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Early J. Stevens double
Unread 03-20-2019, 08:13 AM   #1
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Default Early J. Stevens double

I picked this old shotgun up yesterday. It is what some call a model 1877 three trigger. The front trigger is like the the lifter on a Parker it opens the gun. It is a 12ga and I plan to shoot it with brass hulls and black powder. Hammers work at half and full cock. The triggers work. It was off face and a little loose but it wasn't anything a brass shim wouldn't fix. One firing pin seems to have a spring and the other is just loose. The barrels have good pattern and the bores are clean which they could have been honed. I like the looks of its patina but can't help but wonder what it would look like with case colors and freshed up.





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Unread 03-20-2019, 08:20 AM   #2
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Wyatt Earp was known to own one and Kurt Russell used one in Tombstone. it seems to be all original. I can find very little info on this model.









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Unread 03-20-2019, 08:33 AM   #3
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i am always amazed at the inventiveness of the gunsmiths back in the early breach loader days.

nice piece of history
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Unread 03-20-2019, 09:15 AM   #4
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Please... do NOT alter the patina of this gun. It is just way too wonderful in its present condition. Have it safety checked by a professional double gunsmith and enjoy.
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Unread 03-20-2019, 12:47 PM   #5
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J. Stevens & Co. was the business from 1864 to 1886 when it became J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. In 1916 the company was acquired by New England Westinghouse for war production for The Great War and was renamed J. Stevens Arms Co. After WW-I NEW sold it to Savage Arms Corp. which continued to operate it as a separate entity until after WW-II when Savage consolidated all their arms making at Chicopee Falls and their factory at Utica, NY, went to making products for the post war housing boom.

Joe Vorisek states production of this hammer double gun began in 1876 and that it was offered in one grade with Twist barrels and four grades with Laminated barrels.

Forest & Stream ad 12-6-1877.jpg

Forest & Stream ad 1-3-1878.jpg

Forest & Stream ad 3-27-1879.jpg

By 1881, double guns are no longer mentioned in J. Stevens & Co. ads.
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Unread 03-20-2019, 12:48 PM   #6
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Now there's a gun with a story. If only these jewels could talk!!
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Unread 03-20-2019, 02:44 PM   #7
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I've never seen anything like that before. Very nice find indeed.
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Unread 03-20-2019, 05:14 PM   #8
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Kind of reminds one of the N.R. Davis introduced about five years earlier --

No. 19 02.jpg

Lot of change and innovation in the new breechloading shotguns in that first 10 to 15 years after the American Civil War. Much of it covered in Ed's book Parker Guns, Shooting Flying and the American Experience. Of course with Ed's Parker-centric point of view.
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Unread 03-20-2019, 06:27 PM   #9
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thats a neat old gun she must have 3 1/2 inches of drop in the stock....i too like old stevens guns i have a few....charlie
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Unread 03-20-2019, 07:55 PM   #10
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I loaded up a couple 12ga blanks and test fired it. Both hammers and triggers work nicely and both blanks fired. The left primer hit was a little deeper than the right.
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