"Museum Quality" Stevens Little Scout 14 1/2

[mauser]

You hear the term "Museum Quality" applied to guns of all kinds. I just obtained a "little boys rifle" which was last manufactured in 1941. Most of these little cheapies ended their careers sitting in the corner of a barn somewhere, rusting away.

This little gem looks like it just came of the assembly line yesterday, NOT 68 years ago!

I would grade this gun as 99+% for condition. Although it appears unfired, I was not lucky enough to get its original box and papers.

I found it in an online gun auction up in St. Augustine, FL. It looked GREAT! I won it, and it was delivered today. The seller told the auctioneer that it has been sitting in his gun safe for the past 30 years, since his Dad passed and left it to him. He also said he didn't think his dad had ever fired the gun. I'm inclined to believe him.

With a 10X jewelers loupe I've inspected it closely and found NO sign of wear anyplace in the bluing. There is one VERY small spot which MAY be rust on the side of the receiver, but I haven't tried to "oil" it off. Might just be dirt...

And, there's a very minor mark on the buttstock from handling. Hardly noticeable, but there nevertheless. In these photos, NOTE the screw head slots are still very sharp, also the slot in the takedown bolt head. All stampings are very sharp and deep.

I'm still wondering what some of the stampings mean. There's the numeral 23 in a circle at the breech end of the barrel, and an H on the bottom near the trigger guard where the crossbar on the H becomes an arrow pointing to the side! (?)

Below are the pics I took earlier today.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ mauser

 

[04rubicon]

that's really neat looking

 

[Wham-O]

GREAT find Mauser!!
What's it book out at?? $$

 

[Carbine]

Cool find. Thanks for sharing the pictures!

 

[marshall]

The SVG is the savage mark.
As you may know savage bought stevens out
many years ago and still used the stevens name
on some of the guns that where started by Stevens
Marshall In Sask, Ca.

 

[Waba]

I am quite partial to the Stevens line of boy's rifles, and a big thumbs up to you for such a fine example. Quite the find.

 

[mauser]

My apologies, folks, but I've not been getting notice from CGN of any of these postings! I've got notification type down below set for instant email. Hmmm? Guess I'm gonna' have to get back here more often.

Anyway, Wham-O you asked about prices. I stole it for $212, hand delivered from St. Augustine up-coast cause the auctioneer's daughter happened to be headed for a town further south down the coast from us. It was from her that I heard the story about it sitting in the consignor's gun safe for 30 years.

As for book values, latest price guide I have is the 2007 Standard Catalog, and it shows: Poor 100; Fair 125; Good 225; V.G. 300. and Exc. 400. Those may have gone up a bit in last 2 years.

Speaking of Wham-O, I've got a really rare old single-shot WAMO Powermaster rifle on its way here to join my little herd. Yep! That's the SAME company which brought us Frisbees and Hula Hoops. Long story WHY the different spellings but I've got photographic proof that the company used BOTH logos on some of their packaging.

Here's a sneak peek at the newcomer. It's missing the little tin box on front of the triggerguard which was used to store two boxes of LR. Got a gunsmith with a metal break who's going to restore the "magazine" for me.

I'll run a separate post on it once it's actually in hand.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ mauser

An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.