Stevens 200 Conversion to .458 Win Mag

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Shooter2675

New member
I am contemplating buying a Stevens 200 in .30-06 from Gander Mountain for $380 and converting it to .458 Win Mag. I understand that is a very large caliber and is overkill for anything in the U.S. and I am not going to Africa in the near future, but I want to build one "just because". I already have hunting rifles and plenty of target rifles, so I do not need a gun in .30-06 nor do I need another hunting rifle. I do not want to hear anyone bash my idea, but I am willing to hear some opinions on my build, as long as they are legitimate and not just "I don't like the .458 Win Mag" or something like that.

So far, this is what I think I would need:
- E.R. Shaw .458 Win Mag Barrel from Brownells with action wrench.
- 0.525 inch bolt head (just any bolt head that works with RUM cartridges)
- Savage .458 Win Mag box magazine
- Barrel vise to help remove barrel

Any opinions or reasons why this shouldn't or cannot be done are welcome, as long as they aren't like "I don't like the .458 Win Mag because one of them killed a poor elephant".

Thank you,

John
 
If it were me, I would use an action wrench instead of a vise, but thats just my 2 cents; either way works. It is an easy build. Be sure you have a strong stock. The Stevens stock will probably end up letting you eat part of the rifle when the stock breaks. If I were going to hunt anything dangerous with the .458, I would prefer it be controlled feed.
 
I don't think the 200 stock is going to break, but at a hair over 6 lb. in that stock he might break. It sounds doable, and if it is just for playing around with it is your money. I normally don't recommend changing stocks on the budget rifles because most of the time they work well enough. But in this case something in a heavy laminated stock would be a consideration.
 
Reynolds,

I am a little confused about the whole "controlled feed" thing. Care to elaborate?

Also, I am a little confused about the action wrench. Don't you need a vice and a wrench to remove/install the barrel? Could you give me a link to a tool that could remove or install a Stevens 200 barrel?

Thanks,

John
 
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Controlled feed uses the extractor to control the round from the magazine into the chamber.(Mauser type action) Push feed simply pushes the cartridge loose from the magazine and lets it fall into the chamber (Remington 700 and Savage type) Of course it is debatable, but traditionally most dangerous game hunters believe the controlled feed action to be a necessity.

You need a barrel nut wrench. You can either grab the action with a vise or an action wrench. To me, it is easier to work on a Savage without it being locked in a vise. Grab the action wrench in one hand and the barrel nut wrench in the other and work with the action free. You can do it either way, but to me the latter is the easiest method.
 
JMR40, Unless Savage has modified the stock, the action will pull loose from the stock if it is shot very much. Maybe they have improved it, but the ones I messed with several years ago were junk stocks. The action screws would literally rip through the stock.
 
Go ahead with the rebarreling, but put it in a real stock. A 7-ish lbs 458 will hurt (a lot), a 10 lbs 458 is not that bad, an 11 lbs 458 is a pussycat.
 
I will eventually put it in a new stock, but since I reload, I could tame it to .45-70 levels until I get a better stock. Would a $100 budget for a stock be good? Also, is the Stevens Model 200 in .30-06 long action or short action? Would any savage 111 stock fit the Long action Stevens 200?

Also, how would I go about making the rifle heavier?

Thank you,

John
 
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If you want to make the rifle heavier, I would recommend using a heavier barrel contour. You could put mercury recoil reducer or reducers in the stock. A Boyd's Laminate stock would be a nice stock for the rifle.
 
I'm thinking it's gonna hurt

Savage/Stevens are easy to work on. The beauty of this project is, if you don't like it, you can swap that .458 barrel for just about anything else.
 
The "action wrench" fits in a regular bench vise. The bottom part of the action wrench is paced in the bench vise and the jaws are tightened down firmly. the action is placed into the lower half of the wrench, and top part of the wrench is then screwed down over the action thus holding it firmly. Then the barrel nut wrench is used to loosen the nut, and the current barrel can be unscrewed. Reverse the procedure and presto! You have a new caliber. No need to have a barrel vise. :)
 
You'll need to change the bolt face also. A .458 has the same bolt face as a 7mm mag so that caliber would be easier to start with.
 
I can only find a stevens 200. In .30-06 or 7mm-08. Could someone show me a link to a bolt head that would work for the .458? Also, the Boyd's Laminate is solid, correct? So I could not put a recoil absorber in it.

Thanks,

John
 
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I do believe that is that is the correct one, but unfortunately it is out of stock in the right handed option. Any other source for that part?

Thanks,

John
 
Colorado Redneck, you do not have to put the action wrench in a vise when working on barrel nut rifles. It is actually much easier to not put it in a vise. If I were going to use a vise on a Savage, I would just grab the action with my barrel vise. There is no need, you are only breaking about 85 lbs torque. We aint working on a Weatherby here.:D
 
True, you can put the action in the vise, and this being a new piece the nut should come loose easily. If you mess up your action, this is on your dime.

My experience was with a 10-12 year old gun. Jim at Northland Shooters said several people have ruined their action by not using the action wrench to hold it when loosening the nut on an older gun. The nut can seize and be a bear to loosen. I was going to bubba the barrel switch but decided it would be easier to explain a new tool to my wife than a new rifle action if I ruined my old one. :)
 
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