Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win 20 in. – Proven Turkish Walnut Bolt Action Deer Rifle

Description

The Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win is the rifle you buy when you want walnut and a scope rail without paying for a name. Savage builds it under the Stevens label, fits a Turkish walnut stock and a silver bolt handle, threads a steel Picatinny rail onto the receiver at the factory and sends it out the door well under what a comparable wood stocked bolt gun usually costs.

None of that would matter if the action were an afterthought. It is not. The Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win runs a three lug bolt with a sixty degree lift, a free floating button rifled barrel and an eleven degree target crown, which are features that used to live two price tiers up.

What the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win actually is

• A bolt action centerfire rifle in 308 Winchester with a 20 inch free floating, button rifled carbon steel barrel finished in matte black.
• A three lug bolt with a sixty degree lift, so the handle clears a low mounted scope instead of fighting it.
• A three round detachable box magazine, giving three down and one chambered.
• A Turkish walnut stock with a recoil pad, paired with a silver bolt body that sets the walnut version apart from the synthetic.
• A steel MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail already mounted, so a scope goes on without buying bases first.
• A three position safety and an eleven degree target crown. Manufacturer item number 18838.

Why the sixty degree bolt lift matters

• A traditional two lug bolt, unlike the one in the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win, swings ninety degrees to unlock, which puts the handle close to the ocular bell of any scope mounted where you actually want it.
• Three lugs let the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win unlock in sixty degrees instead, so there is knuckle clearance under the scope and the stroke is shorter.
• A shorter lift also means less movement at the shoulder between shots, which is the practical part when a second shot matters.
• The trade is slightly higher lift effort, because the same camming happens over a smaller arc. Most shooters never notice it.
• The bolt is the reason this rifle feels more expensive than it is. Nothing else on it is unusual at this price; the bolt is.

Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win specifications

• Caliber: 308 Winchester
• Capacity: 3 round detachable box magazine, 3+1 with one chambered
• Action: Bolt action, three locking lugs, 60 degree bolt lift
• Barrel: 20 in., carbon steel, button rifled, free floating, 11 degree target crown
• Twist rate: 1:11 in.
• Overall length: 41 in.
• Length of pull: 14.5 in.
• Weight: 7.2 lb.
• Receiver: Carbon steel, matte black, integrated recoil lug
• Stock: Turkish walnut with recoil pad
• Trigger: Non-adjustable, factory set between 5 and 7 lb.
• Safety: Three position
• Optics: Steel MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail fitted from the factory
• Item number: 18838

Feeding the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win

Savage publishes the factory sheet for item 18838 on its own site if you want the manufacturer numbers next to ours: the Model 334 Walnut specification page lists the same barrel, twist and weight printed above. The 1:11 twist is the number that decides what this rifle likes.

• A 1:11 twist stabilizes everything from 150 to 180 grain 308 bullets comfortably, which covers essentially the entire hunting shelf.
• For deer, Hornady Whitetail 308 Win 150 grain SST is the straightforward answer. It opens reliably at the velocity a 20 inch barrel produces and it does not cost premium money.
• For larger game or longer shots, Barnes Harvest 308 Win 165 grain gives deeper penetration from a heavier bullet.
• Try both before the season. A 20 inch barrel and a specific rifle will usually show a clear preference, and finding it costs two boxes.
• The rail is steel and MIL-STD 1913, so any set of Picatinny rings fits. Buy rings tall enough to clear the objective bell and no taller.

Choosing between the walnut and synthetic Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win

The same rifle is built two ways and the difference is more than looks. The walnut version carries a silver bolt body and a Turkish walnut stock, which is heavier, prettier and less tolerant of a week of rain in a truck bed. The black synthetic 308 version is the one to buy if the rifle will live outdoors.

If you want the same action in a lighter recoiling chambering, the 243 Winchester walnut version is identical apart from the bore, and it is the usual recommendation for a younger or recoil sensitive shooter. Everything said above about the bolt, the rail and the trigger applies equally to all of them.

Why the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win earns its place

• Walnut on a bolt gun at the price of the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win is unusual, and the Turkish walnut here is a real stock rather than a stained softwood.
• The Picatinny rail on the Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win is steel and already fitted, which removes the most common hidden cost of a budget bolt gun.
• 308 Winchester is the most widely stocked short action hunting cartridge in the country, so ammunition is never the problem.
• A 20 inch barrel keeps the rifle short enough for a blind or a truck without giving up meaningful velocity in this chambering.
• At 7.2 pounds bare it is heavy enough to shoot well off sticks and light enough to carry all day.

The Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win is a deer rifle, plainly. The Stevens 334 Walnut 308 Win suits the hunter who wants wood and steel rather than polymer, the first time centerfire buyer who wants something that will still look good in twenty years, and anyone building a rifle around a budget that has to include a scope as well as the gun.

If you would rather have a synthetic stock that you can treat badly in the rain, we stock the same rifle in black synthetic. If you want a lighter recoiling chambering for a younger shooter, the 243 Winchester version of this rifle is the same gun in a smaller hole. Every firearm on this page ships to your chosen FFL for transfer and pickup.