Fudd Friday: Stevens 325 - When Bolt Actions Met .30-30

Welcome to another edition of Fudd Friday, where we celebrate the classics that make old-timers nod in approval and young tacticool operators scratch their heads in confusion. Bet y'all knew you'd see me here eventually. As one of TFB’s resident old soul writers, it was only a matter of time. Today, we're diving into a rifle that somehow managed to combine two things that some would say shouldn't go together: a bolt action and the venerable .30-30 Winchester cartridge. Yes, folks, we're talking about the Stevens 325.

Classic hunting rifles @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: Fixing My Dad's Marlin Model 60
• TFB Armorer's Bench: Commentary on the Remington 74 Series
• Fudd Friday: Bring Back Pump-Action Rifles
• Fudd Friday: Buy Baikal, "The Other B-Gun"
• TFB Review: Cimarron 1873 U.S. Marshal IT Carbine

The Ultimate Fudd Fusion

Picture this: It's 1947, World War II just ended, and Stevens Arms decided what America really needed was a bolt-action rifle chambered in lever-gun food. Was it practical? Debatable. Was it peak Fudd? Absolutely. But here's the thing - this weird combination actually worked and worked well enough to spawn several variants over its short production run.

Post-War Innovation on a Budget

The Stevens 325 wasn't just any bolt action - it was a testament to post-war ingenuity and budget-conscious engineering. Priced at just $38 (about $460 in today's money), it was the perfect rifle for returning GIs who wanted something familiar yet different for their civilian hunting pursuits. The rifle used stamped parts and possibly even repurposed machine gun barrels (though this remains a topic of heated debate at gun shop counters nationwide).

Features That Would Make Any Fudd Proud:

• A butter-knife bolt handle that looks like it was borrowed from grandma's silverware drawer
• A modest 3-round detachable magazine (because who needs more than three shots?)
• A 20-inch barrel that makes it handy in the brush (just like grandpa always said)
• Simple iron sights (none of that fancy glass nonsense)
• A genuine wood stock (synthetic is for kids!)

The A-B-C's of the 325

The rifle went through several iterations faster than a Fudd can say "back in my day." We had the original 325, then the 325-A with its improved bolt guide, the 325-B with a revised trigger system, and finally the 325-C, which came drilled and tapped for a Lyman peep sight (because some modernization is acceptable, as long as it's from the 1950s).

The Shooting Experience - Stevens 325

Let's talk about what it's actually like to shoot this peculiar piece of firearms history. The recoil, as you might expect from a lightweight .30-30, is what old-timers would call "stout" (translation for modern shooters: it kicks). The trigger pull typically comes in around 3 pounds, which is surprisingly good for a budget rifle of its era. The action, while not as smooth as your grandfather's pre-64 Winchester, has a certain agricultural charm to it - it works, and it works every time.

The accuracy? Well, let's just say it's "minute of deer" at reasonable hunting distances. These rifles weren't built for bench rest competitions, but they'll get the job done in the deer woods. And isn't that what really matters?

The Legacy - Stevens 325

The Stevens 325 was eventually replaced by the Savage 340, but it left us with an important lesson: sometimes the weird combinations work. It might not have been the most logical pairing of action and cartridge, but it gave us something unique - a rifle that managed to be both practical and peculiar at the same time.

Modern Upgrades: Teaching an Old Fudd New Tricks

Now, here's something that might make the traditional Fudd crowd clutch their wool hunting jackets in horror - you can actually suppress these old warriors. While your grandfather might insist that "real hunters don't need silencers," the .30-30 actually suppresses surprisingly well. The Dead Air Nomad 30 makes particular sense here - at just 14.5 ounces, it won't throw off the 325's handling characteristics too much, and its 6.5-inch length keeps the overall package manageable in the brush.

The catch is you'd have to get your 325 threaded and probably shortened up a tad. Is it historically accurate? Absolutely not. Would it make the old-timers at the gun club have opinions? You bet. But there's something delightfully ironic about modernizing this classic with a suppressor. Plus, your ears will thank you, and you won't spook every deer in the county when you take that shot. The Nomad 30's durability and versatile mounting options make it a practical choice for breathing new life into this old platform.