[fiasconva]

Is there anywhere I can find the birthdate of an old Stevens Nitro Special? It was a relatives and I'm gifting it to another relative. Would love to find out more about it. I do have the serial number if that helps. I'm assuming it's at least 100 years old.

 

[fiasconva]

Hmm, after contacting Savage Arms it looks like I'm outta luck. They said the info has been sent elsewhere and that site wasn't much help either. Their info is incomplete also. Oh well...

 

[Researcher01]

There were two "Nitro Specials" in the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. General Catalogue No. 52 (circa 1906).

The "Nitro Specials" remained through the last J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. catalog (circa 1916) but they didn't reappear in the J. Stevens Arms Co. paper after The Great War.

 

[Researcher01]

Savage sent their old records to Cody. There wasn't much remaining of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. and J. Stevens Arms Co. records. As the story goes, they were mysteriously destroyed in a fire as the company was being investigated for war profiteering?!?

 

[fiasconva]

Thanks Researcher01, I went to Cody's website and as you wrote, not much help there. Those Nitro Specials pictured were a lot more expensive and elaborate than my wife's grandfather's old Stevens. This one was just a run-of-the-mill old basic 12 gauge. I thought it was kind of interesting that on the barrel it was stamped "bore choke". It was shipped out to that relative earlier this week and the transfer fee and shipping costs were more than the gun was worth but he's family so it was worth it.