How do you find the age of a Stevens shotgun?

Answer

A key determinant is how the company name is marked (Stevens, J. Stevens Arms, J. Stevens Arms and Tool, J. Stevens Arms Co). Then you can date its manufacture +/- 20 years. Looking at the barrels should tell you if it is damascus. You should be able to find pictures of damascus and other laminated barrels on the internet.

Most Stevens doubles will also have a patent date marked on the right side of the receiver. This will give you a "no earlier than" date for its manufacture.

Answer

According to the 5th Edition of Standard Catalog of Firearms (Krause Publications), p. 677 "Collectors will find a date code stamped on every double-barrel shotgun in the Stevens brands produced between March 1949 and December 1968. Usually, it is behind the hinge pin or ahead of the triggerguard on the bottom of the frame. It will appear as a small circle containing a number and letter. The letters cofrrespond to the years shown in the following table. Significance of the numbers is not known [examples are provided: A=1949; B=1950; C=195l, etc.]." I determined that my Stevens 311D is a "circle G," or, made in 1955.

More Information Needed

This can only be answered by knowing exactly how the company name is marked (Stevens, J. Stevens Arms, J. Stevens Arms and Tool, J. Stevens Arms Co). Then you can date its manufacture +/- 20 years.

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First answer by ID1152338000. Last edit by SteveM. Contributor trust: 54 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 202 [recommend question]