Here is a Sure Shot I bought really cheap a few years ago. It was rough-locked up, stock busted, sewer pipe bore, and the frame had been used for a hammer! But I had never seen one with a Lyman tang and Ivory bead front sights, and I wanted a Sure Shot in my Stevens collection so I took a chance on it. I bid about what the sights were worth and won it. Got it apart and ground the frame .030 each side in my surface grinder to remove the dents. Took it to the plater in town for nickel finish.
Figured I would have to reline the bore, but just for giggles I wired up the barrel to my battery charger, and put it in a electrolysis setup I built to de-scale barrels. Low and behold, after 2 days I scrubbed it out, and was looking in a bright shiny bore with un-worn rifling and only moderate pitting! It shoots as well as one can expect it to. The main reason I bring this up, is I gave the stock to Mark Hunsucker at Gunville for a pattern and he made a new one for me- so if anyone needs a stock for a Sure Shot, they can supply it.

slumlord44 wrote on Apr 21^st, 2021 at 11:37pm:


X2.   Your rifle is most likely worth more restored than as a relic.

Re-reading this thread has caused me to go look at my examples of the models mentioned above.  It appears I have accumulated three of those model 14's.  How that happened I'll never know.  I knew I had two, but don't remember acquiring the third.  

Of all the models mentioned above I am finding the little Krag to be the most elusive as I have only found one, and I am actively out there looking and have been for years. 

While on the topic of rarity and condition, I'll add to the list  the thumb safety side lever Crack Shot.  I have the fortune to possess two examples of that model, but one is a hardware store brand.  Which, I suppose makes it pretty collectable yet in another category. My other example I found at a local auction.  I happened to notice a small elongated hole in the upper tang and recognized what it was for, but the small button was missing.  Since it was a nice side lever as it was, I bought it.  Not long after I had the great fortune of finding the missing part in Canada of all places.  

As someone mentioned previously, the hunt is a major part of the fun in collecting these remarkable pieces of history.    

Hmmmm, that's interesting.  Says it has been refinished, but you have to give and take on these.  Thanks for the heads up.