Stevens 200

pyscodog

Active member
Several months ago I bought a Stevens 200, 22-250 at a local gun ship. The sole intention was to use the action for a budget build. A few day ago while at a local reloading shop the owner showed me a barrel he had recently bought. It was a Shilen Select Match, fluted heavy barrel in 22-250. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but the price was right so I bought it. I put it on my action last night but now I need a stock. I have a WTB on three different sites but no replies. Seems there aren't many used stocks out there or people just don't want to sell. Being a "budget" build, I really didn't want to spend $300+ for a stock and I don't want factory plastic, so about all that's left is a Boyd's laminate. Nothing wrong with Boyd's, I've had good luck with them, I just don't care for some of the choices. The thumbhole is about the only version that I like and I'm not to crazy about it. I'd like to get this project up and running but I don't want to spend money on a stock I don't really like. Any suggestions? I need some ideas please.
 
I used a Hogue stock a good while back for my Savage built. I needed the heavy barrel stock and it was cheap enough and balanced great. I actually bought the Savage .308 barrel from you.
 
I have a Boyd's laminate in forest camo I bought for a Stevens 200 in. 223. If it would work on your rifle, you can have it for shipping cost plus whatever you want to give me. Just collecting dust in my basement. I went a different direction with that rifle and have no use for it. Let me know if your interested and we can figure something out.
 
I looked at a Choate Ultimate Varmint. They are heavy but good solid stocks. They also have a full aluminum bedding block. Just fugly and heavy. But this isn't going to be a light weight rifle either.
 
A friend of mine sold me my old Boyd's t-hole stock back. LOL! A lot cheaper than buying a new one. I got it all put together and all I had for glass was a Center Point. LOL, I know I know. I had 15 rounds loaded with H380 and a 53 grain V-Max. I wasted 5 rounds chasing the scope around a target until I finally got it close to a bull. Its hot as He11 and the wind in breezy but I shot a 5 shot group at 100yds. No real load work up, just 38 grains of 380, and four were touching and the 5th just barely out of the group. Looks like my "Budget Build" is going to be a shooter. I had 5 rounds left but it was just to hot and the barrel wasn't cooling so I called it a day.
 
Find a "cooling" neck gaiter, cut and sew into a tube that loosely fits your barrel/stock. Have it damp and cold from a cooler on the rifle when you start shooting, will greatly extend number of rounds that can be fired in hot weather. I still regret passing on a Savage 200, had the same idea/goal you are working on.
 
The rifle has really turned out pretty nice. A little on the heavy side but with the heavy barrel, that was expected. The stock wasn't exactly what I wanted but it fit nicely into the "budget" build. I went to a club members Pawn Shop yesterday and he had a NIB Bushnell Banner 6-18x50 and sold it to me for $100 out the door. Again not exactly what I wanted but the price was right and WAY better than that Center Point and not near as embarrassing to be seen in public.

Stevens 200-$300
Shilen SS fluted barrel-$200
Boyd's-$75
Bushnell-$100

Not to bad for a rifle that first time out shoots tiny groups. (And no gunsmith required either.)
 
In the spring of '11 Academy Sports had a sale on the Stevens M200 as it was being discontinued. I found three in Lafayette, LA, 4 hours from where I live. All three were chambered in 270 Win at $180 apiece. As it turns out, my son had a playoff baseball game a few days later, 20 miles away from the store. After the game (we lost
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) I brought all three guns. I donated one as my contribution to a project where a number of fellow church goers were putting together a new gun for our pastor. He's killed a number of deer w/ it. The other two were used as my own DIY gun builds in 221 Remington Fireball (McGowen barrel) and 20 Practical (Shilen barrel). Despite still sitting in the factory stocks, both guns are really accurate. Those "cheap" Stevens' rifles can be a real diamond in the rough.
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I always joked about Stevens were just left over Savage parts. Although another 22-250 wasn't my plan for mine. It turned out nice and shoots really good. A stainless fluted Shilen Select Match barrel for $200 was just to hard to pass up, so 22-250 it is.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI always joked about Stevens were just left over Savage parts. Funny you would say that, I always thought the same thing. My stock Steven's 22 250 is a littoral tack driver. Better than a Howa I had.
 
Originally Posted By: Driven2tri24Stevens are the Same EXACT Savage actions and barrels assembled on the same line with the same people with different stamps...

Yep. The only place mine said Stevens was on the bolt and I polished that off. It already has a new owner. Shot it once for function and traded it for a NIB Rem 700 in 243 and a tad bit of folding money. It turned out pretty nice but didn't need three 22-250's.
 
I've used a number of Stevens/Savage action when I was wildcatting as the barrel nut system made headspacing and barrel work a cinch with out the need for a lathe. I also like the Rem 700 action and would love to build on a Model 7 and have one rifle built on a 600 action.

The only difference I could find in the Savage vs Stevens was the trigger, AccuTrigger / none. and the colour of the plastic in the stock, Black on the Savage and Grey on the Stevens.
 
To me, the Stevens 200 was a lot like the Remington 788. Most of them shot really well out of the box. But the triggers were lacking.
 
Even the triggers on the Stevens were fairly nice once worked over. There were lighter springs for them but it was easier at the time to just replace them with S-S-S Comp triggers, they're gone but Rifle Basics work well.
 
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My gunsmith buddy is old school. He can work on just about any trigger. He got my 788 down to about 1 1/2 pounds and only charges me $35 but I'm not suppose to tell anyone he charges me that. LOL
 
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