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What happened to all those Stevens 311 Shotguns?

29K views 51 replies 35 participants last post by  Tidefanatic 
#1 ·
It seems everyone I speak with at ranges has or had at one time owned a Stevens 311 of some kind. Some had store or off brands but most had a Stevens (or Fox).
I was just wondering where they all went. Do people keep them? Can it be possible that many people had the same shotgun at different times?

A second question: if you guys still have them, why do I never see people shooting them?

Just wondering...
 
#2 ·
I've been looking for something like this myself in 20 gauge. They seem to be hard to find or over priced unless you get lucky at a garage sale or estate auction.

Not at the range or out in the field? Most people are keeping up with the "Jones's" with the new fangled shotgun you see in the glossy advertisements. Who wants nice wood and steel these days anyway? Don't you know plastic and MIM are in these days? :twisted:
 
#4 ·
CAS guys buy the 12s and cut them down for competition. They're durable suckers.

Why don't you see them anywhere else? Because they handle about as badly as any gun ever made. They were probably a major reason the SxS was killed off as a mainstream gun in the US.

The 20s handle all right, but are much rarer, because 12 has always been a very popular bore in the US, because the low-end buyer wants a gun that will work equally poorly for all purposes. Regardless, these old guns have way too much drop. People must have had 2 foot tall heads back in the day... :) That includes some much nicer guns like LC Smiths, Ithacas, etc. It's hard to understand why they used to do that.

Sachem, no, it wouldn't.
 
#8 ·
I have a 16ga monkey ward made by stevens. It works as long as you don't fully open it up to get the shells out. Mine still works but hangs on the wall as art more than anything else. I think alot of these 311 have been turned into wall art. These guns go bang, but not the most sophisticated and compared to others there not the best looking girl at the dance. Go back up or spare, pull it out shoot a couple of rounds and make you feel better about your primary gun.
 
#9 ·
quote...
these old guns have way too much drop.

I have three Stevens SXSs two made about 1940 and one about 1970....one is DAC 1 1/2" DAH 2 1/2" another 1 3/8" DAC DAH 2 3/8" and last 1 5/8" X 2 5/8". The ones made in the early 30s and before were apt to have more drop.
 
#11 ·
I don't think there are as many, but yes they are still around. I have had half a dozen or so over the years, .410 to 12 ga. The 20's do handle better. I still have a 311 20 ga. I use for marsh hens & it sees as much action or more than any other gun I own. It fits me almost as well as my 20 ga. Elsey. I have numerous sxs's from 10ga. to 20 ga. & too much drop is not a problem for me.
 
#12 ·
I have a Stevens made "Springfield" .410 made probably around 1940. I found this thing at a garage sale painted black all over, even the metal. Bought it for $50 and took it home. Poured furniture stripper over the whole thing and lo and behold out came a gun with almost perfect blueing and case colors and even nice wood. The furniture stripper took off the stock finish, so I re-applied a nice oil finish and it tured out to be a real nice little .410. While its a handy little gun, it in no way compares to my L.C. Smith .410 of the same vintage. Those two guns are in a totally different class, but the Stevens is fun to shoot none the less.
 
#14 ·
I'm a sucker for them, and have two. My first shotgun, a Western Auto Revelation 20ga 28" with 3" chambers. I reshaped the stock to an English grip and poured a pound of lead shot in to the stock. Much better feel, I need to take it out and shoot it.
My other 311 is a Sears 12ga 26" Imp. cyl and mod. It handles like a fence post, but get's the job done. My son has it now, so still in the family.

The 311 is a great "workingmans double"

Not the belle of the ball, but a genuine git er done shotgun. American thru and thru.
 
#16 ·
I think a lot of the old shotguns had stocks with a lot of drop at the
comb and heel because shooters back then did not even try to
put their faces onto the gun. They just sort of raised the gun
up into their field of view and it was not even touching their face.
This is sort of like aiming a pool cue. No one actually sights
right along the cue, they have their heads above it. That is how
shotguns used to be shot. On top top of that they got very good
at doing it. Stand straight up, put the gun up, and just point it,
forget about precision aligning. Try it some time. It works better
than you might think.
 
#19 ·
Sid Post said:
I've been looking for something like this myself in 20 gauge. They seem to be hard to find or over priced unless you get lucky at a garage sale or estate auction.

Not at the range or out in the field? Most people are keeping up with the "Jones's" with the new fangled shotgun you see in the glossy advertisements. Who wants nice wood and steel these days anyway? Don't you know plastic and MIM are in these days? :twisted:
If you are looking for one go to the classified SxS's section of SGW & type in WTB want to buy. Tell members what you want. Gage, barrel length. Someone may have what you want & be willing to sell it to you.

A500R
 
#21 ·
One thing not mentioned is the reason I use a 311 20 ga. for marsh hens. Now we all try to keep our guns & ammo. from getting wet, particularly with salt water. I have never been able to pole a small boat through the salt marsh & keep everything dry, & as far as I can tell, nobody else can either. With a 311, you can completely seperate the wood from the metal just by taking out a few screws. Then the metal can be cleaned of salt with hot water, dried & oiled. Try that with an expensive sidelock or a Parker.
 
#23 ·
Stand straight up, put the gun up, and just point it,
forget about precision aligning.
Uh, have you ever shot a gun that fits?

That's how you shoot a shotgun, except of course for standing straight up. A gun that fits right will point where you look.

With that much drop, it only works on targets that don't have a lot of lateral motion WRT the shooter, because the gun moves from side to side pretty freely.
 
#24 ·
Just about anyone, if they try, can learn to shoot a gun with a lot of drop. Practice shouldering the gun until you know where the comb touches your cheek with a view of the sighting plane.
 
#25 ·
Of course you can shoot a lot of things, especially if you learn gun-by-gun. I've certainly done that. But why anyone would want to adapt to the improper fit of a particular gun, especially if he uses multiple guns and might pick up any of them at any given time, is left as an exercise... :roll:
 
#26 ·
BarryD, I have to agree with you. I you can't get along shooting just one gun, make them all as much alike as possable. There is an exception to every rule. I have one of Dad's old Elsies. The stock has way too much drop & to look at it, you would think that it would be nearly impossable to hit anything with it. However, I have never had any trouble killing ducks or doves with it.
 
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