Stevens Arms Serial Number Lookup

Post subject: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

Does anyone know where I can look to find out the date of manufacture of my Stevens 311 410?

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

If it has a serial # the best I can do is 1968 or later.
Since the pictures are not back yet, I will explain to the best of my ability.
The Savage/Stevens date code is a very small oval, usually on the underside of the receiver on doubles. Inside that oval is a very small number and letter. The letter is the year of manufacture. A=1949, B=1950 etc. 'O' and 'Q' were not used because of similarity to a zero.
All the other marks you see are there to make sure pieces that may have been separated inside the factory find each other again.
So a large 'A' by itself inside a circle in not the date code. If the serial # starts with an 'A' that is not the date code.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

Thanks I think that is quite helpful. The gun I have is a Stevens 311, series H, 410 gauge, with a serial number that begins wiht the letter D. It is in aobut 99% original finish. I was concerned that it might be fairly old and changing the stock would reduce the value. It has a hard wood stock and forearm with impressed checkering, that although in 99% condition, is really ugly and I would like to replace it with a nice walnut stock and forearm. Does anyone have a better idea of the date of manufacture or want to comment on changing the stock?

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

I'm just finishing a new straight grip stock, which was never on Stevens 311s, but there isn't much if any change in value.
I've seen a couple re-stocked Stevens with the straight stock go pretty fast on GB at a good price.
The one I got has very good grain for $50, $33 for the forend from www.gunstocksinc. They are pre-cut, but you have to do the final fitting. I enjoyed it.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

I did a 16 ga. 311 in a laminate from www.gunstocksinc.com also.
Just save the old stock and fore end. They can be swapped back in 30 minutes.
Your series H was likely made in the 1980's.
I do think those straight stocks look good especially on a 410.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

Mine is a 311A, 20 ga. made in 61'. Found it a local shop for $90. The gun was 98% except for the broken stock it had. I got it to fix and re-sell, but I've grown attached to it.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

I have a Stevens 311 Series H. I found the forend to be shaky and finally took it apart to see the problem. Turns out this forend is broken in half and needs replacing. After having looked for roughly two weeks online for a replacement part, there are none to be had. If anybody happens to read this.is it possible that there isn't a small place in rural America that I'm not looking? Anybody happen to have any places or names that I can get in touch with to find this replacement part? Series H Forend Iron. Broken more toward the tang than the shoe. Square shoe. If anybody could help me here, I would be grateful. Thanks for your time if you've read this far.
Chop

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

I'm assuming the wood part is broken.
Click here for some options.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

Stevens date codes.
http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_in . e_code.htm

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

This was some good information that I found from Gun Digest :
1. Stevens used plain numbers from their first double in 1878 until 1913.
2. Letter prefixes crept in on the serial numbers used on both hammer and hammerless doubles from 1913 to 1939. They always signified a change in mechanical design or manufacturing process which resulted in an interesting variant.
3. From 1940 to 1948 no serial numbers were used on doubles, only capital letters, usually in groups of three or four, the letter(s) sometimes enclosed in a circle, along with an inspector's symbol ( a heart , a diamond, a spade or some such ‘shape', on the bottom of the frame behind the hinge pin.
4. From 1948 to 1968 the letter symbols under the frame were changed to a ‘Capital letter with a one or two digit number' in a 1/4″ circle. This was a date code which you will find illustrated in the Savage-Stevens-Fox pages of your Standard Catalog of Firearms.
5. From October 1968 to March 1988 Savage/Stevens/Fox B doubles are serial numbered in a completely new serial number range beginning at A000001. The six digit (always) numbers, stamped only on the left side of the frame, not on the barrels or fore end or on the wood, are preceded by capital letters from A to E. The letters do not correlate to production years. The letter prefix accompanied the Savage/Stevens/FoxB/Springfield serial number on every gun they made from 1968 on. Beginning about 1978 numbers 1 to 20 were also stamped on the three major components, frame,barrels and fore end iron, to enable the factory to keep 20 guns of like model together in a group for packing in the standard 20 gun shipping carton.
Yours is one of these. Since I am interested only in double guns I stopped looking for numbers on Savage'Stevens doubles after 1988 because that's the year they shipped their last ‘Stevens Model 311′.
The highest number I have seen was on 20 gauge Stevens Model 311 Series H serial number E957971. The Savage branded imported doubles, over and unders or side by sides, are numbered differently. Each model is numbered in the range created by its manufacturer. As you probably have heard, Savage/Stevens' production records on their older models were destroyed in a sprinkler accident about 35 years ago, according to officers of the company.
To calculate an approximate number of ‘Stevens Model 311s' that were made from 1968 to 1988 you could do this math exercise. Since Savage used 5 letters (A to E), each on 999,999 guns, they must have made about 5 million guns. Perhaps 40% were doubles in the various Savage Brands and Private Brands. That makes 2 million doubles of which I estimate 80% were Stevens 311′s. And that's not counting production before 1968. No wonder the '311″ in its various variations is the all time favorite American made double.
And think how many Stevens 311s ( and Stevens made doubles that looked like Stevens 311s but carried private brands) had already been produced in the years between 1940 (first year of the ‘true' Stevens Model 311) and 1968, during which time they weren't serial numbered at all! There must be at least 4 million Stevens Model 311s, in one form or another, out there!

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

on my stevens 5100 16 gauge it has a small oval on the underside with 18A stamped in it and on my wards western field 16 model 311A it has the same oval with 14B.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

A is 1949; B is 1950

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

Arriving late to the party as usual with this thread, but saw it and wanted to pipe in too. I picked up a real nice condition 311A 12ga this year. It's date coded '14J', so I figure it's from 1959. That makes it the same age as me which is kinda cool. Plan to take it on my first open wtr duck hunt this winter. Ordered some Kent TM to shoot through her. After that, I expect to take her out for some turkey ambushing in the fall. As heavy as she is, not much more I'm likely to carry her out for other than shooting some clays maybe.

Post subject: Re: Stevens shotgun dates of manufacture

If I understand all this, the only way to tell the manufacture date of a Stevens 311 that has a serial number is to contact Savage/Stevens? I have 3 guns I am curious about.