WFC Peep Sight for the Stevens 325-B

I lucked out and found on eBay a vintage WFC peep sight meant for the Stevens 325 / Savage 340 and snagged it.

This should noticeably improve the practical accuracy of the rifle compared with an open rear sight. It's missing the mounting screws but I just checked the threads on the rifle and they are 10-32, so sourcing a couple suitable cap screws will be easy. I may have some in my shop but if not, Lowe's or Home Depot will have them.

Since this peep sight design hangs off the back of the receiver it's a bit more vulnerable to damage than a barrel-mounted open sight. So, I want a backup. I have a Marble's #95 sight on the way from Midwest Gunworks. The #95 has a folding leaf so it will be down and out of the way of the peep sight.

Stevens 325-B Bolt Action .30-30

Several years ago when Ruger introduced their Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62x39 I had immediate case of the wants. I have a large supply of the caliber and it would be very useful here in Pennsylvania. However, I generally don't buy right handed bolt action rifles unless they are a classic or military surplus. So, I've held off on getting one.

However, yesterday I got my hands on a suitable alternative in another caliber I stock with similar ballistics. It's a right handed boltgun but for this case I'll make an exception. It's a Savage Stevens 325B in .30-30 Winchester.

In 1947 or '48, Savage Arms' Stevens subsidiary introduced a new rifle, the model 325. It was designed to appeal to returning GIs who'd gotten used to shooting bolt action rifles and was chambered initially in .30-30 and .22 Hornet. After a few years it was renamed the Savage 340 and in addition to these two calibers, was chambered in .222 Remington, .223 Remington, and .225 Winchester. Savage sold the 340s until 1985.

These rifles used modern manufacturing techniques including many stamped sheet steel parts, to help keep the cost down. Instead of walnut the stock was made from birch. It sold for $38 in 1948, which an inflation calculator tells me is worth about $656 today.

The Stevens is rather plain, but a serviceable rifle. I imagine that many of them were working guns on farms. Over on the Gun and Game Forum, member Outpost75, who owns a Savage 340A in .30-30, described them, "These are good, sturdy, accurate little rifles, if a bit "agricultural" looking."

This Stevens 325B in .30-30 followed me home from the Oaks, PA gun show yesterday. It's in excellent shape for a 76 year old gun. It's stamped on the top of the barrel near the receiver with a B inside of a circle. This appears to be a Savage date code indicating it was built in 1950.   The bore and crown are spotless. Along with the gun I bought a Chicom SKS sling. I like these because they are simple, light, quiet, and easy to adjust.

The unloaded rifle weighs 7 lbs. but feels a little lighter to me because it balances very well. The barrel is 21" long, and the length of pull is about 13-5/8", which fits me nicely.

If you're enamored with Jeff Cooper's scout rifle concept one of these would be a good scout-ish platform, keeping in mind that it cannot be rechambered for .308 and scope mounting requires a side-mounted rail. You won't get stripped clip loading but because it uses detachable box magazines, that's moot, IMHO.

The detachable box magazine feed also makes these ideal for truck gun usage. You can keep a couple magazines loaded and locked in a separate container from the rifle, but quickly load it when required.

The standard scope mounts for this series of rifles mounts to the side of the receiver, due to the split bridge design. My rifle was built before Savage came out with their side mount so it lacks the drilled and tapped mounting holes. However, it is drilled and tapped for a receiver peep sight. I setup a search on eBay to see if one turns up.

For now I'll rely on the open iron sights. Another possibility is to drill and tap the receiver ring for a short section of Picatinny rail and mount a small dot sight on it. That would help preserve the rifle's handling while giving a much better sighting arrangement.

Something to keep in mind if you buy one of these is that the bolt has only one locking lug, relying on the root of the bolt handle to act as a safety lug. Compared with, e.g., a Mauser, Mosin-Nagant, or Lee-Enfield, the action is relatively weak. That said, it is plenty strong enough for factory loads in the calibers for which it was built.

The Stevens feeds from a three-round detachable box magazine. I like such magazines on hunting rifles because they facilitate easy loading and unloading, and with a spare magazine in your pocket you're set for a day's hunt. I ordered a couple reproductions from Numrich Arms, which may require a little final fitting.

The magazine is also a limiting factor on those who want to use spitzer bullets in the .30-30. While rifles with tubular magazines can't use hard-tipped pointed bullets because of the risk of unwanted detonation in the mag, the short length of the Savage / Stevens pretty much limits cartridges to those with the same length as factory loads. Here's the mag filled with Remington 170 grain Core Lokt factory loads. You can see there isn't much room for a longer bullet.

An interesting feature on my rifle is a .30-30 case head inlet into the right side of the butt. The pictures I've found of the Stevens lack this so I'm guessing a previous owner put it there. Pretty cool.

The .30-30 cartridge is great for shooting cast bullets, which I plan to do. So I slugged the bore by driving a .32 caliber lead bullet through the barrel and then measuring the groove diameter, which came out to .30905". I have some .310" bullets from MOD Outfitters I'll be trying in the Stevens after I get the chance to load some .30-30s.

In my wanderings online to search for info about the Stevens 325 and Savage 340 rifle I ran across these two articles by Leeroy Wisner, which are worth saving if you have one:

• Stevens 325 and Savage 340 Bolt Action Rifle
• Gunsmithing the Savage Model 340 Rifle

And also this site:

• The Savage 340

I've always thought this series of rifles was neat and I'm happy to have finally acquired one. Now all I need to happen is for the weather to warm up so it's normal Southeast, PA winter instead of feeling like I live on Hoth, and I'll get to shoot it.

Winter Storm Fern AAR

We lucked out with this storm. My area got about 6" to 7" of snow but that got topped with an inch or two of sleet. I ran my snowblower once late Sunday afternoon, then spent a few hours with the blower and shovels on Monday, after which I was beat.

Cleaning my driveway apron was the worst part, due to the depth and density of the packed ice and snow. It strained my snowblower's engine and I had to be careful to keep it from stalling.

The snowblower is 24" wide and about 16 to 18" tall.

The engine has been giving me issues requiring me to run it with the choke in the start position to keep it from stalling but I think something came unclogged and after running it awhile I was able to turn it to the running position. It would benefit from having the carb stripped and cleaned out.

Other than the quirks of running my snowblower we didn't have any storm-related problems. Power didn't even flicker, cell service remained up, and our Internet was fine.

Now the forecasters are saying we might have another storm this coming Sunday. Other than some grocery restocking we should be prepared if we get hit again.

Winter Storm Fern Preps

Where I live in PA is looking to get the more snow dumped on us than we have in several years, so I took some time to prepare.

Yesterday, I ran my snowblower for about 5 minutes to ensure it works and blow out the cobwebs. I also ran to Lowe's for some silicone spray and used that to hose it down inside and out. This helps minimize snow sticking to it. I did that to a couple shovels as well. If you don't have silicone spray you can also use cooking spray.

While out I filled the tank in my truck and a 5 gallon jerrycan with gas. I have two full cans so I should have plenty for the snowblower with some left over for the generator, if needed.

Speaking of which, today I changed out the starter battery on my generator and ran it for awhile to ensure the new battery is fully charged.

All devices will be charged by Saturday night, along with power banks. From the forecasts I've seen it doesn't look like we're going to get really strong winds but the amount of snow may take down trees which may then fall on power lines.

We have plenty of food in the house and even if we lose power we have a natural gas fireplace that works when the power's out.

If you're in the path of this storm, get ready and be safe.

Zelenko Protocol

Back during the Pandemic, Dr. Vladimir Zelenko put forth an immune-boosting protocol that helps protect against COVID and flu. It's explained in this graphic (click to enlarge):

Today I ran across this product on Amazon which is basically the Zelenko Protocol in one capsule, albeit with half the recommended amount of Vitamin C.

Will this 100% prevent you from getting COVID or the flu? No, but it'll help boost your immune system so that getting sick is less likely and it may help you recover sooner if you do.

Hanukkah 2025

In case anyone wasn't paying attention we got another example of what "Globalize the Intifada" means today.

Once again we see a terrorist attack on Jews on a religious holiday. This time in Australia. An Australian spox on TV said that at least one of the perps was on their radar, "although not for terrorist acts".

I also saw over on X that per Israeli TV, supposedly the Mossad warned the Australian government of an upcoming terrorist attack. See: https://x.com/yudapearl/status/2000197269858271283

On the eve of Hanukkah, the holiday in which we celebrate our triumph over the Greek invaders who desecrated the Temple, we are once again reminded that secular governments will not protect us.

Nobody, Jew or gentile, who is defenseless is protected from harm. The right to self defense is the most basic of human rights. A disarmed populace is deprived of its most essential right to life.

Make no mistake, gun control is EVIL. It disarms victims but never keeps their oppressors from hurting them.

As an American, and as a Jew, I am a Second Amendment absolutist*. I'm a an Endowment Life Member of the NRA, and a Life Member of Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation. I've donated to the Firearms Policy Coalition as well.

I'm armed to the teeth -- as ALL good Americans should be. It's been a long standing source of frustration for me that too many of my co-religionists can't get their heads out of their asses on this issue.

There are many Jewish Americans who have woken up to the need to be armed. Not enough, but it's happening. 

As for Israel's gun laws, they are a major reason why I'd never consider living there, permanently or even temporarily for work. Israelis basically live in one of the shittiest neighborhoods on the planet, surrounded by people who want to exterminate them, and their government denies them the means for effective self defence. Fuck. That. Shit.

In the aftermath of October 7th I put together a PDF book, "Guns for Jews," which is available for free from my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18GXFERy8nH1iM6ERtLs-PXX3qXDo5C0K/view?usp=drive_link

*Absolutist, as in it is my belief that all Americans should be able to purchase military grade arms anonymously online and have them shipped to their door. Further, Constitutional Carry should be the law of the land.

Why I Prefer Revolvers for Pocket Carry

A friend and I were recently discussing home defense and carry guns. We live in an urban/suburban environment. Wild animals aren't really a concern but two-legged cockroaches are. Primary concerns for carry guns are concealability and reliability. Another consideration is that we're both in our late 50s with hand issues.

Both of us used to favor semi autos for concealed carry. He changed over to a Kimber K6S .357 snub, mostly due to problems with grasping the slide on an auto.

In the past I've pocket carried guns like a Ruger LCP .380, a Ruger LCP II Lite Rack .22 LR, and a Keltec P32 in .32 ACP. The problems I've encounterd have been in the case of the LCP .380 is that recoil is extremely unpleasant, while the P32 has had some reliability problems and seems picky with regards to which ammo it functions with. Likewise, the LCP II is very ammo sensitive.

Ruger LCP II Lite Rack .22LR

Keltec P32 .32ACP, with regular and extended mags.

So, earlier this year I changed over first to a S&W Model 632 Airweight and now a S&W 432UC, both in .32 H&R Magnum for pocket carry.

The 632 was retired because it was a gift from my late father, and it's one of only 1471 made in the 1990s. The 432 is new production and has better sights.

The .32 Magnum in a J-Frame is a good choice for concealed carry in my opinion. J-Frames, especially the Centennial-style with an enclosed hammer, is snag-free and can be fired from within a pocket without jamming. In my experience they've been more reliable than subcompact semiauto pistols. The .32s give you 6 shots vs. 5 shots in a .38, .357, or 9mm J-Frame.

The ammo I carry is .32 H&R Magnum 100 grain wadcutter from High Desert Cartridge Company. I've run this over my Garmin chronograph from the 432UC, where it ran a bit over 800 FPS. Per Steve at HDCC it will meet the FBI's minimum penetration requirements in ballistic gel. In effect, this gives me a 5/16" hole punch that will reach an assailant's vitals. Compared with 85 grain JHPs in the same gun it's easier to control.

I should note that my 432UC was not perfect out of the box, however. It has a flaw in the finish which really shouldn't have left the factory but considering it's a carry piece I'm willing to overlook that. Also, the factory grips didn't suit my hand at all so I went on eBay and found a set of the old Uncle Mike's Boot Grips that I like. Finally, the trigger was very heavy, so I got a reduced power rebound slide spring from Wolff. This brought the trigger pull down to an acceptable weight without compromising trigger return, or ignition as a lighter hammer spring might.

S&W 432UC .32 H&R Magnum

I use a Simply Rugged Pocket Protector holster and carry a reload in a Quickstrip.

This is comfortable to pocket carry all day.

Revolver Guy has an unflattering review of a 432UC Ti up. Something he noted is that it's fitted with a short, "California" firing pin to improve its drop safety. It turns out this hurts ignition reliability. I already had on hand an Apex "extended" firing pin, which is actually the same length as the original J-Frame firing pins, so I installed it. I've not had any failures to ignite.

Note, a Colt D-Frame like the Detective Special will get you a 6th shot but be slightly larger, and unless you install a hammer shroud isn't as snag free. It's still nicely pocketable.

Substack: Information Technology with Dave

Over the past week I've made the effort to revive my IT and cybersecurity focused Substack, Information Technology with Dave.

If you like what I write it would really help the Substack if you like my articles and subscribe to it.

Thanks.

Criminal Activity in my Neighborhood Yesterday

We had an incident in our neighborhood yesterday which seems like it was a couple who were either casing my neighbor, or trying the old "distract the victim with a pretty girl" method of robbery.

Note that my neighborhood is not a high-crime area. There is a fair amount of property crime in our township but it's concentrated at a shopping mall about 1.5 - 2 miles away. Violent crime is rare.

My neighbor called me this morning to give me a heads up on the following.

At about 3:30 PM my neighbor came home from work to find his driveway blocked by an SUV, probably a black Honda Ridgeline. As he pulled up he beeped his horn and they moved forward so he could pull into his driveway.

As my neighbor got out of his truck a woman got out of the Honda. He immediately felt something off but was carrying concealed. He asked if he could help her.

She replied by asking if he wanted to sell his truck, which is a 20-year old Toyota Tacoma 4x2, not exactly something in high demand. This raised further red flags in his mind. After a little more questioning and stuttered replies, she got back in her vehicle and then drove off.

Before she drove off my neighbor was able to see through the Honda's darkly tinted windows that there was someone else inside, who tried to lower himself to avoid being seen.

Neighbor called the police. An officer was nearby and was over in about a minute to take a statement. He agreed that they were casing the house or looking to distract my neighbor while the second person in the Honda tried to get into the house.

I have a Ring Doorbell at my front door and a Ring Stick Up camera that covers my driveway and the street in front of my neighbor. They did capture the Honda on video. However, the video from my driveway camera was not able to resolve its license plate due to distance.

My neighbor has been looking into getting security cameras and more external lighting. This incident got him to stop procrastinating and he is now going to move forward. I'm probably going to augment my exterior security stuff as well.

I put together a list of the cameras and exterior solar lighting I have so my neighbor has a starting point for his own system. It's in a Google Sheet which I've shared from my G Drive, here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CS6mvUdXwghgEi8iP9QDSePdnUr_TxGVmWE9EUWO6RQ/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: Another neighbor captured some better quality video. Looks like it may be a late model Toyota Tundra.

Edit 2: We got a better quality pic and ran that through ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Both IDed the truck as a third-gen Toyota Tundra.