I'd like some help with citations, please.

If you have read someplace that Stevens made more than 600 barrels for the Krag, where did you read that?  When I wrote it, I wrote that it was a WAG.

Where was it reported that the State of Pennsylvania bought 110?  I find it easy to believe, but how do we know that?

MrTipUp wrote on Apr 17^th, 2021 at 9:17pm:


I have no idea what you're referring to Bill? I simply answered your question about how Stevens-Pope barrels were marked after Pope left. And added that I didn't know when my mid 1700 serial number might be made?
I've read the first post, but already knew when Pope worked for Stevens. That's been well documented in numerous references and also am aware that it appears it was around #1230-1250 range somewhere. Did Pope's quote you mention state when certain serial numbered Pope barrels were made after he left?
I'm puzzled by your response, so if you might clarify what it means I'd appreciate it.

I think you either misread my comment, or I wrote it in a way it could be misread. I meant I could only guess when my barrel was made based on when Stevens and Pope were in a partnership. So based on that known data, I can only guess when my barrel was made after Pope left. Not that I needed to guess when Pope worked at Stevens.

TRowe wrote on Apr 20^th, 2021 at 9:29pm:


This is quite helpful, but, as usual with anything Stevens, leaves me with another bunch of questions.   

"Fred Ross wrote that the factory "turned down to order" for full Stevens-Pope outfits. 

Does outfits mean barrels? 

Was there a single size (length, diameter, weight) for a "standard" Stevens-Pope barrel?

The photo is of Terry Buffum's Stevens-Pope rifle.  It is a .22 Short, gain twist, with a 44 1/2 action (2-digit SN).  The S-P barrel is about like a Winchester #3 in weight.  The S-P barrel number is higher than the cutoff number for Pope's presence.  I have misplaced the number, but IIRC, it is over 1800.  Was that a "standard" barrel?

Were any of the S-P barrels heavier than the barrel in this photo?   

Were any of the recorded S-P barrels round or half-octagon?

Assuming that the S-P numbers started at 1 and that number 1964 is close to the end of the line, and that the line ran from early in 1901 until the end of 1907, that implies the average production rate was about ONE barrel per day.

That's a few men running a few machines, each doing a different step in barrel manufacture.  If Pope or Fred Ross was supervising such an operation, he would have been on the shop floor, not in an office.  At the very least, they would have been looking over someone's shoulder.   

I have recorded 9 SNs for S-P Krag barrels, with maybe another 3 or 4 that I have references to but not SNs.  How many non-Krag S-P barrels have survived?  I'm trying to infer a survival rate.

My Stevens-Pope barrel is half octagon. In .32-40 caliber, and a no false muzzle setup ever fitted to it.