Stevens rifle and shotgun dating

MD Redneck · December 1, 2010, 08:29 PM

Hello, I am trying to get the federal C&R list updated and have started collecting Stevens shotguns(mostly model 77's) and also recently .22 rifles. I am having a lot of trouble finding production dates for many models produced under the Stevens name as well as the J. Stevens, Stevens/Springfield etc....... Is there anyone who could possibly help or point me in the right direction? Thanx in advance

PetahW · December 2, 2010, 01:26 PM

AFAIK, there is no direct/online SN/DOM reference for all Stevens firearms.

The reason is that, just after the end of WWI, when Stevens Arms & Tool was hauled before the US Congress to answer accusations of war profiteering, the corporation told Congress that all their production records just happened to have recently been "lost" in a small fire in the records room at the factory, and so could produce no records.

That holds true to this day, even after Stevens was acquired by Savage Arms - however, in 1949, Savage started marking most of their firearms (all brands) with a date/letter code within a circle, stamped into the lower part of the receiver(s), starting with an "A", up until 1970.

Savage skipped some letters, due to their similarity to numerals - the exact codes are available in the FAQ at www.savage24.com

For arms outside that timeframe, one must rely on the amassed data of knowledgeable, long-time collectors & ex-employees - often published in various books, etc
.

December 1, 2010, 08:29 PM	#1
MD Redneck Junior Member Join Date: December 1, 2010 Location: Severn, MD/ Iraq Posts: 13	Stevens rifle and shotgun dating Hello, I am trying to get the federal C&R list updated and have started collecting Stevens shotguns(mostly model 77's) and also recently .22 rifles. I am having a lot of trouble finding production dates for many models produced under the Stevens name as well as the J. Stevens, Stevens/Springfield etc....... Is there anyone who could possibly help or point me in the right direction? Thanx in advance

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December 2, 2010, 01:26 PM	#2
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	AFAIK, there is no direct/online SN/DOM reference for all Stevens firearms. The reason is that, just after the end of WWI, when Stevens Arms & Tool was hauled before the US Congress to answer accusations of war profiteering, the corporation told Congress that all their production records just happened to have recently been "lost" in a small fire in the records room at the factory, and so could produce no records. That holds true to this day, even after Stevens was acquired by Savage Arms - however, in 1949, Savage started marking most of their firearms (all brands) with a date/letter code within a circle, stamped into the lower part of the receiver(s), starting with an "A", up until 1970. Savage skipped some letters, due to their similarity to numerals - the exact codes are available in the FAQ at www.savage24.com For arms outside that timeframe, one must rely on the amassed data of knowledgeable, long-time collectors & ex-employees - often published in various books, etc .