tjshooter wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2009 at 4:44pm:


Hello TJ

The Proof Marks on the photograph of the barrel are:- Crown over BV = Birmingham Proof House 'View' mark from 1906. Crown over BP = the Birmingham 'Provisional' Proof mark, the Crown over NP = the definitive nitro 'Proof' mark from 1904. The action is marked with the 
Crown over BV within an oval cartouche this is again the Birmingham 'View' Proof mark.

This rifle really does need a 'Forensic  type Examination' by a serious .22 Rifle enthusiast/collector The rifle sights may well be an upgrade to a more recently Parker-Hale manufactured small bore rifle sights. Who knows what has happened to this rifle in the last one hundred years?

So many questions, so many possible answers.

Harry

Harry,
Tried to google Kull Acution Service. Couldn't come up with anything. Suggestions?

Thanks. Sent them an email. Will advise if they are any help.

I called Krull a few days ago to see if they could send my contact info to the buyer of the Bisley Model they sold in August.  As of now I have heard nothing back

Terry,
Jim sold his part of the business and quit. He is now the curator of the NRA museum.

Hello TJ,

As you say the rifle could have been relined, but without being able to examine it it's difficult to say. Perhaps Ken will have a look and see.

As Stevens was an early'wildcatter' who put the original .22"Long Rifle cartridge together, he might have asked that the Proof house mark the rifles so, implausable, but not impossible. 

It will be interesting if details can be found out about the other Auctioned Rifle, a comparrison of details, especially the proof marks should be quite fascinating.

I agree some rifles from the turn of the 20th.C. have few markings, yet I have seen some with that many proof house markings they look like the rifle has had a dose of smallpox.

We'll just have to wait and see if any info is forthcoming about the other Stevens Martini.

Harry

I completed a deal with  Ken for the Bisley and it is comfortable in my collection as of yesterday when UPS delivered it. I shot it today at 25 yards and got decent groups considering that in the afternoon with the target in the shade I had trouble seeing the target. I have some more details after taking a good look at it in person.
The front sight is a Parker Hale FS22 globe sight. The rear sight is a Parker Hale 17A that is mounted with the typical screws plus soft soldered on, apparently to make it fit better. The radius on the base of the sight does not match the radius on the back of the rifle. The mounting hole and dovetail under the front of the barrel for the front sling swivial has been soft soldered to fill it. Under the forearm the barrel is stamped EF and C7 and 3. The front of the frame behind the forearm is stamped 3 and 0. The muzzel end of the barrel looks like it has a liner in it and is stamped PARKER RIFLED  AGP in a circle on the end of the barrel around the bore. The liner and the stampings look to be factory, but who's? Factory liner on a Martini/Stevens?? The serial # is 752 with a lightly stamped 0 in front of it and a lightly stamped 9 after it. There is also a lightly stamped 09 on the underside of the barrel in front of the forearm. The brass cap on the end of the forearm had two extra inserts in it  for the front sight. I sure wish I could find another one somewhere to compare notes on! I am sure the rear sight has been changed. The front sight may have been changed. The stock and forearm MAY have been changed or may be original. They do not match the Stevens brochure. The Stevens markings on the barrel and action are correct as near as I can tell. Fun gun to shoot and an interesting puzzle and piece of history for sure!

I'm with Harry.  This gets more & more interesting.  Not only this rifle, but the whole matter of Stevens Bisley Models.  Grant said it was a limited production run of only 10 rifles.  In Finale (pages 4 & 5) he makes reference to Bisleys with serial numbers 37 & 52.  The rifle that just passed from Ken to Slumlord has number 752.  If someone can locate the Bisley that passed through the auction house, maybe we can add one more SN to the list of known numbers.  Sure makes me wonder how the numbers were assigned.  Also how many were really made up, by whom, and what is the survival rate?  If the number was really only 10, we now know of 3 or 4.  Is that unusual?  Those Stevens Bisleys were made in 1910 or 1911.

The numbers on the front of the action seem typical of Stevens.  All 3 of my Stevens rifles have numbers stamped on the front of the actions, but then, my rifles all have 44 actions.  Was it a common practice to mark the front of other British Martini smallbore actions?

My guess is that the "09" was put on the action and barrel to keep track of the parts when the barrel was re-lined.  Whoever lined the barrel may have had a lot of such jobs at the same time.

Harry is also correct about the corrosive effects of early 22 ammunition, especially the smokeless stuff.  Of late, I've been doing a lot of reading about the early years of smallbore shooting.  In 1918, Whelen wrote that there was no known method of avoiding corrosion if the shooter used shells loaded with smokeless powder.  In 1927, Crossman wrote that a German ammunition company had sold a lot of 22 RF target ammunition in the UK and the stuff had ruined a great many rifle barrels.

One more thought.  If Stevens had pushed the Martini-actioned target rifle in the US in 1919, instead of continuing with the 404-414 series, would they have given Winchester more competition in smallbore target rifle sales?

Waterman