Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing .32 SWL Conversion Stevens 94C .410

Well, I decided to say screw it and am going to have a .32 S&W Long rifle made from my Steven's 94C .410 however I have a few questions still running around in my head. My brother will be doing the metalwork, and while he's not a gunsmith, I think between the two of use we can get it done.

• How to mount a scope on the receiver? (Probably a Vintage 2.5X Weaver PCH) I want to use a Leupold STD type base for help with windage, and Burris Signature rings to help POI.
• Is there a base that fits a 1.125" radius? Or should I have it milled flat and fit a Marlin 336 base? Thinking the stub would be 4.5", with .750" barrel tenon, and perhaps would use the base screws as set screws with the barrel (and loctite). Ordered a Douglass barrel this morning.

• What's the best way to mount the forend? It's currently a snap on, but not sure I can reuse the "claw" that's on the .410 barrel on the rifle barrel. Thinking a pillar mounted to the barrel and then use a 1/4x28 screw and escutcheon to hold the wood would seem the simplest.
• Planning on restocking it with a Savage 24 buttstock that has the MC stock for scope use. I'll use a matching Savage 219 forend w/o the channel for the snap on mechanism.

It's going tot cost me more than a Contender, but I think it'll come in lighter and be pretty handy. I already have a G2 contender carbine with a MGM .327 Fed Mag barrel, but i just have a bug for one of these.

Any ideas would be welcomed.

Sounds like you have it pretty well sussed out.

Would it be possible to simply line the .410 barrel with a .32 liner? TJ's sells one that's 1/2" in diameter, the 1/2" hole required through the barrel would clean up the chamber of the .410 I believe. (TJ's are topnotch liners, a couple of which having been used by associates to create match winning rifles.) That would forestall the headaches of fitting a whole new barrel, and allow use of the current fore end.

Without seeing the barrel, my guess is there would be plenty of meet in it for a series of 6-48 screws to anchor a scope mount. You won't have to go very deep into the barrel regardless of the mount used as there is little or no recoil force to loosen/strip the screws which would be hanging on by their fingernails so to speak. A bit of Loctite on the threads and a dab of epoxy under the mounts wouldn't hurt too - belts and suspenders, sorta thing. Also, if "normal" thread depth is desired that probably won't hurt either as the .32 S&W Long isn't a high pressure round that typically generates less than 20K psi chamber pressure. Not like you're doing it with a 60K psi cartridge.

One facet to address which you didn't mention - the firing pin. If it's a fat honking shotgun firing pin it would be advisable to fit a smaller diameter one for the pistol primers. That would entail either welding up the current firing pin hole in the standing breech and re-drilling for the smaller pin, or installing a bushing in the breech face. Might be a moot point because I can't picture what the firing pin is like in a 94 shotgun.

Is the trigger in the 94 conducive for accurate rifle shooting? If not do they lend themselves to fine tuning? Dunno, never messed with one.

C.E.(Ed)Harris, did the very thing you're proposing, but with an NEF single shot .410 as I recall. You can find him over on the Cast Bullet Association forum. Ask him about the pitfalls he encountered when he built his "Bunny Rifle" .32 Long. No point in re-inventing the wheel if you don't have to!!

Thanks for the info and ideas.

I wondered how the liner would work with the rim recess for the .410, which i believe is .536".. I ended up ordering CM Douglas barrel and then we can contour it however we want.. Anyway, I made the first decision on the barrel configuration. `1-16" twist, .312 bore. Should match up with my .32 Long revolvers and cast 90 gr. Lee bullets.

Looks like we'll use a simple standoff type stud on the barrel, and just screw the forend on rather than messing with the snap on mechanism.

I had seen where others mentioned reducing the firing pin size and I'll have to measure that, and the protusion and do some more research on what's the proper size. Think a bushing should work.

I think the trigger is just OK, not really a rifle trigger, but will work with the distances I'm thinking of. If I can get 1" groups at 35 yds, I'll be happy...Any better than that I'll be wetting my pants.


Thanks again for the advice.