How old are J Stevens rifles?

Answer

J. Stevens and Company was formed in 1864 and used that name until 1886 when the name was changed to J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company. The plant was sold to New England Westinghouse in 1916 and used to produce military rifles for the US and the Soviet Union. In 1920, Savage purchased the facilities and manufactured firearms with the name J. Stevens Arms Company until about 1948. Guns produced after that date were marked with just "Stevens" until the name was discontinued by Savage in 1991. Many Stevens guns were not serialized, so they can only be "dated" to the period of production.

Savage Arms no longer answers questions about old Stevens guns.

Addition to answers: Savage marketed a reproduction of the early, and very popular, "boy's" rifles of the late 19th-early 20th century. This was known primarily as the Stevens Favorite and the new reproduction, single shot rifle came out in 1971 as the Model 71. It was also subsequently made as the Model 72 and Model 74 with some slight variations. Now it has come back again as of about 1998 as the Model 30G in .22 Long Rifle, as the Model 30GM in .22 Magnum, and in some Model number in caliber .17 HMR. Check firearms references and/or go to the Savage Arms website to see photos of them. Moe Wadle

Answer

I have a STEVENS model 66c it belonged to my dad as a kid.Under the butt plate there is a piece of paper that reads 14th birthday present.My dad was 14 in 1943 so they had to start marking them with just STEVENS before 1948.