Stevens 311

CajunBass

CajunBass

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Anybody know of a way to date a Stevens 311? I know it's from before 1968 because we can't find a serial number anywhere.

It's a 20 gauge as I said, the barrels are 28" so they're probably choked Mod/Full (I might have learned something in all those hours memorizing the Sears & Roebuck catalog when I was a kid.). The chambers are 2 3/4" only. The stock is I believe uncheckered walnut, but I can't swear to that. Whatever it is it has some fairly nice, if straight grain. No splits, cracks, or oil damage. The Stevens guns I remember had "walnut stained hardwood." This is not the same stuff I know that. It has double triggers as I suppose all Stevens did.

I got no idea why I think I might want it, other than I wanted one back when they were still in the Sears wish book. I had a 12, but wanted a 20 to go with it.
 
I had a 16 gauge (Stevens SXS) back in the day. I hunted with it and shot some hand thrown clays. Mine was a little fancier. I started loading 12 ga. and could not justify paying for 16's. SHOULD have kept it! Bob
 
CajunBass;

Stevens started in 1949 stamping a "date code" on the water table which is visible when you remove the barrels. The codes started with the letter A which equaled 1949, B = 1950, etc.

Mine is date code letter "E" which is 1953. I also have 28" tubes, 2-3/4" chambers, left bbl is Full, right is Modified, and the gun has the twin white beads, one at mid-barrel.

An old gunner a long time ago told me to just shoulder the gun and if the two beads formed a figure 8 I was right on the correct sight picture and could just pull away.

Works for me
 

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Thanks Charlie. I do remember seeing a couple of letters on the water table. I'll have go back and get them to bring it out again. I'll make sure I have my phone with me to get a couple of pictures.
 
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Had a few of these guns pass through my hands thru the years. Not a bunch of hand fitting but very reliable, a work horse. People that bought the cheaper guns hunted a lot with them. Still have a 20 ga 311 in the safe as a foul weather gun. Has rust on it from not being stored correctly so I use it in heavy snow or rain for pheasant hunting. Enjoy your gun and take it out to shoot, fun piece. Larry
 
Check for the above mentioned date code.
Those were used betw 1949 and into about 1970 on all Savage/Stevens/Fox guns.

The 311 dates to before that (late 20's early 30's), so it may not have a date code or ser# on it if it's an earlier mfg.
Then you are kind of out of luck trying to establish a mfg/date.
Sometimes small characteristics like stock styling, checkering or not, butt plate style, and factory markings can place them in a general mfg era but no closer than that.

The post '68 mfg'd 311 do have a ser#, but Savage has never released any records as to DOM for the shotguns AFAIK.
They used a letter prefix and ran to 999,999, then changed to the next prefix and ran another 999,999 guns. Kind of like the Luger numbering system. Plus they had numerous MOdel changes noted by a suffix letter in the Model (311A, B, C, ect all the way to H). Last 311H's made in 1988 I believe.


The date codes are usually the Letter code along with a number (or 2) usually within a circle or an oval. But sometimes the letter stands alone.
The numbers if there are inspectors #'s or other QC info, the letter is what dates the mfg.
Often marked on the bottom of the frame right over the hinge pin or right in front of the trigger guard. But they can be most anywhere including the sides or flats of the action.
Here's a link to one chart,,there are many with a simple search for Stevens or Savage date code.

SAVAGE / STEVENS DATE CODES - Graybeard Outdoors

The 311 is usually well covered in stamped markings on the action and bbl flats. MOst are inspector, QC and part #'s.
 
The "Letter" date code was used on the Model 24 also. When they returned to the mother ship, they got the current date code applied. I have one with 2 for the first year, one for the next year and one for 6 years later. The system of date coding stopped for new production, but for service, the last code is well after 1970! They must have got all the bugs worked out, it works fine for me.

Ivan
 
Targets Guy said:
Mine (a 20 gauge) is from 1956.






screen capture software
Click to expand...

Is there another stamp somewhere on the outside of the frame that looks like it could be a date code?

The reason I ask is that though the 'H' does appear it could be one and it would indicate a 1956 production,, the roll markings on the frame show a Westfield, Mass address for the Savage factory.

Savage didn't move their operations there till mid 1960. That included everything from the Chicopee Falls plant,,all Savage, Stevens and Fox gun production.

Date codes are mostly found on the frame outside surfaces on the bottom.
All models of the 3 makes were date code stamped during the use of the marking.
Even the Savage 99 rifles of the period will have the stamping usually on the front curved surface of the lever boss.

Nice looking example of a 311A!
 
there is a small oval with two letters on the underside of the frame near the fore end metal this is the savage Stevens date codes,

not the codes on the water table, fore end arm, and barrel flats these numbers were used to keep these three pieces together as an assembly through out the build, great solid old guns

the same gun can be found with the springfield name on it, in 1916 j stevens arm and tool co. was bought out, and changed its trademark to J. Stevens arms, in 1920 savage bought out stevens

there were several variations of the 311 series from 311a-311h, the a series had walnut furniture with splinter forearms, and the h series had burch wood, with beavertail forearms, they even built some with an early (plastic) polymer stock and fore arm.

great old guns not the prettiest gun at the hunt, but it will dance with the best of them,

there are a full set in my safes 410-20-16, and12, the savage b model fox is basically a dressed up 311

here's a fact that you might not know during ww1 New England Westinghouse bought stevens out in 1916, produced Mosin Nagant 91 rifles under contract for Russia these guns were built by J stevens in Chicopee, after the czar loss Russia never paid for the guns and thus resulted in the sale to savage

many people don't realize that the us army had troops fighting on the side of the czarist in Russia during the Russian revolution, these troops were issued and trained with us built Mosin nagants, and served with them in Russia, to prevent ammo supply issues

so that old mosin in the rack could be a us veteran used in Russia American made stevens rifles,( or Remington) or it could be one that never left the US
 
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CZU said:
I'll enable you, go get it.
Click to expand...

No need to worry about that. I picked it up. I cleaned a couple of pounds of crud from the barrels, and now they shine like new pennies. A wipe down, then a couple of coats of Ren Wax and I think it's presentable in polite company.







I'll have to try to get a better picture or two, but they'll do for now.

I went back and found the little oval at the hinge pin. As best I can tell with a magnifying glass is that it's an "H."
 
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Nice one!
'H' code is 1956 and that goes along with the ChicopeeFalls address on the frame.

These early 311's,, 311A's and the older Stevens SxS's are getting some attention now at gunshows, shops and on-line from people that used to dismiss them as not being worthy of a second look.
,
,
FWIW,,the Savage/Fox Model B SxS is often described as a fancied up Stevens Model 311.
The Fox Model B was actually introduced in 1940. The action used the coil spring internal hammer action of the Model 530 and if it's a dress-up anything,,it's a dress up Model 530.
The Model 530 came out in 1936. It is built on the then new '5100' design action.
Models like the 530 and others using this action are often listed as a 'Model 5100' as the 5100 designation is stamped into the side(s) of the frame on many of these especially the house brand guns.
But the 5100 is not a Model,,it is the designation of the action design and type used. That being the internal conventional pivoting hammer w/coil springs.
.
After WW2 the Springfield Model 311 (1947 w/Tenite Stock) was intro'd. Then it was changed to the Stevens Model 311 (1948 w/Tenite stock).Then changed again in '49 or '50 to Stevens Model 311 w/Walnut stock & forend. They were all built on the same internal hammer coil spring '5100' action.
The 311 is then more of a plain version of the earlier introduced Model B.


There was a preWW2 Model 311 shotgun in the Stevens/Savage lineup.
It was the Springfield 311, however it was built on the older 1915 G.E.Lewis pat. that used coil spring straight line strikers and an entirely different cocking system for it. The frame casting was also a new and separate pat. at the time.
Completely different gun mechanically from the post war 311. Same in Model name only.

The pre-war Springfield Model 311 was a plain version of the Springfield Model 330 shotgun also built on the Lewis pat action.
The Riverside 315 was another model offered pre-war. These were all built on this striker action and discontinued before the War.

Kind'a confusing,,but then it is a Stevens.
..and that Model 530 that the fancied up Model B was built on,,that lasted till about '53 or '54 before being dropped from the line.
 
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That is nice. A good double looks good and feels good when you throw it up to your shoulder. I had a nice LeFever 20ga. and goofed off and sold it. That was a very stupid thing to do and I have really regretted it.
 
2152hq said:
Is there another stamp somewhere on the outside of the frame that looks like it could be a date code?

The reason I ask is that though the 'H' does appear it could be one and it would indicate a 1956 production,, the roll markings on the frame show a Westfield, Mass address for the Savage factory.

Savage didn't move their operations there till mid 1960. That included everything from the Chicopee Falls plant,,all Savage, Stevens and Fox gun production.

Date codes are mostly found on the frame outside surfaces on the bottom.
All models of the 3 makes were date code stamped during the use of the marking.
Even the Savage 99 rifles of the period will have the stamping usually on the front curved surface of the lever boss.

Nice looking example of a 311A!
Click to expand...

Thanks. The only other marking.....

 
I haven't been physically able to hunt for years, but I still miss my late-'60's-vintage 311 with the Sears name on it. It was a twenty gauge, 28" full and modified, with three-inch chambers. It was my all-time favorite shotgun, and took a ton of doves and rabbits.

My only remaining long gun is an extremely well-worn 530A twelve gauge with checkered walnut stock and fore stock. It had almost no finish when I bought it for an off-key song, and the former owner had punched his name on the right barrel. It was twenty-six inches improved cylinder/modified. It too was terrific on rabbits and doves. Eventually I had the barrels cut to twenty inches for a house gun. It's ugly as homemade sin and heavy even cut down, but I'm hanging on to it.

I'm guessing it's pre-WWII, but don't know that.
 
I had one that looked a lot like this one,
It was a Savage.
Was that this same gun?
Another regret Story,
Never should have sold it!
 
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