Need help identifying shotgun...

[massnee]

This is a side by side double barrel shotgun I recently acquired from my 87 year old neighbor. This was either his dad's or his grandfather's shotgun (his grandfather was a civil war veteran).

The only marking on the shotgun I can find is:

J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO. CHICOPEE FALLS MASS USA

There appears to be no serial number.

Can anyone give me some information about this firearm? When it was possibly manufactured?

Thanks

 

[Tamara]

Prior to GCA '68, there was no requirement for shotguns or .22 rifles to be serial numbered, and this can obviously make dating impossible (or nearly so).

Stevens shotguns were ubiquitous for nearly a century, being fairly budget-priced guns sold both under the J. Stevens name as well as being re-branded for several retail outfits. The sidelock hammergun shown could have been made any time from the late 1870s into the 20th century. Make sure you have it checked by a gunsmith before shooting; I'm not sure I'd want to put smokeless shotshells through it even if it's not damascus...

 

[Harley Nolden]

This shotgun appears to be an old Crescent Firearms gun. with the tooling being passed on the H&D Folsom who purchased the business from Crescent. and then to J. Stevens Co who bought out Folsom. In these transfers they all carried the same guns, and they may also put another name on the gun if the purchaser wanted it.

I am attaching a photo of the Crescent/Folsom/J.Stevens. There is a book by Charles Carder that explains the Crescent story and the Hardware Guns.

Harley