Stevens Model 1889

[Hammers]

Working on a friends Stevens .22 Model 1889 I believe. Could be a very early Model 1894. Stock needs a lot of work or replacement, but can't find one in good shape. 1915 model doesn't seem to fit as the tangs are different. Also need to replace main and trigger springs, but can't find them.
Finally some questions. When I operate the lever, shell correctly ejects on down stroke. When I close the lever, the block pushes the Hammer back about half way, then the hammer falls on the firing pin as the block closes. Doesn't seem right if I just put a new round in. Is this right? I can manually pull the hammer back to full cock and fire. Also, the firing pin slides forward and back pretty freely. Should there be a spring in there to keep is under tension? Thanks for looking and any ideas anyone has.

 

[Hammers]

Stevens Model 1889 pics

Sorry. Here are some pics.

 

[Jim K]

That is the Model 1889, the first of the series of rifles commonly called the Stevens Favorite. You can get some parts here:

http://www.wisnersinc.com/web_layout/rifles/stevens/singleshotlever.html

and stocks are available. Google "Stevens Favorite stock" and you can get a lot of info.

As to the operation of that gun, you have a problem. The way it should work: When the lever is lowered, the hammer is partly cocked; when the lever is raised, the hammer is lowered to the safety (half-cock) notch. It should NOT contact the firing pin. It then has to be pulled back to full cock for firing. If the hammer contacts the firing pin, the half-cock notch in the hammer or the tip of the sear/trigger (or both), is broken.

There is no firing pin spring, but be advised that firing pins on those guns often wore out and were replaced with ones home-made, often out of a nail, which were too long and batter the extractor. Another common problem is "lever droop" from worn parts.

The bad news on that gun is that it would cost a lot of money and time to repair it, IF parts can be found, and that is iffy. You could easily put more money into it than it could possibly be worth. The stock work alone, if you have a stockmaker do it, could run into the hundreds. While collector interest in those guns has increased in the past few years, and some fancy prices are being asked on Gun Broker and other sites, only guns in top condition are bringing those prices.

Jim

 

[Hammers]

Thanks Jim. Great response. So happens I found the parts earlier today at Wisners and ordered them. Regarding the operation. I suspected it was as you described but didn't really see an obvious problem with the notches or sear/trigger. I was hoping the spring replacement would resolve that issue, but will look again more closely. And you are also right that everything is pretty loosy goosey. If you have time for one more, I noticed the lever does not stay up once the hammer is pulled off the firing pin, is that normal and just held up by hand while cocking and firing? Having a friend who is a finish carpenter look at the stock to see if it can be repaired. Thanks again for the helpful information.

 

[Jim K]

No, the normal position for the hammer is standing off the firing pin except when the gun is actually fired. The lever should stay up because the lower link pin is just past dead center of the upper link pin and the lever screw when the breech block is solid against the barrel. But with little wear on the parts, that doesn't happen and you get what you see, which is sometimes called "lever droop." It can be cured but would probably require replacing the pins and the screw, plus maybe the link also if not the block. In fact, since the shooter's hand is holding the lever up when firing, the problem is more in theory than reality.

Those guns were simply not made for long hard use, but that is what they usually got. They were reasonably well made and reasonably priced, which meant they were often bought for youngsters. In that long ago time, a kid with a gun was considered normal; he was not arrested and tossed into prison or a mental hospital.

FWIW, in 1903, the Stevens Favorite with open sights sold for $6, vs $15 for a Winchester single shot .22, and the same for a Winchester Model 1890 pump action. Since many working men made only $1 or $1.50 a day, even $6 was a real outlay for many folks. (I usually calculate that $1 in 1900 equals $40-45 today.

Jim

 

[Hammers]

Thanks again for the response and good info. Don't think the owner wants to put any more into it than he has to, and since it will work anyway... I like your info on the early retail prices. That $1 in 1900 is a good benchmark for understanding historical values. Thanks again.

Jim Hamilton

 

[4v50 Gary]

I worked on a similar Stevens rifle. It had a similarly broken stock with similar nut & bolt repair. The owner did not want me to make a new stock for it.