Stevens double bbl 12 ga. shot gun

[Lock1025]

someone out there, maybe you can help me idenify my 12 ga. double bbl
on one side it say the following:
5100
J Stevens Arms Company
Chicopee Falls, Mass. USA
on the other side it has
Stevens and the picture of a hunting dog
underneath looks like 2 diamonds
can someone tell me the date it was made? I got it from my Dad and I am 66
got it from him in the 60's it was old?
thanks

 

[b money]

The Stevens 5100 is a version of their famous model 311, I believe it pre-dates the 311 but I'm not 100% sure. Also parts from a 311 will interchange with the 5100. As far as the build date all I can tell you is if it doesnt have a S/N then it's before 1968. I'm sure someone will chime in that knows more.

 

[murdoc rose]

Below are the date codes for Stevens double barrel shotguns from the Standard Catalog of Firearms.

Steven Date Codes
Collectors will find a date code stamped on every double-barrel shotgun in the Stevens brands produced between March 1949 and December 1968. Usually it is behind the hinge pin or ahead of the trigger guard on the bottom of the frame. It will appear as a small circle containing a number and a letter. The letters correspond to the years shown in the following table. Significance of the numbers is not known. It may be the month. If it does not have a code it is pre 1949.
A-1949 B-1950 C-1951 D-1952 E-1953 F-1954

G-1955 H-1956 I-1957 J-1958 K-1959 L-1960

M-1961 N-1962 P-1963 R-1964 S-1965 T-1966

U-1967 V-1968 W-1969 X-1970
These codes can be found in the Standard Catalog of Firearms.