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Riverside Arms 12 Gauge

54K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Ned Fall 
#1 ·
My Father-in-Law bought a 12 gauge Riverside Arms double barrel shotgun and wants to find out what the approximate age and value of the gun is. The only number we can find on it is 3555 or 5555 that's located where the gun separates. Any help would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Riverside and Riverside Arms Co are names the Stevens Arms Company used on their less expensive shotguns made from 1915 on. While I'm not sure (and somebody will pop up and correct me if I'm wrong) I think the gun is the same as a Stevens Model 311. The gun was not as well finished as the Stevens gun and had a hardwood stock such as beech instead of a walnut stock. Otherwise the guns are the same. You asked value but did not give any condition formation Value of an old shotgun depends on the condition, the amount of original finish left on the metal and wood as well as the mechanical condition. Values for "Trade Brand Name" shotguns run about 15 % less than the same identical gun with the manufactuers name on it.
Values for a Stevens Model 311 run from a high of about $215 for a 100% condition to $165 for a 60% condition. If you really want to know just when the gun was made contact:
Older Stevens Historical Research
Mr. John Callahan
53 Old Quarry Road
Westfield, MA 01085
There is a $15.00 research fee per gun.
 
#4 ·
The Riverside Arms Co. name first appears in the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co., Chicopee Falls, Mass., catalogue No. 54 issued circa 1914 on a hammerless double the No. 315 and a hammer double No. 215. These guns were based on G.S. Lewis Patents No. 1,086,378 granted Feb. 10, 1914, for the hammer gun and Patent No. 1,136,247 granted Apr. 20, 1915, for the hammerless gun. During WW-I the Stevens factories were taken over by, I believe New England Westinghouse, for wartime production. After the Great War the Chicopee Falls factories were bought by Savage Arms Corp. and the gun business there emerged as J. Stevens Arms Co. a wholly owned subsidiary of Savage Arms Corp. They continued to manufacture both Stevens and Riverside guns up to about 1930, when they changed the name of their lower priced line from Riverside Arms Co. to Springfield Arms Co. Originally offered in 12- and 16-gauges, the 20-gauge and .410-bore were added to the No. 315 by the 1925 J. Stevens Arms Co. catalogue No. 56. The hammer gun now the Springfield No. 215 was still offered in the 1931 price list, but by the 1933 price list the hammer gun was gone. In the 1933 price list, a cheaper version of the Springfield No. 315 was added to the line with an uncheckered walnut-finish stock and called the Springfield No. 311. Both the No. 315 and the No. 311 remained in the line to WW-II. By 1947, Savage consolidated their operations at Chicopee Falls, Mass. while their factory at Utica, New York went to making washing machines for the post-war housing boom. By the 1947 catalogue the Springfield No. 311 was now a cheaper version for the Fox Model B action with a Tentite stock and forearm. By the 1948 catalogue the Springfield name wasn't being used and the same gun was a Stevens No. 311.

Probably a lot more info then anybody wanted!! Here is the listing from the 1925 J. Stevens Arms Co. catalogue No. 56 --

 
#5 ·
I also have a Riverside Arms Co. shotgun, 30" barrel, exposed hammer, and it has Chicopee Falls MASS. USA. Cool old shotgun that my Dad gave me probably 40 years ago. It shot a lot of ducks, pheasants and a few geese with 2 3/4 shells, it hangs above my door and is quite the conversation piece. I'm sure it was something he had or bought when he was at Fort Benny, GA. training during WWII. Probably no way to figure out how old it is.
Enjoyed the other postings.
Doug
 
#6 ·
The gun is basically a "Trade Brand Name" shotgun although that is not quite true. RIVERSIDE ARMS CO was a name used by the Stevens Arms & Tool Company of Chicopee Falls,MA after 1915. They used the name on their less expensive shotguns. The guns were mechanically identical to the more expensive guns but were less well finished and had hardwood stocks and forearms instead of walnut. You are correct in that there is no way that I know of to tell when the gun was made. There are no serial number-year made tables for Stevens made guns. Just in case you might want to know the value. It depends on the guns condition, the amount of original finish remaining on the metal and wood as well as the mechanical condition. A prime condition example that appears to have come out of the factory yesterday afternoon might bring around $100 at auction, while a rusty and pitted metal, rotten or broken wood and missing parts piece of junk fit only for parts salvage or as a tomato plant post migh bring as little as $10 if it could be sold at all. Of course sentimental value can't be calculated.
 
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