J. Stevens & Tool Co.

Question
I have a Stevens Favorite 22 long rifle with a SN#642 on the lower tang. Also has a full octagon barrel. This gun is in excellent shape, it is a falling block. The words on right hand side reads as follows, J. Stevens & Tool Co. Chicopee Falls, Mass. It appears to be very old. There is no Model # that I can visibly see. I would really like to know the year of this Rifle? Thank You, Norm

Answer
Hi Norm.

Here are some links which provide a good general history of the Stevens company:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens_Arms

https://store.bluebookinc.com/InstantAccess/Category.aspx?product=5&id=940

Based on the references above and the company name, your rifle had to be made between sometime 1886 and 1920. The .22 LR models weren't made until 1888 so this narrows the range down a little to a span of 32 years. To determine a more specific range for your gun you will need to identify the exact model number. Try removing the forearm or stock and looking under those for additional markings, or cleaning it properly and inspecting all exterior metal parts under a bright light with a magnifying glass. Many times the other marks will be covered by removable parts, rust, grease, fouling, etc. You can also try using the following links to find photos of similar guns to see if any of them match yours:

http://images.google.com/images?q=stevens+22+rifle
http://images.google.com/images?q=stevens+22+falling+block
http://www.auctionarms.com/
http://www.gunbroker.com/
http://www.gunsamerica.com/

Here is a link to all of the specific Stevens rifle models with descriptions of each and a link to purchase the blue book value reports if you are interested:

https://store.bluebookinc.com/InstantAccess/Model.aspx?product=5&id=1637

If you are able to find the exact model number then you can check the following document which contains a more precise range of years for each model along with the total # of each model:

https://store.bluebookinc.com/Info/PDF/Firearm/Serialize.pdf

Hope this helps. Good luck with your research!

Bob