help me ID this OLD 32 short?

turbo-minivan

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
50   0   0
i was given this old gun by and old man and it needs a few parts around the hammer area, but otherwise is in great shape for its age. id love to redo it and make it complete as a nice antique but i can barely find what it is let-alone find parts for it.
made by J. Stevens Arms and tool Co. and patented in chicopee falls Mass. the caliber is .32 short and the model is a "crack shot". the only serial number on it is B248. i cant find any date stamp. the main body is damascus steel.
ive googled it all and can only seem to come up with info or photos of similar guns in single shot lever action. this one looks to be a single shot with nothing but a drop block style action (not totally sure as im missing those key pieces)
i have not been able to find this exact model anywhere on the internet.
can someone help me find info, a general date, and maybe even parts?
thanks.
100_0268.jpg

100_0269.jpg

100_0270.jpg
 
Not sure of where to get parts but there are alot of these guns out there, most of the useable ones are in .22 rimfire, and one should be able to find a "parts gun" with some looking. Folks have converted alot of the .32 RF to central fire although you must be careful with loads as the action is not very strong.
 
That one is in nice shape! Lots of the original Stevens case color showing, too!

The main body is not Damascus steel. The pattern is from the case hardening process. That linear ripple is pretty much a Stevens trademark style of color case.
The "serial" number is a batch lot number that was used to keep the parts sorted while in the plant, and pretty much don't translate into any useful dating info.
Hit a public library and see if you can find a copy of Frank DeHaas' book Single Shot rifles and Actions.

Where you at in AB? There are a couple used gun parts dealers doing the circuit in SK that I would expect to have the breech block you need. IIRC the last guy I bought Stevens stuff from was the guy from Carrot River. He had several boxes of stuff for the Stevens small guns.
Any missing internal parts? Looks like just the Breech block and the Breech block Screw for sure. Maybe the extractor.

Overall it has survived quite nicely, and is a collectible rifle much more than it is a shooter. Keep away from the receiver with anything abrasive, as it can do a number on the pattern and colors. Easy to turn it from worth something, to worthless. I'd leave it pretty much alone, as far as a resto goes.

Give the barrel a good scrub out, oil it with a soft cloth and figure out what you got there, before you do anything that could make it worth less than it is now (which covers about anything you might consider a restore job).

Nice little Boys rifle. Not really strong enough for modern 22 ammo, even if you relined the barrel.

Cheers
Trev
 
ive been having few people ask about buying this gun recently so i thought id update this for people who see it and want to inquire....
i traded her a gun show during the summer after searching relentlessly for any parts to complete it. i could never find parts or even much more info on it, and still have never seen even a picture of another one in .32 short, so i decided to give up the good fight and pass it along.
sorry to those who showed interest.
 
Stevens Crackshot

See if your local library has a copy of "Single Shot Rifles" by Frank DeHaas. You will find several pages in it, including diagrams, of the Stevens rifles, including the Crackshot.

Some Libraries have a book loan service, where you can borrow a book from another library that has the one you want, on loan.

This rifle was also made in .22 and .25 rimfire calibres. A Crackshot model with a 20 inch barrel and a side lever to open it was made from 1900-1913, and the Model 26 Crackshot underlever with 18 inch barrel from 1913-1941.
.
 
I have the 'mate' to this gun. Mine is also a 32 short. Never found ammo for it so it is just a wall hanger.
 
Back
Top Bottom