Anyone know when Stevens changed the marking that no longer had the Patent date on the barrel marking. 

J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO.
CHICOPEE FALLS MASS U.S.A.

Also they then started marking the receiver with.
 
       TRADE MARK
         FAVORITE
RES U.S. PAT OFF & FGN

Any ideas as to aprox what year this started ?

Thanks.
Jim Wisner

What I have found so far in some books is of very little help.

I do understand that the factory records seemed to have been misplaced ? by Westing House.

What started this question is I have a 1894 Favorite in 22 Long Rifle with a 22 inch barrel, with the patent dates on the barrel with the ejector system.

I also have two later Favorites with 24 inch barrels, one in 25 and the other in 32 both with the ejector / extractor sustem ( they have no cam over so act as a spring loaded extractor ).  These have no Patent dates but the Patent off markings, and have the last shape of the reciever and lever. 

All three of these rilfes have the last variation of hammer and mainspring.

One reference shows the ejector system came out in 1908, while a flyer from Stevens says it was released just before the Worlds Fair in 1912.

If you do the math the Patent would have ran out the end of 1908, but ??

What I have found by looking at a lot of rifles is that you have the 1889 version with the short tangs and the two step barrel. 
The 1894 with the extra spring against the breech bolt. The 1894 with the change in the lever shape and the two step extractor. But there seems to be  LOT of overlap on these as they used up the old parts I suspect. 
The 1894 with the .20 wide extractor. 
Both of these 1894"s seem to use the heavier mainspring screwed to the lower tang. But the early ones used the older thin arched mainspring most of the time.
Then the late 1894, with the slightly differnet receiver and lever shape, mostly with 24 inch barrels, the ejector system and yet another shape of mainspring and hammer.
Then the 1915 model.


Creedmoormatch

Yes, my wife and I own and operate Wisner's Inc.

Jim Wisner

Unfortunately Stevens (like many other makers) mixed parts and pieces throughout their years of making firearms, so often guns with later or earlier features have patent dates that don't make sense for the time period.
My guess is with the various changes in ownership the factory did a major "cleanup" every so often, and in doing so found stashes of parts around the building and assembled them into product to sell, without caring about patent dates.
For collectors this is a pain, as it confuses us, and makes pinning down features or markings nearly impossible. Marlin pretty commonly did the same thing, and it seems to always center on changes on ownership, or moves within their facilities. When they moved from their original location to new buildings in around 1970 Bill Brophy (Marlin historian) found old Ballard barrels still stashed in corners of the building, and was giving them away to friends who wanted them. And here's the really sad part; a lot of other old 1800's Marlin parts were sold to Numrich in barrels for scrap steel price. Some of it just went to the scrap yard too.

Quote:


You did read his posts and see he IS Wisners Gun Parts?????

I also did a UPO trademark search assigned to Stevens for the word Favorite.  Would be a 'dead' trade mark now ... came up with no hits even though is was stamped ... 
REG. US PAT OFF & FGN

If I could have found the trade mark assignment, there would have been a date by the UPO that it was registered

OK some more reserch. 
A design Patent, that is what Stevens would have gotten was and is only good for 14 years. 

So the marking would have been changed after October of 1908, and depending on amount of barrels on hand should have been cleaned up in a year or so.

So we can call that change the post 1909 variation.

I am working on updating my Father's pages on our website regarding the Favorites. As we have found another variation of mainspring and hammer. Also smaller changes in the shape of the extractors, due to most likely cuter wear. I have bought many other Favorites since that article was written, so some more questions have arisen, with that many more guns to look at.

These later 1894 Favorites also have some rather distinct changes to the receiver and lever, that appear to be carry overs from the 1915 production line.

John Boy.
Yes I am ordering more of the old reprints from Cornell to fill in what gaps I have.


Jim Wisner

Jim, search no more .. I GOT THE ANSWER!
Source: Savage and Stevens Arms and History, by Bill West 
Chapter 7 - page 10

The stamp is on a picture in the book from a Stevens Catalog 
TRADE MARK
 FAVORITE
RES U.S. PAT OFF & FGN
with the narrative it was on the M-1912 from 1912 - 1915

A gun crank good friend, William Roth Jr, ASSRA member (Curlew Bay Club) who also writes articles for the Single Shot Exchange -  has one large room in his old 3 story home that is ceiling to floor with firearms reference books and patents.  We were chatting this afternoon - mentioned the trademark to Bill and just got a call from him with the answer.  He is not an Internet user
Thank You, Swiss Oscar  

Am attempting to find FFL reg. for Stevens rifles Pat 1894. All I can find is reg. for importing rifles. That reg. says 1894s don't need FFL. I'm trying to clarify domestic rifles. Thanks in advance for any help / advice