Savage/Stevens/Fox Model B: Undervalued classics?
 

As the various American doubles faded into obscurity or very low volume production by the 1950s, one manufacturer survived well into the 1980s. These were the inexpensive Savage/Stevens/Springfield/Fox Model B guns That were sold under both the actual manufacturer names, as well as various house brands in different hardware store chains.

These guns are often viewed as cheap beaters, though they seem to have their own cult like following in the collectible market, the cowboy action crowd also loves to chop them up . It is also worth noting that guns like the Fox model B also had some premium features on them such as auto ejectors and single triggers. My only gripe about these guns is wacky stock dimensions (The plastic "Tenite" stock actually feels the best to me, oddly enough.) and the barrels not dropping all the way open without user assistance (supposedly, there is a modification to correct this, but I have not tried it yet.) Do these guns deserve more respect, or are they still just cheap beaters?

Not cheap beaters, but far from a classic. IMO they allowed some folks to dip their toes in the side x side market at little cost. I owned a model B briefly and the only positive thing was it went bang when you pulled the trigger.

I really like the model b s I have owned several of them...my squirl gun is a model 311 410 stevens made in the 1950 s you still have to push on the barrels to open it all the way up...and its been shot a lot...charlie

Interesting things going on at Savage Arms Corp. in the later 1930s. For 1937, Savage introduced a line of hammerless break-action guns -- the Model 220 single barrel, the Model 320 side-by-side double --

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and the Model 420/430 over/under double.

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Meanwhile Savage Arms Corp.'s wholly owned subsidiary, J. Stevens Arms Co., had introduced a new design of hammerless double replacing their G.S. Lewis "striker" fired J. Stevens No. 330 and Springfield No. 315 with the J. Stevens No. 530 and the Springfield No. 515.

Apparently, someone saw the light and very few Savage Model 320s ever saw the light of day and was gone by the 1938 catalog. Savage then took the internal parts of the J. Stevens No. 530, stuck them in a slightly nicer profiled and decorated frame and added this insert to their 1939 A.H. Fox catalogs --

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They are plenty serviceable guns. They are economy utility guns that are not finely finished, but they are built well enough for durability.
The major platform was the Stevens/Savage 311. Which is the same mechanically as the Fox Model B. The model B was a dressed up version of the 311 and was offered as as a lower priced alternative to the Savage Fox (formerly AH Fox).

I think the survival of them for as long ad they did was more that they could be made in a manner that they were more profitable and it made sense to continue to offer them. Many other double guns left the market and the few left standing will get the business from those who want to give it.

And the Tenite stocks were only used on the Model 311 and that was in the late 40s-1950s I believe. They were not ever used on the model B.

The very first model Bs were decently put together guns and attractive looking. Walnut stocks, hand cut checkering, case hardening and a game scene etched on the bottom of the frame. Later versions really got cheapened down in these regards. Birch stocks, pressed checkering, blued or painted frames and cheesy chiseling or no ornamentation at all.

You are getting the cart before the horse, Brian. The Stevens Model 311 didn't exist until 1948. The gun with the Tenite stock was introduced as the J. Stevens No. 530-M in the 1940 J. Stevens Arms Co. catalog --

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The Springfield No. 311 remained a G.S. Lewis patent action with the coil spring driven strikers.

The No. 530-M remained the offering through the 1946 J. Stevens Arms Co. catalog. During 1947 Savage Arms Corp. consolidated their arms making at the old J. Stevens factories at Chicopee Falls, and in the 1947 catalog the Tenite stocked gun was a Springfield No. 311 --

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By the 1948 catalog the Tenite stocked hammerless double was marketed as a Stevens Model 311 --

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By the 1951 catalog the Tenite stock was gone and the Stevens Model 311 had the walnut finished hardwood stock. So, they had three similar doubles with slightly different levels of finish -- The Stevens Model 530 & 311 and the Fox Model B. That lasted through the 1953 catalog. By the 1954 catalog the Model 530 was gone, but did remain on the 1954 Retail Price List.

I have a soft spot for the Tenite stocked .410 guns, as branded J.C. Higgins and sold by Sears and Roebuck. My first shotgun was one such and I carried it over hill and dale, in branches and swamps, and took my first doves, quail, rabbits and squirrels with it. It was a loaner from a benevolent neighbor who would drop by unexpected, occasionally, and ask to inspect it to see if I was caring for it properly. He took it back when I was about 12 and gave me a 20 ga. Rem. M11.

Years ago I decided to find myself a nice one exactly like it and, when I did so, I found them not to be undervalued at all, but too overvalued for my nostalgic taste.

I shot my first grouse with a tenite stocked 311 in 12 ga that my Uncle Keith lent me . I was about 15 yrs old, and could walk over the hill and get into rabbits, squirrel, grouse, and even quail. Shot my first quail with my H&R Bay State 12 ga single shot. No bird dogs involved back then.
An elderly cousin, who I always thought of as an uncle/mentor gifted me a Fox Model B 20 ga, after I was able to cure his double vision that had plagued him for years. He told me he had a 20 Fox he wanted to give me, and I was really excited, as at the time I was carrying a Sterlingworth 16 in the grouse woods. Was temporarily disapointed it was a Model B, but what I wouldnt give to spend a day with him again.
I lent both of those guns to my brother Dale, and doubtful I'll ever see them again, but happy he is shooting them.

Thanks Dave. I knew you would have the info on it.
My first double was a tenite stocked 311.

Dave, where did the 5100 come into the mix? I know that there are some Stevens 311 guns that also have 5100 marked on them.

My first shotgun was a 20 gauge 311, Christmas gift in mid 1950's, that was used for everything. Its now in the possession of my oldest grandson and is still going strong plus it still looks great 70 years later. Not bad for a "cheap gun".

My first side by side was a 1954 20 ga model B and i vividly remember the first double i made on bobwhites behind my house. Great guns! Bobby

My first double was a 311 20 gauge. Xmas present in 1959...26"..M/IC..In a fit of ????.I had Dennis Smith restock it with XXX wood..and converted to straight grip..Blue and case color are original.Still have the hang tag...$68.50..

My late father-in-law liked my doubles and said he's like to have one - a 12 gauge and not too expensive. I found him a Model B at a gun show: c. 1960, case colored frame, walnut wood, double triggers, vent rib. great condition. He never got to shoot it much but I did get to see him dust a few clays with it; one of the things he liked was that it "had some weight to it." You don't hear that statement often in double gun circles! When he passed my mother-in-law gave it to me; later I decided she needed the money more than I needed the gun so I sold it - one of the few guns I've ever sold and the only one I regret selling.

https://i.imgur.com/CRohmVvl.jpg

As for those Stevens guns marked 5100 I have three - a 16, a 20 and a .410. They were the first sxs's I acquired and they've done me right proud, and I'm not sure I don't shoot them better than any of 'em.

They’re solid, robust guns for sure. The model B alongside a GH 0 frame. Both 16 ga., 28”. The B is 6 oz heavier and not as nicely finished or as well-balanced as the Parker. Brian Dudley restocked the GH.

I have an old Stevens side by side 410 that has second stamped on the side of frame i believe.I need to pull it out and check it over to be sure of location. Bobby

Its nice to see these economy guns get the love they deserve. A Parker, Fox or LC Smith may feel great when shouldered, but many of these cheaper guns have a unique nostalgic factor, in the sense that they are what many started off with.

It is also worth noting that if any of these "cheap" guns were built in the USA today they would cost over $1000 easily. The short-lived Ruger Gold Label is a reminder of why American manufacturers don't bother with mass market doubles.

The 5000 and 5100 are action types, introduced in 1936, and used on a number of different J. Stevens No.s/Models. The 5000 had the old two-piece top-lever and spindle of the old G.S. Lewis design J. Stevens guns while the 5100 had the one-piece top-lever and spindle.

Just to be really confusing, the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. and the J. Stevens Arms Co. catalogs give the various firearms numbers (No. xxx). Half the time those numbers don't appear on the guns themselves and when they do, they are often prefaced with "Model."

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Then, there is the Montgomery Ward Westernfield New Model, like my 12 ga. 32" barreled model, that has internals very, very close to those in a Model B.

Snapped this pic before it went in an ultrasonic bath Friday.

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On the other end of the Stevens doubles was the Model 385. Made in the teens or a bit later, it had Krupp barrels.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/4K5mTIR.jpg[/IMG]

https://i.imgur.com/MeTe3hq.jpg

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16ga, marked Springfield, J. Stevens Arms Company, Chicopee Falls, Mass USA and stamped 5100 on other side. Barrels are stamped Selected Forged Steel and Proof Tested 16ga, 2-3/4" chamber...

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

20ga, marked Ranger 101.6 and stamped 5100 on other side; same barrel stampings...

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

.410 actually marked STEVENS with the bird dog, J. Stevens Arms Co. etc. and 5100 on other side, same barrel stampings (3" chambers)...

https://i.imgur.com/7qCLl2Gl.jpg

Daryl I've seen that awesome Stevens several times before and always loved it; is it yours?

very nice....charlie

That is the old G.S. Lewis design that was first introduced in the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.'s lower priced line as the Riverside Arms Co. No. 315 in their General Catalog No. 54.

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It was based on G. S. Lewis' Patent No. 1,136,247 granted Apr. 20, 1915, a date stamped on many of them. It uses coil spring driven strikers. The J. Stevens 5000/5100 action, the internal parts of which were used in the Fox Modl B, has internal hammers which rotate about an axle. After The Great War, J. Stevens Arms Co. introduced a slightly nicer version of the gun called the J. Stevens No. 330.

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In 1928/9 J. Stevens Arms Co. changed the name of their lower priced line to Springfield Arms Co. and for 1929 they introduced an economy version called the Springfield No. 311 with a plain, some catalogs say walnut and some walnut finished hardwood, stock and forearm.

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From its introduction to WW-II this G.S. Lewis designed gun was made with numerous different "trade brands" stamped on them. My Mother's gun that I started my pheasant hunting career with was from Sears with RANGER on the side --

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Phil, yes the gun is mine. It is one of about 6 185s I have seen in 50 years, but by far the best. I have had maybe 3 Model 175s which are nice guns in their own right. Someday soon I will have to give up a lot of the fine tuned collection, for enjoyment by others. Daryl

I think Daryl means 385 and 375.

Dave, of course you are right. I was thinking wrong. I always enjoy your posts with all of the information that others cannot offer. Thanks for that. Daryl