Stevens 200 in 223

[augustj]

first of all hi. you all have a pretty darned informative place here. thanks for all the posts ive read through, ive learned tons. and now, the one question i have about the stevens vs savage thing.

I know they are all savages and should be the same, but because the.223 version doesnt yet use the centerfeed magazine, is the receiver different from the other savages at all? i dont mind the different magazine, i just want the same receiver that everyone is shooting so darn well with. My local place has stevens on sale, but the only short action is 223, which is fine with my as long as the receiver will be just as stiff and sturdy as any other savage action. thanks in advance for any help!

[dfrosch]

Welcome to the forum august.

The Stevens is the same action as a Savage, just a duller finish and a cheaper trigger(which can be tuned). On center feed models, the magazine box and follower are the same between blind, detachable and hinged floor plate magazines.

The factory Stevens can be an accurate rifle and many very accurate custom rifles started out as a Stevens.


Good luck,
Dana

[McKinneyMike]

All new Stevens use the centerfeed magazine, just like the Savages. The differences are as stated in duller finish and no accu-trigger. Otherwise parts are interchangeable at will with Savages of like design.

[augustj]

so they have switched the .223 over as well now? if thats the case, and anybody cares, the FAQ on savage/stevens differences still says the .223 has not been updated from staggered to centerfeed. thanks a lot for the quick replies!

[ellobo]

The center feed Stevens are out but most stores will still have a bunch of older blind magazine ones in stock. If you want the centerfeed best check it before you buy. Sale price is probably due to them wanting to get rid of the old blind magazine rifles.

El Lobo

[Wtex]

I have a Stevens 223 I picked up last November. It has the centerfeed magazine and it is difficult to load, maybe it works
better in the larger calibers, but it is not easy to push the small rounds into the narrow magazine, they like to jump to the side and can get stuck on the far side of the magazine. It wouldn't be hard to load if it was detachable, but given the choice between the centerfeed and the older style I would go with a staggered magazine. Where is it that has the 223 Stevens on sale?

[defoxer]

Picked up a Stevens in 223 a number of months back (and I'm downunder!) - centrefeed is definitely a lot more fiddly/difficult to load than staggered; thats why I cant wait to open up the magwell and fit a dbm frame and base. Surely the centrefeed mag is more easily loaded out of the rifle!! 300WM only slighly easier to load through the top.

ellobo; stevens are still blind mag. if they were DBM the model number would start with 1.. ;)

D