doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Prototype Stevens doubles?

Has anyone seen other Stevens guns that look like the ones below? Someone gave them to me a couple of days ago and I am trying to verify the story that came with them or add more information to it. I was told Stevens was addressing the issue of rifles being banned for deer hunting in the northeastern states so they started working on a shotgun to be used for deer. One prototype was made in 12, 16, and 20 gauge. Before they were completed Stevens was sold to Savage and the three guns were either sold to or given to Stevens employees. The ones I have are the 16 and 20 gauge. They are identical except for barrel length (28" on the 20, 30" on the 16) and the 20 gauge was fitted with a pad. You can see that the 20 is still in the white. Also, I was told the serial numbers aren't complete or sequenced but I don't know anything about Stevens numbering system and can't verify that. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas.



16 Gauge

20 gauge

Looks like you got yourself 2 one of a kinds.

Look to be immediate post-WW-II guns with the "5100" action same as the Fox Model B.

What about the guns makes you think they are made for deer?

Pete

Researcher, is a 5100 action an improved or obsolete version of the 311 or something entirely different? I was told the guns were made around or just before 1940.

Pete, nothing but the story I was told that I passed along. The barrel thicknesses at the muzzles are different so it appears each barrel is choked differently on both guns. Because of the Monte Carlo the stocks are very straight, just a hair under 2" at the comb of one and just a hair over 2" on the other as best as I measure them. Those big, blade shaped slabs of ivory for front sights don't look like what I usually see on a bird gun.

Skip

The forearm is similiar to the one on my J Stevens Arms 5100 16 ga. I've heard of some kind of proto types by Stevens.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1410/displayimage.php?pid=5603&fullsize=1

That type front sight was common on the 5100. Rich

If the part of the storey about there being three prototypes is true, John Mann has the other one...Geo

First front sight on a 5100 I have seen like that.