressed into the wood, sealer won't penetrate and seal and you put in unnecessary hours and still have a lumpy stock on a rainy day hunt. 220 to 320 grit for the final sanding is plenty for 90% of gunstocks.

Wet the wood all over and start to force it dry with the heat gun. The formerly smooth stock will feel like its just machined.

Lightly hand sand, with the grain useing 180 or 220 grit paper. Then wet and repeat. Remember, don't bring the wood down below the tangs or action panels, two repetitions lightly sanded is usually plenty with the water....save room for one more final sanding before the finish, see below.

This or truoil is for the final sanding. Rub in a thin coat with yer hand. Rub hard till yer hand feels on fire and the wood feels dry. Let it set up 4 to 8 hours and when dry, gently cut the surface and any remaing sanding scratches that only slowely swell up in the whiskering process with worn 220 grit paper. After this, yer done with sandpaper, all further rubbin is by hand, by 0000 steel wool and finaly with fff rubing compound for a dead level finish that feels soft and has a satin glow.

The freezing/sealing coat rubbed in hard all over...we'll seal the inletting and under the buttplate later.

See, couple marks that didn't come up till the sealer coat swelled em, the sealer is thinner than water and penetrates better when rubbed in hard. These marks will come out too.



This buttstock should be done in a day or so.

 

Looks beautiful! Makes me wanna head to the pawn shop and pick up a beater to tinker with!

 

Lets not make a new forend from the buttstock. Instead, lets save the original and keep this Ol Gal a bit closer to the Teens or Twenties when she was first made.

The crack is not too bad...gently open it to inspect for too much oil. Gently so it dosn't spread before we can stop drill the end of the crack.

Not bad, I can see the end of the crack and know where to put my stop drill hole to prevent the crack from spreading further.

A 1/8" hole bored thru to stop the crack...yep, another hole in the forend just behind where at least two sling swivels previously cracked and tore out of the forend....be patient.

Its good, we stopped the crack before it gets to the forend bolt. Plenty of strength left in this old forend...another 100 years at least.

Basic supplies for this repair....if I was doing a wrist or the toe of a buttstock, I'd use Acraglas epoxie for a repair stronger than the wood itself. This use of titebond will be at least as strong as the wood, if not more so for this low impact, more decorative than anything else wooden part. Just a place to put yer hand and control the muzzle after all. We won't put a sling swivel back in it either.

I spread the crack a bit more, gently, even with a stop hole, its old, old wood and tender!

 

The glue and the wood at room temperature, let it run into the crack and out thru the other side. Help the coverage with toothpics as needed, coat the entire length of the crack all the way thru.

Finger as a putty knife, force glue in from the other side.

The wood will spring closed, an indication that the wood is still good, not punky or rotten, just dirty and abused.
A clamp made of gorilla tape is all it needs.

I'll leave it set for 24 hours before doing any hole repairs and before sanding out the name Richard carved on the Right Side Panel.

 

The foreend work was accomplished last night, posted this AM...plenty of time to dry up solid, so, hole repairs.

We need some walnut plugs for a 100 year old forend and I have a ruined 100 yearold piece of walnut to cut them from...

The remainder of this buttstock will be used either for old hole repair, ala more plugs or for knife scales. Either is a better choice than firewood.

I gathered the sawdust from plug cutting and sanding, mixed it with tight bond and used a 1/8" rod to pack the stop drill hole full of nearly color matching home made wood putty. Once set it'll be there forever and reinforces the crack end of the forend. The plugs are made and the counterbored holes drilled in the forend. This provides a significant surface area in and across the crack where the sling swivel screws tore out. Its also good for considerable additional strength and makes a fair looking repair...no sense tryin to pass this Ol Gale off as Original or Brand New, 'sides, it goes with the character of the gun...some flaws expected in 100 years.

Paint the holes with titebond and paint the plugs and press them in...a twist to align the grain and a tap to seat them well.

A sharpe chisel and a small smasherwacker remove the bulk of the plugs.

After a bit of light file work...once the glue is set tomorrow, this forend will be ready for final sanding and a complet refinish.

 

Third coat of finish is in the wood. This dense hard walnut buttstock took a bit of wet sanding with very fine paper to not only level the first sealer coats but to polish out most of the 220g sanding stroaks from the burled sections near the butt. Figured wood shows even 600g sanding marks...specially when its darn hard wood. Forend is not as pretty, and still has some of its 100 years of blemishes but its saved and quite serviceable...its flaws tell of many squirrlies and bunnies in the camp pot. But, finish on, finish dry, finish knocked level with 0000 steel wool and more finish on is the rule. I use about 6 drops per side for each coating, rubbed in hard and then allowed to dry before leveling for the next coat. Couple days work, mostly waitin for stock goo to dry. Soon it'll be time to put the wood away in a dent free zone and start on the metal.

 

This is a local gun. Be nice to keep it local when done. I'm almost afraid to put it up on Gunbroker thinkin it'll get smashed in route.

 

Very interesting read so far, I am planning to try this on an old Stevens rifle this spring.
She sure is gonna be pretty when you are finished with her. If you decide to sell her, please post it here first and give us a chance at it.