Again, this is a sneak peek at a first draft of a forthcoming article. As always, comments welcome.
John
The Stevens Visible Loader rifles
I’ve been on this planet for quite a number of years; perhaps more than I’d like to admit. There are very few firearms that I haven’t seen, handled or read about over the years, and I pride myself on being fairly knowledgeable about what’s out there. However, I was quite surprised a couple of years ago at a small gun show when I encountered a firearm I knew absolutely nothing about. It was strange and quirky, with an action that defied easy visual analysis or description. It was like a scruffy puppy dog at the pound that despite its appearance, wins your heart and you wind up taking it home. Such was my introduction to the Stevens Visible Loader pump-action .22 repeater, and it won a place in my gun rack. It also wins a place in the lineup of classic firearms if only for its peculiar functionality.
The action on this rifle is unique. The breechblock is not housed within the frame, but operates above it. Upon pulling the forearm to the rear, while the breechblock is cocking the external hammer, a lifter pushes a round upward from the 11-round tubular magazine into massive twin extractors. These also serve as cartridge guides on the face of the breechblock. The upward movement of the round by the lifter pushes the previously-fired cartridge case upward and out, as there is no ejector as such. This means that the last fired case must be plucked manually from the breechblock. When the round is being loaded, since there is no surrounding frame, it’s fully visible, exposed not only to view but to the elements. As the forearm is moved forward, the cartridge, held rigidly horizontal by the extractors, moves into the chamber and the breechblock is locked in battery by a small and rather flimsy pivoting locking piece. There is no safety other than a half-cock notch on the hammer. The hammer drives a free-floating firing pin forward and upward at an angle to strike the rim of the cartridge when the trigger is pulled. Only when the hammer is fully forward can the forearm be pulled to the rear again to repeat the cycle. While there is no disconnector, the action cannot be fully closed if the trigger remains pulled while pumping. Thus it cannot be “slam fired” by holding the trigger back while being operated. The breechblock is integral with the outer magazine tube, and the tube moves back and forth during cycling. The blued barrel is held in the case-hardened frame by a single transverse tapered pin, capped by a covering screw on the frame’s right side. While the gun featured standard open sights, the upper grip tang was drilled and tapped for aftermarket peep sights. The action is not especially strong, and is only rated for standard velocity .22 Long Rifle cartridges. Modern high-velocity rounds will chamber but should not be fired in this gun. Seen from the side, the rifle somewhat resembles its predecessor in the line, the single-shot Stevens Favorite, which had a levered dropping-block action. In fact, some of the parts in both guns are identical.
“Be it known that I, Edward E. Redfield, a citizen of the United States, residing in Glendale, in the county of Douglas and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Magazine-Rifle…” So began the patent application for what became the Visible Loader. The patent was granted on April 20, 1907. In that same year, the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts (founded in 1864) purchased the patent rights. They quickly began manufacture of the arm, marked “Visible Loading Repeater” on the barrel. The catalog listed it as the “Visible Loading No. 70” and it was chambered to use the .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle interchangeably. Round barrel lengths of 20” or 22” were initially available. A number of variations in chamberings, sights, stocks, finish and barrels spawned various model numbers through the years. The “Number 70 ½,” chambered for .22 Short only, was one offered. A patent granted to George S. Lewis and assigned to Stevens, was granted on Sept. 28, 1909. This covered minor improvements, one of which was claimed to strengthen the action. In 1916, the company name was changed to the J. Stevens Arms Company, and it was purchased by the Savage Arms Company in 1920. Savage retained the Stevens name and products reflecting that name. In 1931, a “Model 71” was cataloged that had a 24” octagonal barrel and a pistol-gripped stock. There were no .22 Short-only chamberings for this version. A detachable-stock option was offered near the end of production.
The Visible Loader was first put on the market at an attractive price. It undercut Winchester’s premium Model 1890 pump action repeater, designed by John Browning, by quite a margin. The pressure of this competition caused Winchester to bring out a less expensive version of the Model 1890, which was known as the Model 1906. It was offered at a reduced price specifically to compete with the Visible Loader. For this, Winchester fans were quite grateful to Stevens! Eventually the Model 1906 morphed into the Model 62, which lasted until 1959.
The Visible Loaders continued to be produced through 1934. Some were assembled from remaining parts and sold in 1941. In all, it’s estimated that over 100,000 were produced over the 26 years it was in production. None were ever serial numbered. A prominent alphanumeric assembly marking was usually stamped on the lower grip tang, and this is often mistaken for a serial number. There is no way today to correlate these assembly markings with a date of manufacture, so only an educated guess can be made as to the age of any specific example. Most Stevens production records were lost after World War I. By my estimate, the rifle illustrated was made circa 1922, based on its barrel markings. It’s in very good and operable condition, and still works as intended. Barrel length is 22”, and the overall length is 36”.
There are not many of these workable Visible Loaders still around today, and in my opinion there are a number of reasons for this. First, the action was never a strong one; certainly never in the same class as other more robust designs. Secondly, unless the exposed open action was cleaned and lubricated religiously, dirt, grit, rust and wear tended to take their toll. A broken part would often sound the death knell for a gun, as it was a nightmare to disassemble. Even seasoned gunsmiths are reluctant to work on one today. Over the years, parts became scarce and eventually unavailable except by cannibalization of other non-functioning guns. Due to manufacturing changes over the years, some parts will not interchange. Most of these guns were probably neglected following breakage and disposed of after sitting around in basements, barns or closets and rusting for years. Such things earned the gun the popular sobriquet “the miserable loader.” Guns that were kept clean, well-lubricated and used in moderation were the only ones spared the ravages of time. The one I acquired was previously owned by an old-timer who had kept it since childhood. He had taken it out recently, shot it to verify that it stilled worked reliably, cleaned it and lubed it, and offered it up for sale. I was lucky to find it. These few working guns have been handed down for a couple of generations more as uncommon curiosities than anything else, and they’re pretty rare.
While the Visible Loaders were mostly a detour with a dead end in firearms history, by their unusual design, working specimens have become interesting and desirable collector items. They can be had for still-reasonable prices when rarely found. I predict that the passing years will make them ever more valuable as attrition continues to take its toll on these old guns. They are becoming classic for their innovative and unusual design.
(c) 2015 JLM
John
The Stevens Visible Loader rifles
I’ve been on this planet for quite a number of years; perhaps more than I’d like to admit. There are very few firearms that I haven’t seen, handled or read about over the years, and I pride myself on being fairly knowledgeable about what’s out there. However, I was quite surprised a couple of years ago at a small gun show when I encountered a firearm I knew absolutely nothing about. It was strange and quirky, with an action that defied easy visual analysis or description. It was like a scruffy puppy dog at the pound that despite its appearance, wins your heart and you wind up taking it home. Such was my introduction to the Stevens Visible Loader pump-action .22 repeater, and it won a place in my gun rack. It also wins a place in the lineup of classic firearms if only for its peculiar functionality.
The action on this rifle is unique. The breechblock is not housed within the frame, but operates above it. Upon pulling the forearm to the rear, while the breechblock is cocking the external hammer, a lifter pushes a round upward from the 11-round tubular magazine into massive twin extractors. These also serve as cartridge guides on the face of the breechblock. The upward movement of the round by the lifter pushes the previously-fired cartridge case upward and out, as there is no ejector as such. This means that the last fired case must be plucked manually from the breechblock. When the round is being loaded, since there is no surrounding frame, it’s fully visible, exposed not only to view but to the elements. As the forearm is moved forward, the cartridge, held rigidly horizontal by the extractors, moves into the chamber and the breechblock is locked in battery by a small and rather flimsy pivoting locking piece. There is no safety other than a half-cock notch on the hammer. The hammer drives a free-floating firing pin forward and upward at an angle to strike the rim of the cartridge when the trigger is pulled. Only when the hammer is fully forward can the forearm be pulled to the rear again to repeat the cycle. While there is no disconnector, the action cannot be fully closed if the trigger remains pulled while pumping. Thus it cannot be “slam fired” by holding the trigger back while being operated. The breechblock is integral with the outer magazine tube, and the tube moves back and forth during cycling. The blued barrel is held in the case-hardened frame by a single transverse tapered pin, capped by a covering screw on the frame’s right side. While the gun featured standard open sights, the upper grip tang was drilled and tapped for aftermarket peep sights. The action is not especially strong, and is only rated for standard velocity .22 Long Rifle cartridges. Modern high-velocity rounds will chamber but should not be fired in this gun. Seen from the side, the rifle somewhat resembles its predecessor in the line, the single-shot Stevens Favorite, which had a levered dropping-block action. In fact, some of the parts in both guns are identical.
“Be it known that I, Edward E. Redfield, a citizen of the United States, residing in Glendale, in the county of Douglas and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Magazine-Rifle…” So began the patent application for what became the Visible Loader. The patent was granted on April 20, 1907. In that same year, the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts (founded in 1864) purchased the patent rights. They quickly began manufacture of the arm, marked “Visible Loading Repeater” on the barrel. The catalog listed it as the “Visible Loading No. 70” and it was chambered to use the .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle interchangeably. Round barrel lengths of 20” or 22” were initially available. A number of variations in chamberings, sights, stocks, finish and barrels spawned various model numbers through the years. The “Number 70 ½,” chambered for .22 Short only, was one offered. A patent granted to George S. Lewis and assigned to Stevens, was granted on Sept. 28, 1909. This covered minor improvements, one of which was claimed to strengthen the action. In 1916, the company name was changed to the J. Stevens Arms Company, and it was purchased by the Savage Arms Company in 1920. Savage retained the Stevens name and products reflecting that name. In 1931, a “Model 71” was cataloged that had a 24” octagonal barrel and a pistol-gripped stock. There were no .22 Short-only chamberings for this version. A detachable-stock option was offered near the end of production.
The Visible Loader was first put on the market at an attractive price. It undercut Winchester’s premium Model 1890 pump action repeater, designed by John Browning, by quite a margin. The pressure of this competition caused Winchester to bring out a less expensive version of the Model 1890, which was known as the Model 1906. It was offered at a reduced price specifically to compete with the Visible Loader. For this, Winchester fans were quite grateful to Stevens! Eventually the Model 1906 morphed into the Model 62, which lasted until 1959.
The Visible Loaders continued to be produced through 1934. Some were assembled from remaining parts and sold in 1941. In all, it’s estimated that over 100,000 were produced over the 26 years it was in production. None were ever serial numbered. A prominent alphanumeric assembly marking was usually stamped on the lower grip tang, and this is often mistaken for a serial number. There is no way today to correlate these assembly markings with a date of manufacture, so only an educated guess can be made as to the age of any specific example. Most Stevens production records were lost after World War I. By my estimate, the rifle illustrated was made circa 1922, based on its barrel markings. It’s in very good and operable condition, and still works as intended. Barrel length is 22”, and the overall length is 36”.
There are not many of these workable Visible Loaders still around today, and in my opinion there are a number of reasons for this. First, the action was never a strong one; certainly never in the same class as other more robust designs. Secondly, unless the exposed open action was cleaned and lubricated religiously, dirt, grit, rust and wear tended to take their toll. A broken part would often sound the death knell for a gun, as it was a nightmare to disassemble. Even seasoned gunsmiths are reluctant to work on one today. Over the years, parts became scarce and eventually unavailable except by cannibalization of other non-functioning guns. Due to manufacturing changes over the years, some parts will not interchange. Most of these guns were probably neglected following breakage and disposed of after sitting around in basements, barns or closets and rusting for years. Such things earned the gun the popular sobriquet “the miserable loader.” Guns that were kept clean, well-lubricated and used in moderation were the only ones spared the ravages of time. The one I acquired was previously owned by an old-timer who had kept it since childhood. He had taken it out recently, shot it to verify that it stilled worked reliably, cleaned it and lubed it, and offered it up for sale. I was lucky to find it. These few working guns have been handed down for a couple of generations more as uncommon curiosities than anything else, and they’re pretty rare.
While the Visible Loaders were mostly a detour with a dead end in firearms history, by their unusual design, working specimens have become interesting and desirable collector items. They can be had for still-reasonable prices when rarely found. I predict that the passing years will make them ever more valuable as attrition continues to take its toll on these old guns. They are becoming classic for their innovative and unusual design.
(c) 2015 JLM
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