OT-? Old Stevens Shotgun

[ceb]

Guys, I came up with a old 20ga Stevens 5100 shotgun, wondering if any of you might have a idea of when it was made or any other info.

It is marked J. Stevens Arms Company, Chicopee Falls, Mass USA. It has 5100 stamped on the Rt side of the receiver. The left side has STEVENS and a bird dog scene. There is no Serial No. There is a heart stamped on the bottom of the receiver. Barrels are not marked as to choke, but I assume they are probably mod and full. The letters R Q A F with the A and F in circles are stamped on the receiver, barrels and fore end. Also the letter S is stamped on the receiver and barrels. Also just noticed a 7 that is on the receiver. All these letters and numbers are hidden when the gun is assembled.

This is just a neat old shotgun, I know not worth much and I just gave a hundred bucks for it. Most of the blue is gone, but it still shoulders and shoots well and is a pleasure to carry. I think it was probably built in the '30s or '40s. Anyone have any info?

[C. Cash]

Some info here....sounds like an older version of the 311. Wish I could help you out more.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... p?t=148461

[BenT]

I take it that it's a double. I do know that Stevens sold a ton of single shots during the depression. My grandfather only owned 2 guns and one was a single shot Stevens. He was told when he was akid that he better have one game for every shell fired.

Those older double 20 guages are great guns to carry. Unlike todays doubles 20's . The older ones receivers are the correct size. Today's manufactures just hang 20 guage barrels on 12 guage receivers. Those old 20's are a pleasure to carry. Great find!

[Pete44ru]

They are great little SxS utility guns - making for especially good bird guns in 20ga.

They will absorb any modern commercial shotshell loads, w/o a qualm - as they are hell-for-stout.

I used to be able to find them from $100-$250, and rehab them, making the grip into a straight grip, etc - but haven't ran accross one in several years for that kind of $$$.

The circled "A" would put yours at 1949, IMHO.

Stevens (Savage) introduced your gun as the Model 5000 in the early 1920's, changed the designation to 5100 about 1931, and changed it again about 1941 to the Model 311 - but many carry both designations, and the company seemed to produce them whenever under whatever name they felt like at the time (i.e., "Stevens", "Springfield", & others).

JMO, but I think the reason Stevens did that was the same reason they conveniently "lost" all their production records shortly after WWI, when Congress subpoenaed their records while investigating War Fraud Crimes - they didn't want anyone outside the company to know exactly how many of whatever they made.

.

[vancelw]

I've got a Springfield Model 511 that was made by Savage Arms. My dad bought it new for me in the 70s from Gibson's Discount Store in Scottsbluff NE. The fit and finish of the wood seemed to be not-so-nice compared to a 311. The forend extends over the receiver rather than fitting up against it.
It's a very easy gun to carry. Tang safety, double trigger, extractors. It's taken many a squirrel and blackbird. Not so many dove

I used to buy similar side-by-side and fix them up to resell. I wish I had kept a 12 and a 410.

[Lefty Dude]

I have a Model 5000 16 ga. that is a 85%-90% piece. 30" barrels, ivory mid & front beads. 100% color-cased receiver.
I paid $250.00 for it three years ago. A very nice example of early 1900's workmanship.

[Sixgun]

Pete44 pretty much said it all. Only thing I can add is that I compare the old Stevens doubles to modern day Ruger guns. A real "meat and potatos" gun. They go on and on and on and on..................-------------------------------------Sixgun

[getitdone1]

I have a Wards gun that has 5100 stamped on the side of the receiver. 16 ga double. Just like the one my dad bought me around 1954. Should never have sold the original. Plastic stock. The stock material has another name but can't recall it at this time. Light to carry and gives me a lot of good memories of my dad, my youth and many good hunts.

Lilke someone said, a version of the very popular--at least years ago--model 311 Savage.

The name of this type of plastic stock just came to me. Tenite, if I spelled it right.

Edit: Need an original trigger guard for it. Can anyone help me locate one?

Don McCullough

[win7094M1]

The material your stock is made of was called"Tenite".
I briefly owned a pre-war Stevens double 12 in the late '70's - it had a pointing dog engraved or rolled on the side of the frame. I shot it enough that summer at blackbirds that it broke the left hammer. When school started that fall, I hocked it and forgot to redeem it in time. I haven't owned another side by side gun since.

[JoeRinMD]

I have an old J.C. Higgins that I picked up from a local shop. Stevens made these shotguns for Sears to be sold under the J.C. Higgins name. This one was in bad shape with a broken, and poorly repaired, stock. I would not shoot it in the condition in which I found it. Numrich (e-gunparts.com) has many parts for the old Stevens shotguns. You need to do some searching because th ere were so many designations, but I many of the parts were interchangeable. If you're interested in changing the stock to walnut, I found a nice replacement from Brownells. It was both nicer and cheaper than the one that Numrich was selling.

[ceb]

Thank you all for the information, I appreciate it. This gun has a walnut stock, it has a piece busted out of the top tang of the rear stock were it meets the receiver, but I can repair that and it don't affect function. For its age this gun is still very tight. I've never shot double triggers, will have to get used to that. I really don't shoot a shotgun much anymore but I think I'll try a few rounds of clays to give this old gun a workout.

[Nath]

Don't worry about the double triggers. Most folk think they will have an issue there but most find that they don't even notice them when the shooting starts.

Nath.

[kimwcook]

I've got a 5100 that needs stock replacement and a good cleaning. Then it'd be ready for the field. I don't do a lot of shotgun hunting or practice and so it just seems to stay at the bottom of the list of things to do. Someday I need to remedy that. It deserves to be out working.