Stevens Model 325C-not a lever gun

[Stan in SC]

For about five years I have been looking for a bolt action 30-30.Today at a gun show in Greenville,SC I bought a very nice condition Stevens Model 325C with a mirror bore.Color me HAPPY!
I had mentioned to my friend that I went with as we walked in that a bolt 30-30 was all that would tempt me today and lo about half way thru the show there it sat on a private sale table.
A bit of bargaining and I walked away with it.
These are great rifles made from 1947 thru 1950 which evolved into the Savage Model 340.The 325 however has the butter knife European looking bolt handle while the late 340 utilized a round shaft/round knob bolt handle.
Range day on Wednesday.

Stan in SC

[wilko]

you will love the gun!! I got the savage 340 and it shoots tiny groups with the federal 170 gr... enjoy!

[crs]

PICTURES PLEASE!

[Thunder50]

I have a couple of the 340's. The 223 will almost outshoot my Rem VLS and the 30-30 was putting 170gr silvertips under an inch @100yds

[damienph]

Stan,
Good choice! I am amazed at how accurate mine are. I have two 340s; a 222 and a 223. The only thing that I don't like is the trigger(s). A little (actually, alot) heavier than I like. I bet that yours turns out to be a good shooter.

I would like to find one in 30-30 as well.

[Stan in SC]

Uh,pictures.Old guys who aren't too computer savvy don't do pictures thru lack of knowledge how to do so.

Stan in SC

[Rusty]

I'm with ya Stan, I have to make my son post mine.

[BenT]

Yep, good shooting gun. The trigger is a bad design , can't do much with it.

[wolfdog]

Had one once, never shot it. Just liked lever guns more. Have a 340 in 22 Hornet now, shoots good enough to make me think I should have held on to the 30-30.

[Les Staley]

Yep, remember when they sold for about $40 and a pre 64 Winchester 94 sold for $72... did'nt have the money for either of 'em.. bought an O3-A3 Remington for $25 from one of my junior high teachers (he made a little on his DCM purchase).. took it home on the school bus..

[Stan in SC]

This past February I posted about the Savage Model 325C which I found after an almost five year hunt.This rifle has proved to be a really accurate shooter.
Today I walked into the South Carolina Arms Collector's gun show in Greenville,SC.I didn't get thru the first row of vendors when a familiar shape caught my eye.This time it was a Stevens Model 325-B.The last one was a "C" model.Anxious hands lifted the rifle from the rack after asking permission.Doggone!!This one is in better condition that the other one.The private seller held a bore light so that I could see down the pristine looking barrel.The card rubber banded on the buttstock identified the make and model and the price was over $200.I had a few moments of conversing with the gent and then asked quietly what his ABSOLUTE low pictures of dead presidents price was.He scratched his head and pondered a moment and then uttered a figure UNDER $200.My well trained wallet leapt into my hand and spit out the requisite amount.I thanked the man and obtained his personal information for my records after giving him mine for his.I feel sure that this one will shoot as good as the other one.The two look good side by side in the gun safe.Color me Happy happy.

Stan in SC

[Stan in SC]

I went to the gun club this morning to try out the 30-30 bolt action Stevens 325B which I purchased Saturday.
The first three shots were at 25 yards and dead bulls eye.The next six were at 50 yards.Three of them were my 150 grain bullet reloads and three were 160 grain bullet reloads.All six were dead center but I had aimed a bit higher so they impacted higher.I re-shot two of each with a six O'clock hold like I used on the first three and was rewarded with four holes clustered around the bull.At the 100 yard range I still used a six o'clock hold and got about a 2" grouping with three of each load.
These rifles were manufactured from 1947 thru 1950 and were marketed as affordable hunting rifles selling for around $40 at that time.They shoot great!I am very pleased with both of them.

Stan in SC

[Pete44ru]

I'm glad that you're having success with them.

My onlyest experience with a BA Savage .30-30 was when (MANY years ago) I once came across another hunter in Maine, who was in trouble with his.

His rifle was disabled, with a bullet stuck in the chamber throat - and no way to get it out.

I have NO idea why he was fiddling with the bolt, unloading, in the middle of the deer woods - unless he was being obcessively "safe" when he heard/saw me coming through the woods.

It seems he was using cast boolit handloads, and when he opened the bolt to empty the chamber, his too-long OAL cartridge has driven the boolit into the rifling when the cartridge was chambered - and there it stayed.
Also, the boolit-less case dribbled unfired gunpowder all through the action as he withdrew it.

Since I carry a very small/thin 6-piece brass GI cleaning rod in my haversack, a few shakes of the rifle, upside-down with the bolt & mag out, got him going again.


BTW, Stan - "Age" is no excuse for no pics.
If you're posting here, you can post pics - there's a lot of us old fanny burbs here that post pics regularly/easily, once they've learned how.
( I suspect many of us have been tutored by a 12-year-old grandchild, in this)


.

[Stan in SC]

I have a friend in Florence,SC whose son hunts with a Stevens 325 in 30-30 and he has perfected a 110 grain bullet load that according to him is great on deer.So far this year his boy has killed two nice bucks with the 110 grain bullet load.
He imparted the load recipe to me and I ordered some 110 grain spire point soft nose Hornady bullets.I loaded some up to test after receiving my bullets and went to the range today.This is a really great load.Recoil was absolutely minimal and accuracy was excellent at both 50 yards and at 100 yards.
In case anyone wishes to try it the load is 34 grains of IMR4895 and the mv is over 2600 FPS.
I am having a scope mount d&t'ed by my gunsmith since these rifles had no provision for scope mounting.Gonna be a nice looking rig I think.

Stan in SC

[Griff]

Uh,pictures.Old guys who aren't too computer savvy don't do pictures thru lack of knowledge how to do so.
Stan in SC

One stop tutorial. Nothing to it. So easy, a even us old guys can do it! I woulda said, so easy a neanderthal could do it, but I couldn't spell it the first time!

[pokey]

my son has a 340, he prefers bolts for some strange reason,
his is a little frustrating because of light primer strikes.
i have had it apart, checked the firing pin and channel,
set the pin protrusion, cleaned all the grease out, still does it.
any experts out there have a suggestion? think a head space
problem would cause this? no other signs of excessive head space
though.

[wilko]

Pokey, mine does the same thing.. Now i just shoot Federal 170's (soft primer) and it has NEVER misfired with those.. added benefit is that the federals are the most accurate in my gun... you might be right about the head-space.

[Stan in SC]

Several weeks ago I did some research on different scope mounts for the Stevens 325.I wound up ordering a B Square mount from Midway.This mount is one piece unlike the Weaver mount which is two piece.It also allows see thru capability to the iron sights.I ordered it and when it arrived I took the rifle and mount to the gunsmith for drilling and tapping.
Last night I picked the rifle up and the new mount looks great.I got home and mounted a 3X9X40 which I bought months ago from 86er.It looks great and I am anxious to get to the gun club as soon as possible to try the 110 grain loads I mentioned before.More to follow after I do that.

Stan in SC

[Bill in Oregon]

Stan, I am glad you are not posting photos in this thread else I would be hurting all over for one of these charming little rifles. I'd be curious to try loading some of the new Hornady gummy-tips in one o' these shooters.

[Stan in SC]

Bill in Oregon-I already loaded some Hornady gummy tips in 165 grain and shot them.They do really good.
I did get to the gun club today and it took me about eight shots with the 110 grain load to get it sighted in.I then switched to a fresh target at 50 yards and proceeded to shoot the center bull into just a ragged hole.I have had very few firearms in my life that shoot so consistently to the same place.Naturally I am very very pleased with the result.I also then shot some of the aforementioned 165 grain Hornady loads and they shot to a different point but all of them were consistently to that point.Of course a heavier bullet will shoot to a different point.
Happy am I? No.Estatic is a better word.

Stan in SC

Oh,I also shot the 45/70 Handi rifle today just to keep in practice.Love it!