Need some info on J. Stevens & Co Tip up rifle

[john14_18]

I recently acquired a J.Stevens & Co tip up rifle. It has a 28" octagon barrel and the receiver appears to be nickel or maybe brass that has turned. The barrel reads " J. Stevens & Co. Chicopkee Falls.Mass. Patent Sept 6.1864" which means it was made between 1864 and 1886.
There are no other markings anywhere else on the gun. I photographed every inch of it and then enlarged. No caliber, No serial number, No nothing. It seems to be in good working condition and bore is not that bad.
I have 2 questions-

1. What is the caliber? A 9mm pistol cartridge fits in it perfectly but it can't be a 9mm.

2. There is a screw on the left side of the receiver that screws into a bolt with an arm on it from the other that fits in a spring.
The only way I can get the barrel down is to completely remove the screw. The arm on the bolt on the other side will not budge. I took it apart and oiled it and spring works, but it will not move.
So, do you have to remove the screw completely every time you unload and load?

3. Model number and est value?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you may provide and have a Blessed Day!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

These actions were made in Center Fire and Rim Fire cartridges. Knowing which it is, will be a big part of determining the cartridge.

Also look in the chamber. Is it a straight wall case (There should be a small lip if it is,) or is it a bottle necked case (there would be a area that almost looks like a shadow before the small lip).

These barrles are very soft Ferris metal be careful you don't scratch it up anymore than it already is. My best friend has one in 25 RF straight, in so-so condition. Depending on cartridge and bore condition they are worth from parts/scrap all the way up to several hundred dollars.

Ivan

 

[2152hq]

That looks like an early mfgr Stevens #1 Tip-Up rifle.
Very early production used a cast brass frame that was then nickle plated.
The vast majority of the entire Tip-Up production used a cast steel frame that was nickle plated and is the usually encountered type.

Most of the production has the Model number of the Tip-Up (There are about 16 different models of them) stamped on the back end of the lower tang. You usually have to remove the trigger guard to see the stamp.
It may not have a Model # assigned being an early production.
But these became the No.1

The No 1 was made in 32, 38 and 44 RimFire chamberings .
I'd suspect your's is the 38RF version as the 9mm case seems to fit slightly into the chamber.

BBl's were offered in 24,26,28 & 30"

The hammer should have the RF firing pin as part of the hammer face IIRC.

Centerfire versions later on had a separate firing pin in place in the frame with a bushing and a small coil spring to rebound them.

This separate firing pin set up in the frame was also used in the #2 Tip-Up rifle which was the first model to be chambered in .22RF. It was also chambered in 25RF and 32RF.

If the caliber is a Centerfire (38cal) with the frame mounted firing pin,
Then it's likely a No 3 Sporting Rifle. Made in 32,38 & 44 CF
Same specs other than calibers as the #1 and #2.
In addition it was provided with a Breech front sight (folding blade/pin head globe,,,and a tang rear sight.
Those sights are often missing from these rifles after all these years,,cannibalized off the rifle for use on other projects.

The Button on the left side if operating correctly should simply push inward against coil spring pressure. In doing so the L shaped locking bolt that the button is screwed onto will push outward on the right hand side of the frame.
That L shaped locking bolt is then disengaged from a horizontal slot in the right side of the bbl. That slot in the bbl and the L shaped block are the lock-up.

If the Button is screwed too far onto the staff, You won't have enough travel when pushing it inward to unlock the bbl from the frame.

If the coil spring in there is kinked, or too strong (a replacement and many are at this point), you might not be able to push the button inward far enough as well to disengage the bolt lock.

Also take the L shaped bolt and with just that placed into the frame and using your fingers to push it intoplace,,see if the bbl will close and snap/lock in place. Then if you simply push the lock free with finger pressure from the left side if the bbl will swing down and open w/no problems.
If that works OK, then you can be fairly assured no one has 'peened' the locking slot in the side of the bbl in attempts to tighten the action up. This is a common shade tree repair for these. It can work if done carefully. If not, it can cause the locking system to jam when closed and very difficult to then unlock using finger pressure on that button.

The extractor on the Tip-Up is a weak part. They often break if the case sticks in the chamber and the heavy tip down bbl is used to leverage the case free
The linkage is two part and screws together allowing a slight adjustment in it's lenght so the extractor blade is not under tension when the action is closed.



Interesting rifles but they usually don't draw a big crowd of buyers generally.
Fine condition examples are the collectibles. Shooter grades find homes with Single Shot fanatics.
My own lone specimen in .22rf needs a lot of work yet but it is a labor of love to get it up and working.

Not as many around at shows as there once was.
Values?,,check auctions with Sold prices. Values have gone up of course. But some of the retail prices of late for this stuff are just asking to pay off their X so they can then move to Belize.

 

[john14_18]

Wow! Thank ya'll for that info. A member on the Gunvalues board identified it as a No.1 tip-up , 38RF. I will play with the latch and see what I can find out and will remove trigger guard to see if anything is there. If I understand correctly, this was made between 1864-1886 and I am amazed what good condition it is in. Thanks again!

 

[john14_18]

2152HQ,
Thank you so much for the info. I was pushing in from the wrong side(Duh). Once i loosened the screw a little, and pushed in on it, the barrel drops down and locks in place when raised. Removed trigger guard and still no caliber. In bright sunlight, I was able to see that on the bottom of forearm, someone had lightly scratched in 12-3-1838. Since it wasn't made then, I figured it was someone's birthdate.