I've sold a couple nice old Ballards over the last couple years and had my hands on several of the ones that were made by Steve Garbes company in recent years . I always liked the Ballards in the full regalia Schiyen schuetzen style and the same can certainly be said for the Stevens 44 1/2 guns in the Pope schuetzen style ! There's a company in Dingnans Ferry PA that's makes a quality reproduction of the Stevens 44 1/2 and the folks in Cody Wyoming last time I saw one made a very nice rendition of the Ballard . There's also a fellow in New York State named Romano that makes a very nice rendition of a Maynard single shot .

Yep must have been Cody. I dragged my parents and grandparents there to go the museum. They drug me out three hours later. We went on a trip to Montana and to visit where my grandpa was born in Thermopolis, Wy. Good luck on the sterlingworth sounds like a sweet gun. We will all want to see pictures if you get it of coarse.

Just as a point of reference, the Fox Model B was introduced in 1940,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps58637c70.jpg
(1940 Fox catalogue)

and there was no such thing as a Stevens Model 311 until 1948.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...del3111948.jpg
(1948 Savage/Stevens/Fox catalogue)

From 1931 until WW-II there was a Springfield No. 311, but it was built on the old G.S. Lewis Patent stricker action.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...o311ST1933.jpg
(1933 J. Stevens Arms Co. catalogue)

The Springfield No. 311 was a cheaper version of the Riverside Arms Co./Springfield Arms Co. No. 315 and the slightly nicer J. Stevens Arms Co. No. 330.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...No561925-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...dPriceList.jpg

Dave;
You never cease to amaze me. Interesting info, thanks.

In the reference material I have on Sterlingworths one claims the first 20 gauge was seriel number 250,000 and the other says 250,100 . So the one I got tonight was either the 24th or 124th made as my seriel number is 250,124 !

Little gun is actually in pretty decent shape and the bores have no spots dings dents etc !

I also got the little H&R 16 gauge . Not a big deal but it's one of those that was made from 1908-1940 . The "Bay State" model !

I'll try the Sterlingworth on the skeet field wednesday !

Well now I have two 12 gauge Sterlingworths one from Philly and one from Utica as well as two Philly 20 gauge guns !

Only 16 Fox I have is a circa 1930 Utica Fox A . Now I need to run across a decent Philly 16 Sterlingworth preferrably 26" IC/M :rolleyes:

FWIW they had a Stevens 315 12 gauge at the auction I got the Sterlingworth and the H&R . Gun looked okay and went for $225 !

Yes this was the one they had in a 12 gauge !