Identification and History of a Stevens handgun .22 single shot

Question
Researching a handgun for a friend.  Gun was found in a wall during a building restoration.  It is a single shot, break open .22 caliber.  Name on it is "Trade Mark STEVENS".
There is no model number.  Serial number appears to be 2492, bbbl about 7.5 inches.  May have been manufactured around 1881.  Could you tell me history about this gun or where I can get information on it?  Pictures attached.  Can I send you pictures of the gun?  Thanks!  Barry

Answer
Barry,

It is very likely a Stevens No. 10 pistol.  They were manufactured between 1919 and 1939.  There were only about 9500 of them made.  It could also be a No. 35.  Here is the difference between the two...

The No. 10 has an 8 inch barrel, blue finish, adjustable sights  and is kind of squared off like an automatic pistol.  It has a 'tip up' action.

The No. 35 came in a variety of barrel lengths, including 6 and 8 inch.  It had a walnut grip and the barrel was round coming out of the frame, but octagonal in the frame.  This gun was manufactured between 1912 and 1939 in two issues.  The first was issued 1912 to 1919 and consisted of about 12,500 guns. The second issue was from 1923 to 1942 and had around 43,000 guns.

If you do a Google search for "Stevens No. 10 Target Pistol" and the same for the No. 35, you will find some images so that you can compare.  Stevens only made 2 pistols like this, so it must be one of these two.

It wouldn't go back to 1881 because the .22 LR cartridge was not introduced until 1887.

Best regards,

Doug