OK; here are my three Stevens guns, the first doubles I ever owned. I sometimes still think I shoot them better'n any of 'em! They're all stamped 5100, which Researcher has said is actually an action shape designation (or something like that) and not a model number, but a lot of folks refer to them as 5100's. They all have real checkered walnut wood and twin ivory beads. Only one fully owns up to being a Stevens; the 16ga is marked Springfield and the 20ga is marked Ranger.

16 gauge...
https://i.imgur.com/NNnoVqCl.jpg

20gauge...
https://i.imgur.com/DidLgEpl.jpg?1

and .410, which some folks list right up there with the Winchester 24 as the ugliest double ever made. I like it though...
https://i.imgur.com/7qCLl2Gl.jpg

A Stevens 410 was my first double and it has shot every upland bird in New England, all water fowl except a goose, many rabbits and hares, ugly, no. Still shoot it, started my boys on it, grand children too. It will be with me to the end. Love to take it to the skeet field and see the looks on the faces of guys who don't know me.

The No. 215 was a hammer gun. The G.S. Lewis patent No. 1,136,247 granted Apr. 20, 1915, gun was introduced in the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.'s last large catalog, General Catalog No. 54, as their lower priced line, Riverside Arms Co., No. 315 in 12- and 16-gauges --

Attachment 74364

J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. was acquired by New England Westinghouse for war production for The Great War, and was renamed J. Stevens Arms Co. After the war, NEW sold J. Stevens Arms Co. to Savage Arms Corp. which continued to operate it as a separate entity until after WW-II. The Riverside Arms Co. No. 315 continued in the offerings after WW-I and by 1923, they added a slightly upscale version the J. Stevens No. 330 and added the 20-gauge to the offerings --

Attachment 74365

By 1925 they added a .410-bore version --

Attachment 74366

About 1928, J. Stevens Arms Co. changed the name of their low priced line to Springfield Arms Co. For 1929, they added a lower priced version of the G.S. Lewis designed gun, the Springfield No. 311 --

Attachment 74367

In addition to these three quality levels of the gun, J. Stevens Arms Co. produced numerous "trade branded" versions of this gun up to WW-II.

I started my Pheasant hunting career with one of these G.S. Lewis designed J. Stevens hammerless doubles that was marked RANGER on the side of the receiver, a Sears, Roebuck & Co. "trade brand." It was my Mother's shotgun. It had been restocked for her with a straight grip and a quality trigger guard with long backstrap by my Great Uncle Art Gustafson, a Seattle area gunsmith. So, even at thirteen I needed a lace-on pad for extra length.

Attachment 74377

Phil's lovely set of Stevens doubles appear to be the gun that was the follow on to the J. Stevens No. 330, the No. 530 from 1936 to 1947 or the Model 530 from 1948 onwards.

Attachment 74378

For 1939, Savage Arms Corp. took the internal parts of the No. 530 and put them in a bit nicer profiled black gun metal finished receiver, and fitted it with a bit nicer stock and called it the Fox Model B --

Attachment 74379

Dave, is that a '59 Chevy?





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A 1959 Bel Air four door, Blue Flame Six, three on the tree, dog dish hub caps. That was my family car from 1937 to 1965, a middle grade Chevrolet six with a three speed -- 1937, 1938, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1954 and that 1959.

The 1948 Fleetline --

Attachment 74380

Good stuff Dave - Looks like a Chevy family to me. I envy you your Dad and grandfather and being brought up in a family of hunters. My early mentors were the writers in Field and Stream in the 50's and 60's.





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guess you would have to say you cannot go wrong with a stevens or a chevrolet....love this old catalogue stuff.....thanks charlie

I'm with you Dean I wish I had some family history with hunting and firearms. I got the bug when I was about 13 and going strong ever since.

I knew the 215 was the hammer gun. I have the 315. An old neighbor woman who used to let me hunt rabbits on her farm showed me the 215 she kept for home defense. Her deceased husband had sawed the barrels off to about 10 inches. It was a nasty looking weapon. I commented that she could get in trouble with the law if they caught her with that gun. She just cackled and said “When the law shows up I’ll just play dumb. I’ll look at them and say it was Henry’s gun. I don’t know nothin about it”. I wanted that gun in the worst way and on a return trip offered her $300 for it. She smiled and said, “Honey when the law comes for you playing dumb won’t work like it would for me”. Now I want to buy a 215 after reminiscing about this.