Stevens - Pope Barrels

[03collector]

Can one of the experts here tell me, did they install the Stevens Pope barrels on GP receivers? I know these barrels were installed at the unit level. According to Bill Brophy's book they were installed at the unit level on rifles already on hand. Which makes me think they should be on a standard krag receiver not one marked Cal. .22. Joe Salter has one for sale on his website .

[waterman]

No. Stevens-Pope barrels were never installed on GPR rifles. The S-P barrels were made starting about 1900-1902 (going by memory, there are many discussions on this forum). They were sold commercially and were purchased by National Guard units in Ohio, PA, NJ & Washington DC. Those units converted issue Krags and used them for instruction. Top Army brass said NO! The GPR was produced in for the NG units, 1908-1909. An inferior conversion.

[waterman]

The Stevens-Pope barrel was made to work with the regular extractor for .30/40 Krag ammunition. The GPR had an entirely different extractor system, plus a "trip pin" installed in the rear part of the bolt raceway. Would a S-P barrel even function with a GPR action?

My thoughts would be "why"? Seems to me that the market for S-P barrels is very strong. The market for GPR parts less so (for good reason). I'm prejudiced. The 1st 50 GPRs were made & rifled to a different set of specs (chambered for .22 Extra Long rimfire cartridge, .2261" groove diameter, 18" twist). I shot one of those in competition in a prone 50 yds / 50 meters / 100 yards league in summer 2008. Finished dead last for each match, but it was very accurate with CCI Stingers. A very well made POS.

I've been told that the remaining GPRs were properly rifled & chambered for .22 LR, but I've never seen one.