Hi everyone,

Long time no post!

I have just purchased a 1963 Stevens 77E. Serial 501XX. It is US stamped forward on the right hand side of the receiver. It has a "P" proof on the top of the barrel and on he top of the receiver. It has the remnants of black stain on the forearm and stock. It has an orange recoil pad (it does not have the "T" cut-outs but I have seen examples of these with replaced stocks without cut-outs). It has an "S" stamped into the timber of the stock on the left hand side. It came back from Vietnam with 3 Royal Australian Regiment. These are pretty scarce in Australia I imagine. I think they are a little hard to find in the USA as well. I understand some returned to the States and ended up as police riot guns. the vast majority ended up staying in Vietnam.

I am trying to find out more about these cool old shot guns .. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

77E

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N frame fanatic

I had a civilian model (no differences, just made for civilian market) and I put a military replacement buttstock on it. Very well built guns. If you hold the trigger you can slam fire it every time you close the slide. With a good dry lube, you can fire 5 rounds in about 2 to 3 seconds or a little faster!

In the US the resale on old Savage pump guns is a little under valued!

In 1968, my F-I-L led an assault at a prison riot. He had a choice of several weapons (including M-2 Carbines and Thompson SMG's) and chose the Savage/Stevens because of the slam fire feature, He was using #4 buck shot and had a bag on his hip with about 75 in it. He was 6'2" of pissed off and with the hand cannon, every body he encountered gave up without a fight! An inmate came at a State Trooper with a knife, and a 2" hole was blown clear through his chest. That put an end to any resistance! (That and the snipers killing the original 8 rioters!)

Ivan

I have an older Gun Digest (or maybe something else similar) that has a feature article about their use in Vietnam. I'll probably have to search for it. While U. S. troops did use some of them, they were evidently originally intended to arm Vietnamese villagers in fortified villages. I remember a comment to the effect that one of their weaknesses was that it was easy to knock the buttstock off, as the tang broke easily if you hit someone with the butt. I have a 77E that may or may not be military, but it has no military markings on it. Or for that matter no SN stamping either. No, it wasn't removed, just none there. The buttstock is clearly military, just stained wood, with a very rough finish, like it was sanded with coarse sandpaper. And very short - makes sense, as the Vietnamese were small people and could handle a shotgun with a short length of pull better. I blued it some time ago, I don't know what their original metal finish was. It didn't have much finish when I got it back in the late 1970s.

Thanks Ivan and DWalt

This one is parkerized.

Here are a couple of closer pics.

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N frame fanatic

Had one that had been refinished and Cutts choke added. Sold it for $700 you have a valuable shotgun there!

As I mentioned earlier, the article I referred to is in the 5th Edition (1989) of Gun Collector's Digest, titled "Made Collectible by Valor: The Stevens Model 77E Military Shotgun," pp. 167-174, by Eric H. Archer. Perhaps you could find a copy on eBay, etc. The article states that about 61K 77Es were sent to Vietnam. Anyone's guess as to how many returned.