stevens model 200 in a 204 caliber? how much do they run. and are they shooters

[black_lab]

as the title says. what do they normally run? and are they real shooters.

[trotterlg]

Never seen a Stevens in .204, that has generally be reserved for the Savage line.  May have changed, but I cannot find any .204 Stevens on Gunbroker either.  Larry

[black_lab]

okay thanks. thats what i was wondering. well shoot....

[Sharps-Nut]

Was looking at buying a bottom line savage in 223 earlier this year.  A dealer priced a synthetic stocked savage with st barrel weight no accutrigger for 296 out the door.  Wonder if that could be had in 204. 

[black_lab]

? savage carrys 204..just not in stevens..

[Sharps-Nut]

I would not be a vary savy savage person to ask but.  Yes savage chambers several rifle in 204.  The stevens line seems to just be another savage to me.  I think the stevens are only offered in typical deer cartridges to offer a value freindly rifle for deer hunting.  If you google 204 ruger there is a site called 204 ruger.com.  It gives data on the round and somewhere on the site is a listing of every company making a 204.  Good luck.  SN

[quickdtoo]

The Stevens 200 short action isn't available in 204 Ruger, there are some alternative 204 bolt guns for more money tho

Tim

http://savagearms.com/st_200short.htm

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4756272

http://rrarms.com/catalog.php?prod=G9525

http://rrarms.com/catalog.php?prod=G17728

http://rrarms.com/catalog.php?prod=G17730

[Sharps-Nut]

So what do you know about the 204.   I was pricing a 223 in a savage for a budget farm truck gun, like I said 300 out the door.  But if it were available in 204 I might go that route.  It would seem a light barrel 223 might bump off a prarie dog mound upon shooting, the 204 should not.  Hate to have to buy dies and brass but brass is only 20.00 a hundred and dies is a one time purchase.  It would be nice to have a super light weigh varmit rig with flat shooting abilities and low eneogh recoil to watch the action.  My 11 pound 22-250 you never get to see the splat.  A 10lbs 223 I once used you always saw bullet strike.  Maybe a 7 1/2 lbs 204 would be like a 10 lbs 223?  Thoughts?  SN

[black_lab]

pm sent to you

[Sharps-Nut]

  Pm sent back, wonder what people on this board are paying?

[LaOtto222]

You can always buy a new or used 223 Stevens, then buy a 204 barrel and make a barrel swap. This could be done on any Savage. 17 and 20 caliber barrels usually cost a little more than .224 and up. Barrels can be bought at a number of places. Some are budget barrels and you can get premium barrels too. There are pre-chambered and you just need to make a swap (about 30 minutes). You can save the old barrel to swap back or sell to some one that thinks they need one.

[Sharps-Nut]

  I thought they were more value pack deer calibers.  My thoughts were confirmed when I ask about one in 223 and the dealer told me unavailable and I woudl have to buy the lower end savage at just under 300 out the door.  Is the 223 available in the stevens line and what is the difference between that and a savage?  What sort of groups are you getting out of a stevens 200 in 223.  I was lookinf for a less expensive carry/leave in truck gun.  Where I park there is a risk of theft hence not wanting a high dollar gun to loose to a skum bag.   Can any one let me in on the skinny and what the price is running out the door on a stevens.  Thansk for any insight, SN

[Bad Water Bill]

Not knowing just where you live I do not think I could go wrong by saying wally world. Stevens IS the same as Savage short of the bells and whistles. I have done this project for several calibers using a Stevens And nothing complains because my action was not highly polished or I did not have a fancy trigger or stock. My bank account was a little fatter. On the plus side you can take that short action and re-barrel to a different caliber in sporter or bull barrel in less than 1/2 hour your first time. After the first one things will go faster. Midway carries a wide selection of barrels and there are many precision barrel shops just waiting to take your money. On the negative side you will need a barrel wrench a action vice and head space gages but they are a one time buy and again Midway can supply them. Oh yes you WILL become a Savage barrel collector ( addict ) when you realize how simple quick and inexpensive it is to switch from 204 to 223 or with a quick bolt head swap up to a 22-250 or 308. The Stevens will not draw attention because it is dull blue not shiny. Hope this helped                                                        BWB

[Sharps-Nut]

Thank you Bill I may have to look into the stevens thing.  Sorta had heard this but never really looked at doing it until now.  Thanks SN

[NoBull60]

You could always buy a 204 varmint and shorten the barrel to 18-20" to lighten the weight. Should still shoot somewhere near 4000fps. I've seen it done on a remington varmint rifle. The 204 does pretty fare on coyotes with the right reload as well.

NoBull60

[LaOtto222]

Just a warning - the Savage varmint barrels weigh more than the Remington varmint barrels. The Savage has a straight taper down to the crown and the Remington's are stepped just ahead of the chamber. I cut down a 24" 221 Fireball to 18" to save weight and it did but was still a very heavy gun in the 10 pound range with the issued plastic stock and mounted scope. The crown was over .9"; still quite a chunk of steel. if you want to pay enough money you can get a custom contour barrel to make it lighter.