Need help identifying old Stevens single shot shotgun

[dwarven1]

My Shootin' Buddy got a shotgun from her dad - it was given to his mother as a courting present by his father (Apparently, it's a VT sort of thing...).

It's marked J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co., so according to the Blue Book that would put it as manufactured sometime between 1886 and 1916. It's marked "44 - SHOT" on top of the barrel, and a .410 shell will NOT fit into the chamber. It's a single-shot, break-open takedown smoothbore with a very nice trigger. The big screw underneath unscrews to let you pull the bbl forward of the chamber out.

I can't seem to find any reference to this model in the Blue Book, nor online. What's SB got here? What does it shoot - .44 Spl shot shells?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[dwarven1]

I learn something new every day... From Wikianswers.com:

The 44 shot is the American fore runner of the 410. The Stevens uses a 44-40 shell loaded with bird shot. The most famous gun to use this round was the Marble Game Getter, a pistol with folding stock, a 22 long rifle rimfire upper barrel and a 44 lower barrel. Marble marketed the gun (1908) by stating that you could fire the 44GG or 44XL in the lower barrel. The 44GG is a 44-40 loaded with a round ball, the 44XL is the 44-40 loaded with about 1/3 oz of bird shot. The 410 was already in use in England at this time. Greener mentions the 410 in 1879. By about 1915 it began to make an appearance in the US as a 2" brass load. By the late 1920's the 410 had dominance and the 44 shot was not being chambered in any new guns, though it was continued in production until the late 1940's or early 1950's by some ammunition companies.

Please be aware that modern 44-40 ammunition shoult NOT be fired in vintage firearms marked 44 shot, 44GG or 44XL.

Guess SB's got a nice new wallhanger... unless someone has loading data for a .44 shot shell using modern powder.

 

[DavidC77]

I found this on a Google search:

http://www.fourten.org.uk/mwpre410.html A lot of info with this one.


http://jefenry.com/main/The44-Shot.php This one has reloading info.

http://www.speer-bullets.com/products/components/empty_shot_capsules.aspx

http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/stevens_favorite_rifles.htm This one is good at showing the different Stevens guns.

Hope that helped, very intreasting gun. Have Fun.

 

[dwarven1]

David, you are AWESOME - and your google-fu is much greater than mine as I didn't find nearly as much as you did. Many thanks (and rep points, too)!

 

[DavidC77]

Your welcome, heck I have to be good for something late at night when my back is keeping me awake .


It looks like a neet gun, I'm sure it's going to be a keeper for him.

Again glad I could help, thanks for the reps.

 

[dwarven1]

Your welcome, heck I have to be good for something late at night when my back is keeping me awake .


It looks like a neet gun, I'm sure it's going to be a keeper for her.

Again glad I could help, thanks for the reps.

Fixed that for you. BTW, I married my shootin' buddy last year.

I was able to give her a nice birthday present: a box of 44-40 Shot that NESer Nickle made up for me. And, in fact, I even got to see an ORIGINAL box of 44XL ammo at a gun show last fall in Hartford CT. Ammo collector vendor had a full box of it... priced at $195!. My wife finally got to shoot her grandmother's shotgun. We offered to let her dad shoot it, too, but at about 86 or so my father in law was content to watch his daughter shoot his mother's gun.


Oh, my G-d... I just replied to a 5 year old thread! I'm turning into Coyote33!! AAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!

 

[NavelOfficer]

You can make shot shells easily enough, if you care to fire that relic.

 

[dwarven1]

You can make shot shells easily enough, if you care to fire that relic.

Didn't read the last post, did you. Nickle made some for me (I don't have 44-40 dies, and he's a Class 6 FFL).

 

[NavelOfficer]

No, not completely. Looks like you are good to go. Enjoy!

 

[dwarven1]

No, not completely. Looks like you are good to go. Enjoy!

Oh, she does. (It's the wife's gun, not mine.)

 

[Southtownjohn]

I have one of these that my grandfather bought for my father in the 30s and paid $5 for it used. My father used it as did my brother and I later to hunt squirrels. I know you said a 410 shell doesn't fit but that is what we used. That being said what we used we called a 410 short. I don't know if they are still available but hope this will help. Just as a point of interest mine has a 3 digit serial stamped on it.

 

[PatMcD]

I have an old H&R marked 44 caliber. It does take 410 shells, though.

 

[1776]

The Stevens Model 44 and 414 share the same action. Here are two of my 414's





This reminds me that I have to get one of these scopes
https://hi-luxoptics.com/collections/vintage-reproduction-scopes

http://www.wisnersinc.com/model/stevens-44-44-5/

http://www.wisnersinc.com/stevens-favorite-rifles/

 

[Charles Riley]

My Shootin' Buddy got a shotgun from her dad - it was given to his mother as a courting present by his father (Apparently, it's a VT sort of thing...).

It's marked J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co., so according to the Blue Book that would put it as manufactured sometime between 1886 and 1916. It's marked "44 - SHOT" on top of the barrel, and a .410 shell will NOT fit into the chamber. It's a single-shot, break-open takedown smoothbore with a very nice trigger. The big screw underneath unscrews to let you pull the bbl forward of the chamber out.

I can't seem to find any reference to this model in the Blue Book, nor online. What's SB got here? What does it shoot - .44 Spl shot shells?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I have this same rifle. It was my grandmothers and I understand she purchased it in 1900 for $7.50. I still have 6 bullets remaining after shooting it with my father at a hunting camp around 1986. I was shocked to find out the bullets are valued at $100 each now as collectables. This information came directly from a friend who took the gun and remaining bullets to the NRA headquarters in Virginia.

I am thinking of refinishing the wood parts back to original condition. Any comments?

 

[PatMcD]

I have one cartridge.

 

[dwarven1]

I have this same rifle. It was my grandmothers and I understand she purchased it in 1900 for $7.50. I still have 6 bullets remaining after shooting it with my father at a hunting camp around 1986. I was shocked to find out the bullets are valued at $100 each now as collectables. This information came directly from a friend who took the gun and remaining bullets to the NRA headquarters in Virginia.

I am thinking of refinishing the wood parts back to original condition. Any comments?

Charles, I'll tell you what I tell everyone who asks that question. It all depends on YOU and what you want. You state it was your grandmother's. Were you close to her? Want to keep a memento of hers? Or are you thinking you might sell it some day?

So... If you want to keep it as a memory of your grandmother, it could go either way - refinishing it makes it look like new, AND it's still your grandmother's gun. Keeping it original - it looks bad, but hey, it's your grandma's. AND if you want to sell it, most collectors want it in original condition.

If I had my grandmother's gun, I wouldn't sell it for anything. But that's me. Would I refinish it? Hmm. Tough call. Probably not, as if I had any memories of her with it, it wouldn't be as a new gun.

I have one cartridge. View attachment 321813View attachment 321814

Hey, cool! Thanks for sharing the pix!