We are fans of the 1970’s vintage Stevens Favorite and Crackshot rifles. I have a Model 72 and my Wife has a model 71 Crackshot commemorative. Both are fine plinkers
I sometimes wish I had purchased one of the “new vintage” Tasco scopes that came out for these rifles. I have attached a picture from the test in the NRA’s Dope Bag. I believe C. E. Harris did this test.

We recently purchased one of the new Model 30R17 rifles chambered for the .17 HRM.
While we are happy with the rifle it is not satisfactory in that it is not a kids gun. The hammer spring is so strong that a child could not bring the hammer to full cock. When we received this rifle I gave it a good soaking with Corrosion X and a lot of preservative and “stiff“ looking hard grease came out of the lock work. The rifle has proven to be a good shooter in spite of the coarse open sight.
I have read threads on other boards about ignition problems with these rifles. The troubles have been attributed to the firing pin not having been moved out in the conversion from Long Rifle to Magnum, the half cock safety notch dragging on the trigger as the hammer falls and the pins holding the hammer and trigger having been drilled in an improper relationship to one another. The problems I have read about have seemed to be confined to take down model rifles. Ours is a “solid frame”. The serial numbers mentioned as having ignition problems seem to be higher than mine. The numbers listed were seven digit serials starting with 0. My serial number is a six-digit number starting with 4.We have only fired this rifle about 150 times but as yet have had no ignition trouble.
Any one else shooting one of these new Favorite rifles? Have any one experienced ignition troubles? Has anyone worked on the action yet?

Attached are some pictures of .17HRM cases fired in the Savage Favorite. The first are those that fired as single strikes in the Marlin 17V. The second are the double strikes from the Favorite. None of the double strikes appear to be a light strike. I have heard of some of the new Favorites having ignition problems. We have had very few.
Our other two .17 HRM’s are a Marlin and a Taurus pump. Neither rifle has required a double strike to fire a cartridge.
Any one out there with a .17HRM or .22 Magnum Favorite?

I had a 30gm a couple of years back. The hammer spring was indeed to stiff, had my smith work it over, helped alot. Shot that gun quite a bit in two years, the only time I had ignition trouble, I had added a hammer ext.
About the fourth shot it dawned on me what was going on. Removed the ext. no more misfires..it is a fine line when reducing spring weight but is well worth the effort in my opinion!

Rifle-man may be on the right track. MAy not be just the final depth of the dent, but the speed at which it was put there.

Rebarreled an old H&A falling block to .22short and made a new extractor. Extractor was a tad too high..when the pin struck, the force was spread out by the pin seating the round until the rim contacted the recess, Good dents, but missfires. Eventaully i got it through my thick skull what the problem was..fitted the extractor so that it wasn't the high point for the rim, and missfires whent away.

May be simpler than that. Little action was built to fire the .22LR and it's thinner brass/rim. Just may be that the mainspring needed a bit more beef to fire the thicker .17 or .22mag. rims.

YOu may be right about the stikes's placement...it is slightly in-board. OR it may just be igniton's old enemy: friction.

Were it mine, would try polishing for a bit faster speed, making sure the sear isn't being interfeared with by the hammer notches, perhaps a stronger spring. HAven't worked with a modern Stevens so can't be more exact; don't know what lock work changes they've made to meet today's drop tests.
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Not able to post pictures...but once I finished that little H&A was hunting around a local show and came up with an old Lyman 438 scope....looks a lot like that reproction scope. Does make the rifle look "right".

Answering my own post...guess it's age...kind of like talking to yourself.

Typed that last on my way out the door to a freind's placle, so I tossed that H&A in the Jeep aloing with a couple of boxes of .22short ammo. Been better than a year and it needed to be fired.

Reminded me of a problem I had in that rebuild. Firing pin as a round ball ended pin. Found the center of that ball end was hitting a bit in board of the rim. No problem with some Europena .22shot ammo, but the US made HV tyeps were giving missfires. Either thicker brass or harder tempered brass than the softer Match cases.

So I made e new pin...this one with a flat faced bar end...like moist .22 bolt actions have. Wasn't any stronger than the old pin, or smaller in diameter, just that the rim stike was in a better place...the ball would tocuh down insidde the rim, and while the dent was deep enough to show good force, belived the placement was wrong..wanted the first contact to be at the place with priming compound. No more missfires with HV US made ammo.


Even though that wasn't your intent with your post, have to thank you for it none the less...been too long...is something very relaxing about a single shot .22.

Thinking about the custom 1022's has me thinking about what I really want. A nice "full size" stocked Favorite!