doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need ID Help for 410 SxS

A 315/330 Stevens. It is the Lewis patent design with inline strikers.

John

John, I'm going to have to get my book(s) out to check your ID. I suspect you know what you are talking about though. Strange how even a Stevens gun can give us trouble in the ID...Geo

I once had a gun built by Stevens on the 315 action. As John said they have inline strikers rather than swinging hammers Also notice the pin placement through the frame. The forward pin is the cocking lever pivot & also the hammer pivot on the 530/311 types. The rear pin is the sear pivot & is lower than the front pin on the 530/311 while higher on the 315 types. There is o0f course no Pivot for the inline striker on the 315 actions.

It is the G.S. Lewis patent action introduced in 12- and 16-gauge as the Riverside Arms Co. No. 315 in the last years of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. After The Great War and Savage Arms Corp.'s acquisition of J. Stevens Arms Co., they introduced a slightly nicer version as the J. Stevens No. 330 and by the early 1920s both guns were offered in 20-gauge as well. Circa 1924-5 they added the .410-bore. In 1928, J. Stevens Arms Co. changed the name of their lower priced line from Riverside Arms Co. to Springfield Arms Co. The J. Stevens No. 330 had a walnut capped full pistol grip stock, while the Riverside/Springfield No. 315 had a walnut checkered half-pistol grip stock. In 1929, J. Stevens Arms Co. introduced a cheaper version of this G.S. Lewis patent double called the Springfield No. 311 with a plain "walnut finished" stock and forearm.





These guns were also made in numerous "Trade Branded" versions up to WW-II. Here is one marked NEWPORT MODEL CN --

I failed to mention the gun I had was marked Central Arms Co & was in 20 gauge with 28" barrels. At the same point in time, my Dad had a 16 gauge marked Eastern Arms Co, but his was the hammer type.

In the picture of the Newport model that Researcher posted you can readily see the high placement of the rear pin.

It is a bit confusing that the model 311 designation has been used for both types of actions.

Both Eastern and Central were names used by Stevens/Savage. I still have my dad's old Eastern Arms .410 single shot. And like you, Miller, I owned a Central Arms sxs--but mine was a 16.

The Stevens Model 311 didn't appear until after WW-II, when Savage consolidated all their arms manufacturing at the old J. Stevens factories in Chicopee Falls and the Savage plant at Utica, NY, went to making products for the post war housing boom. These G.S. Lewis Patent No. 1,136,247, granted Apr. 20, 1915, action guns used coil-spring driven strikers.

In 1936, J. Stevens Arms Co. began phasing in a new action marked 5000 and later when they went to a one-piece top-lever and spindle 5100. The G.S. Lewis action J. Stevens No. 330 was replaced by the J. Stevens No. 530. The Springfield No. 315 was replaced by the Springfield No. 515. The 5000 and 5100 action has internal hammers which rotate about an axle. In 1939, Savage took the internal parts of the J. Stevens No. 530 and put them in a slightly nicer profiled and decorated black gun metal finished receiver and fitted it with a bit nicer stock and called it the Fox Model B. Insert found in some 1939 Fox catalogs --



From the 1940 Fox catalog --



In 1940, J. Stevens Arms Co. introduced a version of the No. 530 fitted with a stock and forearm made of Tenite and called it the No. 530-M --



After the consolidation at Chicopee Falls, the gun that had been the No. 530-M through 1946, became the Stevens Model 311 in 1948. By 1951, the Tenite stock and forearm were gone and the Stevens Model 311 got the walnut finished wood stock and forearm.

Thanks so much fellas. Never cease to be amazed at the knowledge on this board.

Researcher;
Am I following you correctly that the G S Lewis design with strikers was phased out around 1936 & thus all subsequent models were the hammer fired guns?

My striker fired Central Arms gun incidentally, had the "Walnut Finish" stock, not real walnut. I am not certain now but seem to recall my dad;s
Eastern Arms gun had real walnut. Very plain straight grain of course & as I said his was hammer fired,

The Springfield No. 311 as well as numerous "trade branded" guns and some of J. Stevens even cheaper guns marketed under the Crescent and Davis names continued to be made with the G.S. Lewis action to WW-II.

The hammer version was the Riverside/Springfield No. 215 based on G.S. Lewis Patent No. 1,086,378 granted Feb. 10, 1914. From the 1929 J. Stevens Arms Co. Catalogue No. 57 --



A very nice high condition, all original, 16-gauge, 30-inch, Riverside No. 215 appeared on the rack at my favorite local pawn shop recently. Fortunately someone else bought it before I succumbed.