I hope this is the correct place to post this, I tried searching for any forum/thread that included the 1894 Stevens Favorite in any of its chamberings or later modifications. Not finding any, here goes:
Greetings, I am a "semi-retired" who has recently Acquired two 1894 Stevens Favorite Receiver, two different caliber barrels, some spare parts and am looking to getting them 'speaking' again, either as RF or as CF conversions.
I know the action design, as implemented, is considered 'weak' so NO Hot Rodding is intended, this means no cambering for current Factory cartridges that are loaded over 24000psi Pmax. and if in .32 Caliber holding down to around 17,500psi Pmax.
The actions may be strengthened by replacing the pins and Action Screws, originally low strength unhardened steel, with newer alloys, Quenched and tempered to higher strengths. The receiver has been described as a 'low grade steel' or a 'Malleable Iron' casting. Some writers in describing their processes in resurrecting one of these little 'tilting Block' rifles mention that they have tried Welding via TIG process and the result leave the metal around the Weld too hard to file or grind. This tends to indicate a Iron casting as the heating and sudden cooling of the weld would convert it to "Chilled White Iron" which was used for long wearing Streetcar and Railroad car wheels before about 1911. Chilled Iron is Hard but brittle in tension and does not bend before breaking.
For my 'projects', I intend to use Grade 8 quality fasteners for the basis of replacement screws, Hardened Dowel Pins or Heat Treated Drill Rod for the Pins, and try to use good replacements whenever I need replacement parts for missing or broken items.
I have been able to obtain new manufacture Takedown Screws, Extractors, a Hammer and Trigger, spare Breech Blocks, a Lever, and two spare Llinks to use in my projects.
Parts were obtained off of Ebay (auctions), and from "Wisner's" and "Jack First" (purchases) so far to date.
The barrels I currently have are in two Calibers; .25 Stevens Rf, and .32 Long RF.
The .25 Stevens Barrel 'slugs' .248" Bore and .252" Groove diameters.
I did pick up a second Stevens Favorite barrel in .25 Stevens Long RF caliber, not yet slugged.
The .32 Long RF barrel 'slugs' .299" Bore and .305" Groove diameters.
Both are 21.75 long, muzzle to breech as received and are 'Half Octagon' style.
For the .25 Stevens, I have found that i can Resize/Swage .22 Hornet cases down to .275" diameter using Lee .25ACP Carbide Dies. I did find out that RCBS Hardened Steel .25ACP Dies are NOT suitable for this process as they have a reduction in diameter at about 3/4 inch up from the Die mouth and forms a reduced size 'bottle neck' in the cases about where the side wall inside taper runs out. This makes it impossible to use as a .25 Caliber 1.125 inch long case (about the length of the .25 Stevens RF case.
Along the way i found out that Factory Loads for the .25ACP are usable in the .25 Stevens as they are about the same size as the .25 Stevens Short RF cartridge, but should give the muzzle velocity of the .25 Stevens Long due to the lighter bullet. Since the .25ACP is a semi-rimmed design it will extract and head space in the barrel.
For the .32 Long Rf, there are 'blank adapter sub-chambers' sold that use an offset .22 blank to initiate Black Powder (BP) charges behind either a round ball or a heeled bullet. Also, another Gentleman in California, wishing to make his .32 Long RF chambered revolvers and multiple barrel pistols "speak' again, has drilled out some .32 Colt cases and is using .27 Caliber Grade 2, Brown, or Grade 3, Green, stud setter Powder Tool Loads, with or without added BP, to fire Heeled Bullets quite effectively. He has a Blog page on which he has documented the process and at the bottom there is a Video of him firing his revolver at a Range.
Cast Bullets are a possibility in both calibers as I have located mold makers that will do the molds, for .25 it is a modification to an existing mold to raise the weight to 65gr and add a Heel; for the .32 it is a Cataloged mold that casts a 90gr inside lubed heeled bullet that caught my eye. in the mean time there are always the commercial 35gr. JHP and the 50gr. FMJ-RN that can be used.
As to possible 'performance':
The .25 Stevens was considered better at killing "Pot Meat" small game without damaging most of the meat as compared to the .22 rounds that usually damage more meat in the killing. Accuracy was said to be good out to about 200 yards, but had a 'high' trajectory since the loadings as listed were subsonic. Some improvement in trajectory is possible within the pressure limits due to increased Muzzle Velocity (MV). I believe this cartridge, in the modern form, even with conversion to a CF design for reloading purposes, will give good, creditable, performance out to a full 200 yards on the Target Range. It is already being used by others on Squirrels and Rabbits, etc. No, it is not a "Long Range Varmint" caliber as it will not reliably reach out 400 yards and convert Ground Squirrels or Prairie Dogs to 'Fir Clouds' and 'Pink Vapor'. It historically has been a useful caliber for pests and varmints at shorter ranges out to 200 yards.
The .32 Long, either the Colt CF or the RF one, were loaded subsonic so their trajectory was 'high' and not considered too good at or beyond 200 yards. The trajectory can be addressed to some extent by improved powders and loadings within the pressure limits expressed. At least one powder and load calculated to generate 17,100psi Pmax would push the bullet out at about 1800fps MV, but it will be 'noisy' due to both the 'crack' from the supersonic bullet and the 'blast' from the Muzzle Exit Pressure (MEP).
The .32 Long RF and the .32 Long Colt, reportedly, originally shared bullet designs and sizes. the later conversion of the Colt cartridge to inside lubed bullets smaller than the case diameter changed that. The later heeled Colt bullets were about exact Groove Diameter for the Stevens barrel I have.
Join in on the discussion and, if your interest are 'tweaked' and you have one of these languishing in a closed somewhere, join in the Fun of returning a 'Voice' to it.
Best Regards,
Chev. William ETC USN Retired.