# Shot my Stevens 200 7mm-08



## rockyraider (Feb 1, 2006)

I'm a procrastinator, I know. I've had the rifle for 7 months and just made it to the range. Anyway, its one of the $179 Academy specials, Stevens 200 7mm-08. I shot two rounds, Prvi Partesian 140gr soft point ($15/box) and some Hornady 120gr Custom Lite. I shot at an indoor range which isn't ideal since there were three or four other guys shooting cannons next to me so needless to say, it was tough not to flinch with the booming going on in close proximity. Also, the indoor lighting made it really tough to see my cross hairs, they seemed to constantly fade in and out. Either way, I was pleased at how my cheapie rifle shot with a hot barrel and not being broken in. Most of my groups after getting sighted in went like this, two rounds touching and the third an inch or so off. This was at 75 and 100 yards. I feel pretty confident that I was pulling the third shot as I'm certainly no expert marksman. I will say that the Hornady's probably shot a little better and they definately kicked less. If you have a youngster shooting, this seems to be a great reduced recoil round. There has been some discussion as to whether the twist rate on these rifles will stabalize the 140gr bullets. I would say that they will, certainly enough to kill deer very reliably. I may try some Federal Fusion 140's next since I'm sure they are better than the Prvi Partesian's. 

Rifle specs are as follows:

- Stevens 200 7mm-08 ($179)
- Used Bushnell Banner Dusk till Dawn 4x12x40 ($50)
- Kitchen counter trigger job (let me know and I'll provide instructions on what I did to signifcantly improve the trigger in 20-30 minutes)
- Removed the kick pad, dropped a 4oz pyramid sinker point first into the rifle butt and then filled with expanding foam.

I really like how the rifle handles after adding the 4oz lead weight. If you place it point first, it will sit just behind the trigger and will balance the rifle really well. I would think that this will signifcantly cut down on recoil as the rifle is pretty light weight with the cheap plastic stock. For a $250 truck gun, I'm pretty impressed to say the least. My next mod. is going to be a cammo paint job on the stock and maybe a metal trigger guard. Other than that, its gonna stay like it is for now.


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## bearintex (Feb 7, 2006)

Trigger job instructions, please.

Also, where did you get the cheap ammo at? I need to get a bunch to burn through for the brass while shooting pigs.

I had horrible luck with the Fusions out of my Encore. Ballistic Silvertips shoot the best of the factory fodder in that gun that I have tried.


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## fishit (Jul 12, 2007)

I bought the same gun for my son and we shot it a few weeks ago. we shot the 140gr reduced recoil loads from remington and shot them good enough to kill a deer. My son kept them within 3 inches at 100. All i did was get the gun sighted in and let him take over. I will go to the 120 grain loads next year. I cut the butt down some and fitted a limbsaver butt pad on it for a better LOP. I then glued in some lead shot down the barrel channel to add some weight to this light gun - which really helped. Next was the trigger job that I did myself and in fact, it turned out beyond belief. I used a very fine diamond stone for the polishing/sanding. Absolutely zero creep once you adjust the screw.

anyways, my long term plan is, as he gets older i will get a better stock and then put on a custom barrel.


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## rockyraider (Feb 1, 2006)

bearintex said:


> Trigger job instructions, please.
> 
> Also, where did you get the cheap ammo at? I need to get a bunch to burn through for the brass while shooting pigs.
> 
> I had horrible luck with the Fusions out of my Encore. Ballistic Silvertips shoot the best of the factory fodder in that gun that I have tried.


The ammo I shot was Prvi Partesian (European company) 140gr. Its sold by many online retailers as well as Cabellas, etc. Prvi also loads a 120gr bullet but Midway isn't set to get any until the end of November. It can be ordered pretty easily if you do a google search for it. I'm gonna try to get some of the 120gr next. I have had pretty good luck with Prvi ammo for $15/box stuff. I primarily bought it to burn through my gun just to break in the barrel and to sight it in. It honestly didn't shoot that bad, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer with it. I shot it in my 6.5x55 last year and it blew big holes in the deer that were shot so I can't complain. I've also read good reviews on it online. I bought the Hornady Custom Lite 120gr from Cabellas. It was $23.99/box. This is what I'm gonna hunt with.

The trigger job is basically just like fi**** says. Without getting into details, pull the action/barrel out of the stock. I used spinner bait wire (cut from a spinner bait) to replace the stock wire that the rifle comes with. Replacing the stock wire with a thinner version is supposed to lighten the pull. Next, I took the trigger and sear apart after noting the areas where they contact/rub. I used a dremel and some polishing compound to get a mirror like finish on the surfaces where the trigger/sear touch. From everything I read, be very careful not to actually remove any material since the surfaces are supposed to be coated in some type of hardening powder. By removing this hardening, you are allowing the softer underlying metals to contact each other which could lead to premature wear. The last thing I did after reassembling the trigger is to adjust the pull weight screw. Its the screw that the trigger wire fits down into. Move it a little at a time until you are satisified with the pull weight. By doing all of these things together, my trigger is greatly improved from what it initiatlly was.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

My camo job turned out great on my Stevens... my grouping was HORRIBLE though... Im not even hitting paper sometimes... Havent tried the 7mm08 yet though.

When I get decent groups, Im going to give a go at that trigger.... Thanks for the info and tips!!!


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## rockyraider (Feb 1, 2006)

justinsfa said:


> My camo job turned out great on my Stevens... my grouping was HORRIBLE though... Im not even hitting paper sometimes... Havent tried the 7mm08 yet though.
> 
> When I get decent groups, Im going to give a go at that trigger.... Thanks for the info and tips!!!


That camo job does look good, I'd like to do that to mine. Could you post up supplies you used, some tips about how to paint, etc? As for your rifle grouping, I would think something is possibly binding between the action and stock. Have you checked to make sure the barrel is floating? I've also read that the **** area under the safety should be floating about a half inch from the edge of the metal. You might try to find what the torque specs are for the action screws just to make sure they aren't overtightened. I've read pretty much nothing but good things about the accuracy of these rifles. If all else fails, I'd call Savage and inquire about sending the rifle back to have them work on it. I'm not sure about the warranty, but not hitting paper at 100 yards is unacceptable from any firearms maufacturer.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

I can visually see the stock hitting the barrell right at the very end of the stock.... so that is going to get some sanding this week and then I will try the range again.... I read all the same reviews about how great this gun is as well, so obviously, I am a little taken back with my issue... HOWEVER, I did see a post on another forum while searching that mentioned his barrell hitting the stock in a similar fashion.

The camo job wasnt too bad.... of course, I havent had it in the field yet, so I am hoping it hold up fine. I used Rustoleum Ultra Flat paint, plastic primer, and ultra flat clear coat. I only did the stock, as I didn't have enough cajones to spray the entire rifle. Pick your base color, add some stripper fishnets, and mix around some grass... and WHA-LAH!

One warning I have gotten is to keep DEET products away from the paint job as it will ruin it...


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