Stevens 12 ga restoration

[Rancid Crabtree]

All the restorations I have posted lately have begun with a bit of background or history about the gun about to be restored. Unfortunately that wont be the case with this 100 year old single shot 12 ga because I don’t know what it is beyond the fact that it’s a Stevens and it was made between 1900 and 1916. Based on the low number I suggest its on the earlier end of that range. I asked for help identifying this gun on a variety of boards and so far I have only been able to rule out guns that it is not.

Its not a Stevens 125, 115 or 105 or 107 or a 94 and a long list of others that it is not. This is proving to be a problem since locating a replacement stock for a 100 year old gun you don’t know the model number of is tough. I picked up the shotgun at an estate sale because it looked like a challenge. (I love those) and the price was right.

Like other restorations it’s a mess but I like to take what are essentially $10 guns and put 30 or 40 hours and $100 into them and turn them into $15 guns. (it’s a sickness, I know) It doesn’t have to make sense it only has to be enjoyable.

So here it is in all its broken glory.











Thats a brass screw above the firing pin even though the years have given it a black petina.





The thing about identifying this make is the joint were the stock meets the receiver. Most of the advertising (that can be found) shows a crescent shape in the stock/receiver joint like this. As well as a screw head for a removable screw at the front of the receiver where the barrel pivots.



But this make has a straight joint and no removable pin for the barrel pivot.



It also has a checkered stock and only certain Stevens of this vintage had that. But as you can see, both the butt and fore arm stock need replacing. For this gun I would rather buy a replacement than make one since spring his here and I have lots of outdoor tasks to take on.



If you are a Steven authority and can shed some light on this gun, please do so. I don’t know if it helps but there are no internal coil springs in the receiver. All the springs are flat stock.







And this is how the fore stock mounts.



The barrel lug



Normally I start with the wood due to dry times of the finish but for this one I have no wood so it may remain an incomplete restoration until I learn more about which make this gun is so as to locate a stock.

At any rate, Ziploc bags of naval jelly have their work cut out for them.



To be continued…..