Better late, late, late, than never, I suppose, but I finally acquired one to console me in my declining years, #1172, a large frame model in .25-20 SS; bore isn't good, alas.  Besides 1885 pat. markings on barrel, only other markings (other than ser. no.) is number 14 on brl. under forearm.   

Have been pouring over Grant's discussions of them, the most lengthy of which is found in Boy's SSs.  Grant's comments, several times, about the "silkiness" of the action is really true--smoother than any 44 or 44-1/2 I've handled. Haven't yet worked up my nerve to removing the sideplate.

This one includes something I don't think Grant described: a SS trigger, and working perfectly.

These are the seller's:

Scope (much older than rifle) is marked "J. E. Gage" in microscopic letters, which is why I also inquired about him.

marlinguy wrote on Sep 14^th, 2016 at 9:44am:


That was the reason I pauperized myself to buy it.  At the time these models would have been made ('92-'93 is Grant's estimate), most riflemen, even as early and as dedicated a scope advocate as Townsend Whelan, simply did not own multiple scopes--he talks of moving his one A5 from one gun to another, depending on which he wanted to shoot.  So the first owner, having evidently in his possession an old but still "good enough" scope, perhaps mounted originally on a muzzle-loader, either sent it to Stevens to be mounted, or ordered the gun with the brl. markings offset.

But it really was not the best idea on a breech-loader, because the rear mount made cleaning from the breech impossible.  That difficulty may have contributed to the present condition  of the bore--dark, lightly pitted.   

Clarity of the scope is remarkable for one probably built in the 1880's, if not earlier, when this style of mounting was still widely used.

ledball wrote on Sep 14^th, 2016 at 1:40pm:


Much nicer ones are shown in Grant's books--3 or 4 Deluxe models with PG stocks, fancy wood, checkering, etc.  One of them sports a scope with a similar kind of rear mount positioned on the tang.

Grant lacked any catalogs between the years 1890 and 1894, during which period this model was introduced.  His earliest dating clue is a side plate Favorite in its original box, the label of which bears the printer's code of 5/92.  But that gun has a ser. no. of about 2500, the highest in fact that he had observed, which suggests it must have been produced near the end of this model's brief run.

Anyone seen a '91, '92, or '93 catalog?

slumlord44 wrote on Sep 14^th, 2016 at 8:45pm:


Look through photos in Muzzle Loading Cap Lock Rifle, and you'll see plenty of this basic type, though they're all full-length scopes, as was the general preference in the '70s & '80s.  This one, however, is only a bit over 14", which suggests that Mr. Gage, though a craftsman of the old school, was not incapable of changing with the times.  Still, it's constructed with the multiplicity of watchmakers' screws (one pair for each individual lens cell, I'm assuming) characteristic of scopes of the muzzle-loader era.

Talking today with Gary Quinlan, he told me he'd never seen a Stevens SS trigger earlier than the one available for the 44-1/2.  (I have one of those--works fine.)  Anyone remember seeing one on a 44?

marlinguy wrote on Sep 15^th, 2016 at 9:35am:


Tragic; that's also my greatest fear, since my father succumbed to the disease.   

His collection probably did NOT go to one of the major auction houses, or you'd have heard about it.  But there are many small-time, country, auctioneers/swindlers who fall into important collections when they're called in by the ignorant (and probably greedy) heirs.  One such collection which included many SSs came to my attention years ago, but the descriptions were so stupidly written that I was afraid to make any absentee bids; those who attended the auction, however, may have gotten some deals.

What's particularly unusual about the SS trigger on this sideplate is that the adjustment screw is not where you'd expect it, at the base of the trigger, but in the trigger plate a good half inch behind the trigger.

While we are on the subject, my arrangement is for a local FFL that I trust to sell my collection through Gunbroker after I am gone. He will have all my notes on each gun so he has an accurate description. He charges 10% for the service which I think is fair. Hopefully my family will get a fair return on my collection that way.