I tend to agree with you. If anything they were consistent in their inconsistency. The later 26’s are scarce. It’s always interesting trying to figure out what Stevens did back in the day.

I'm still trying to figure out how I got a mis-matched receiver with smooth bore barrel.  It's a 26 1/2 barrel and a 26 marked receiver, and it looks like it has been this way since birth.  I really think it came from the factory this way, but is that possible?   

slumlord44 wrote on Mar 1^st, 2023 at 10:59pm:

I agree.

I guess my question to the OP is how long is your barrel, and is the frame case hardened? I looked through my reprint and original Stevens catalogs to refresh my memory, so I can give you an answer or maybe give you more questions? The early Crackshot 26’s and 26 1/2’s have 18” barrels. In the early 1920’s to around 1930 the barrels are 20” long. From 1932 or 1933 to the end of production the barrels are 22” long. Your little 26 1/2 should have a 22” barrel. In all of the catalogs I have, listed blued frames until 1939 which have color hardened frames. The last version of the Crackshot 26 and 26 1/2 that have the pistol grip stock and large forearm, first appears in the 1939 catalog. I don’t have a 1938 catalog to make sure of this. I believe every version early to late had the blued steel butt plate.
I would agree that the last version of the Crackshot 26 with the pistol grip stock is scarce, making the shotgun 26 1/2 even more scarce to find.
My late model 26 has the SVG marking but no proof or inspector marks. It also has the 1913 patent date, not 1920. 
The bottom picture is my early model 26 with the 18” barrel.

I looked through some catalogs, The No 26 Crackshot is first listed in Catalog #54 which does not have a date but is the last pre-WWI catalog - blued frame, 18" barrel, steel buttplate.

1920 dated pocket catalog is the same.

I have two pocket catalogs without a date but both have the same price listed dated May 8, 1923, one lists the barrel as 18" the other as 20", the price lists are a loose insert, so I can't be sure they are original to the catalogs. These two catalogs also have differences for other models, the Visible loader lists a rubber buttplate in one and a steel in the other, both list blued frame.

Catalog #57 with a Jan 3, 1927, price list still has it as a 20" barrel.

Wholesale catalogs dated Jan 3, 1928 and Jan3, 1929 list a 22" barrel.

Catalog #61 with a Aug 15, 1935 price list still lists 22" barrel and blued finish.

Wholesale and retail price lists dated March 5, 1936 (these are actually soft cover catalogs) list a casehardened frame, still straight grip. - Same Jan 3 1938.

Wholesale Price List, Jan 3, 1939 lists a pistol grip. 

Price lists for catalog #41, June 16, 1941 still has the Crackshot and Jan 1, 1942 does not.

I looked though Stevens patents, I can find the April 22, 1913 patent - (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) It expired in 1930.

I cannot find a 1920 patent that looks like it would apply to a Crackshot, what is the complete date?

The only Stevens patents I can find for that date are not for that rifle, there are three; two are for sights and one is for the No 10 Target Pistol (and one is for the sight for that). I wonder if they got the wrong stamp and used the one for the pistol. The patent for the rifle was expired by the tile your barrel was made.

The three patents are - US1338381A, US1338382A, and US1338183A. 

These are the only three patents from all of 1920 assigned to Stevens Arms. All US patents granted in a week would get assigned on the same day, and there could be a lot, over 700 came up with that date.

That’s what makes collecting Stevens  collecting fun and interesting.