I have my grandfather’s Stevens model 5100 12GA from the 1930’s he bought new, no serial number. He liked to turkey hunt. My father then handed it down to me and I shoot it with my daughter and son. It shoots great. Mine is older than yours, mine is stamped Stevens
I have my grandfather’s 16 gauge 5100 from the 30s. I love having it and it shoots great. I don’t think you need to worry about shooting that gun. They are very solid and they only shoot 2 3/4 shells. Pretty cool that it was your dad’s. Probably his dad’s too?
I hope that this info is helpful to you: IIRC, although Savage/Stevens didn't mark the chokes on many of the shotguns they produced, they standardized the SxS chokes by barrel length. In 12/16/20 ga, AFAIK: 26" bbls = IC/MOD 28" bbls = MOD/FULL 30" bbls = FULL/FULL I think the .410 choke setups might have differed. Any Savage/Stevens, manufactured between 1949 - 1968 should have a small circle with a number and letter stamped between the trigger and the hinge pin. The letter reflects the year of manufacture. A to N = 1949 - 1961 P = 1963 R to V = 1964 - 1968 The Model 311 has been in production since at least the early 1930's - the Model 5000 it's precursor, not the Model 5100. The Model 5100 was a Model 311 variant. The "Springfield" brand was used by Savage until very recently (I bought a new Springfield Model 187 .22 in 1966 for Christmas) - and always on their lowest grade price leaders, generally manufactured for bulk orders.
I have a 16 gauge shotgun with Ward's Western Deluxe shotgun SB530 on one side and with 5100 on the other side. They are 28" side-by-side barrels. Any idea on age? The info I have saids they were made between 1939 and 1945. I don't see a serial number.
Steven Date Codes 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. Without code its 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
looks in good shape. its modern steel not damascus or twist steel. you should be just fine to shoot any modern ammo. besides, the cheap value pack ammo is loaded really light anyway.
I own one like that. It's definitely my favorite! Kicks like a mule though. Mine has a "Q" and an "A" stamped inside the foregrip. Still can't figure out a year
This might help to narrow it by 10 years. If it says made in Chicopee Falls, Mass. U.S.A it was made before 1960. According to Savages website, and the NRA, that plant was closed in 1960.
Great Video. I just inherited the same shotgun, model 5100. Here's my research on this models value according to one of the big books. NIB - $1400 Exc - $700 V.G. - $525 Good - $400 Fair - $300 Poor - $200
Just coming across this video after just inheriting an old shotgun model 5100. My shotgun has Ward's Western Fields Deluxe SB530 on one side and 5100 on the other. It is in 16 Gauge and in pretty good shape. How do I find out the manufacture date? I found that Ward's side-by-side's were made from 1939 to 1945. Any idea? and any help would be appreciated!!!!
@@G273Outdoors I forgot who had made shotguns for Western Field but I can look back through notes and find out. I'll definitely get back to you shortly with an answer I've had an old Western Field 20 gauge with a c-lect choke on it it was an awesome shotgun! I'll write the info you've provided down and have an answer withinh a day at most, it may have been a contract Stevens did for Western Field, but I do know Marlin made model 60's for Western Field, Sears and several other stores so I don't want to say difinitively who it is without checking for sure first. I'll get back to you brother I like helping people get the history of relics and heirlooms.
@@G273Outdoors So far what I've been able to dig up through pages of notes I've taken is that your new heirloom shotgun was definitely made by J. Stevens who was contracted to produce the shotguns with the Montgomery Wards "store brand" shotguns under Western Field instead of J. Stevens but they're a variant of the J. Stevens 530 but they're are two verisons of the 530 the 530A (I think or its just plain model 530) and the 530M I'm looking at the pictures I can pull up and it seems to be the exact same as J. Stevens model I have the 5100 marking is just the marking for the type of action that's in the shotgun although mine does not have a model number anywhere it just says Stevens and it has Engravings of a bird dog in a little bit of Tallgrass on the top of my barrels one side says select forged-steel the other side says proof tested 16 gauge 2 3/4 chamber and then on the right side it says Jason. Stevens Arms Company Chicopee falls Mass U.S.A. I have to dig up the info somewhere I have the website wrote down but there is a Steven shotgun Forum somewhere on the internet where somebody that had a book on J Stevens Arms Company and this was a really old dated book had the info on how to identify what year they were made but not all the way down to the months actually I do know however if yours is anything like mine you can look underneath the front Ford stock and just on the metal part just above the spring lever that hooks into the front part of the barrel instead of the receiver there should be two letters and then a circle stand for letter and on the wood as well just a buck at or forward of that on the gun at least on the wood there should be those same two letters and a circle stamped letter and then on the receiver side I have on the receiver underneath the left Barrel there should be those two letters and the circled letter all stamped into the receiver underneath left Barrel you should be able to see that when you break the shotgun over itself now it's to my understanding that individual letters don't have anything to do with the date or corresponding month it's the circle stamped letter that does I think the two other letters were a way of identifying an individual person that had a hand in making the shotguns or at least proof testing them as their final test and stamp their initial of approval on it before sending it out of the factory and onto the shelves but the circle stamped letter is the one that you're looking for as far as determining age mine was made in 1953 and it was Circle stamped the letter E on the inside of the circle so when you take yours apart that's a good way to match up the wood with the receiver to make sure that is all original parts still because these things were everywhere back then and they were pretty cheap and they still are I mean this thing's not worth a ton of money but it's a damn good gun but like I said mine was Circle stamped with the letter E and it was made in 1953 according to the source that was on a forum specifically about Stevens shotguns and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it but with that much info I'm pretty sure you can just count up or down the letters like if my math circle stamped E with being made in 1953 if yours was Circle stamped G yours would be a 1955 model... I'm not saying that that is how yours is but if it was made by Stevens I don't see a reason why they would deviate from that kind of identification back then because this was all before the government pass the wall back in the 60s that required all rifles and shotguns to have serial numbers on each one of them I hope I helped you out a bit man, and if I find out anything else when I'm through my notes some more I will definitely let you know bro. Oh and current value on one in great shape is about 200 to 300 hundred bucks, they're not like a treasure of cash but I take mine dove hunting and duck hunting every year and I never came home empty-handed these things are badass with some Federal High brass number six birdshot 2 3/4 shells. Not sure how well the choke is on yours but mine is extremely tight, and I can reach 40 yards before I see any significant spread easily with mine. Keep it and pass it on is what I'm doing with mine its a great bird fun that my son will enjoy when he gets old enough to, I only shoot mine once or twice a year not counting dove and duck season just to have fun mine is like new pretty much but my Marlin model 60 from 1977, the Taurus pt1911 45acp, and Marlin 336 30-30 lever get shot daily LOL
@@nicholecrouch311 Thank you for all the info and time it took to get that info! On my gun stamped on receiver, barrels and fore-arm are the letter A in a circle, then the letter I in a circle and then the letters Y O.
@@nicholecrouch311 I just acquired a J Stevens 5100 12 Guage side x side, and I'm trying to find out how old it is. Stamped on the receiver under the left chamber, and under the foregrip there is an A E both circled followed by O I. Any clues what era it might be from? I saw your post estimating a circled E would be from the early 1950's, but I'm not sure what to make of having an A and an E both circled. I wonder if at some point they restarted the alphabet and made a two letter stamp to indicate year of manufacture? TIA!
I have a 16 gauge version of this shotgun with a 28" full choke barrel I only use high brass bird shot since 16 gauge is primarily a bird gun...mine is made in 1953 and has a circle stamped E so you can do the math to figure out your guns maufacture date
Fired it yet? I have the same make and model, but it is a 16 gauge. Of the several guns that I own (and they're all newer), I have to say that this one is my favorite. Cheers, thanks for sharing.
I have my grandfather’s Stevens model 5100 12GA from the 1930’s he bought new, no serial number. He liked to turkey hunt. My father then handed it down to me and I shoot it with my daughter and son. It shoots great. Mine is older than yours, mine is stamped Stevens
I just received the 16 ga 5100 from gunbroker today, and was happy to find this video, thanks for the info!
Was your gun marked "Ward's Deluxe" on ine side and 5100 on the other?
Love these old Springfield’s! Kick like a mule though...
I have my grandfather’s 16 gauge 5100 from the 30s. I love having it and it shoots great. I don’t think you need to worry about shooting that gun. They are very solid and they only shoot 2 3/4 shells. Pretty cool that it was your dad’s. Probably his dad’s too?
I hope that this info is helpful to you:
IIRC, although Savage/Stevens didn't mark the chokes on many of the shotguns they produced, they standardized the SxS chokes by barrel length.
In 12/16/20 ga, AFAIK:
26" bbls = IC/MOD
28" bbls = MOD/FULL
30" bbls = FULL/FULL
I think the .410 choke setups might have differed.
Any Savage/Stevens, manufactured between 1949 - 1968 should have a small circle with a number and letter stamped between the trigger and the hinge pin.
The letter reflects the year of manufacture.
A to N = 1949 - 1961
P = 1963
R to V = 1964 - 1968
The Model 311 has been in production since at least the early 1930's - the Model 5000 it's precursor, not the Model 5100.
The Model 5100 was a Model 311 variant.
The "Springfield" brand was used by Savage until very recently (I bought a new Springfield Model 187 .22 in 1966 for Christmas) - and always on their lowest grade price leaders, generally manufactured for bulk orders.
I have a 16 gauge shotgun with Ward's Western Deluxe shotgun SB530 on one side and with 5100 on the other side. They are 28" side-by-side barrels. Any idea on age? The info I have saids they were made between 1939 and 1945. I don't see a serial number.
Could you possibly help me ID a 5100/Ranger 101.6?
Steven Date Codes
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. Without code its 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
thank you for the information. wish i could narrow it down further (mine is pre 49)
nice video, i have one as well -target ammo works great in it- alot of fun!
Ive used about everything excect steel shot in mine for small game hunting and it works great! i love old guns!
I enjoyed the video. I have a series 5100 as well. It looks like yours was made between 1920 and 1940. Keep on shooting!
looks in good shape. its modern steel not damascus or twist steel. you should be just fine to shoot any modern ammo. besides, the cheap value pack ammo is loaded really light anyway.
I have the same one it's a 1500 serious 311 not sure what year it was made
I own one like that. It's definitely my favorite! Kicks like a mule though. Mine has a "Q" and an "A" stamped inside the foregrip. Still can't figure out a year
This might help to narrow it by 10 years. If it says made in Chicopee Falls, Mass. U.S.A it was made before 1960. According to Savages website, and the NRA, that plant was closed in 1960.
@@rex8958 I checked it out and I think mine was made in 1949
thanks for the info. I haven't looked into values for them. you saved me some time!
Great Video. I just inherited the same shotgun, model 5100. Here's my research on this models value according to one of the big books.
NIB - $1400
Exc - $700
V.G. - $525
Good - $400
Fair - $300
Poor - $200
Yours was made in 1953 as well great old gun
Just coming across this video after just inheriting an old shotgun model 5100. My shotgun has Ward's Western Fields Deluxe SB530 on one side and 5100 on the other. It is in 16 Gauge and in pretty good shape. How do I find out the manufacture date? I found that Ward's side-by-side's were made from 1939 to 1945. Any idea? and any help would be appreciated!!!!
@@G273Outdoors I forgot who had made shotguns for Western Field but I can look back through notes and find out. I'll definitely get back to you shortly with an answer I've had an old Western Field 20 gauge with a c-lect choke on it it was an awesome shotgun! I'll write the info you've provided down and have an answer withinh a day at most, it may have been a contract Stevens did for Western Field, but I do know Marlin made model 60's for Western Field, Sears and several other stores so I don't want to say difinitively who it is without checking for sure first. I'll get back to you brother I like helping people get the history of relics and heirlooms.
@@G273Outdoors So far what I've been able to dig up through pages of notes I've taken is that your new heirloom shotgun was definitely made by J. Stevens who was contracted to produce the shotguns with the Montgomery Wards "store brand" shotguns under Western Field instead of J. Stevens but they're a variant of the J. Stevens 530 but they're are two verisons of the 530 the 530A (I think or its just plain model 530) and the 530M I'm looking at the pictures I can pull up and it seems to be the exact same as J. Stevens model I have the 5100 marking is just the marking for the type of action that's in the shotgun although mine does not have a model number anywhere it just says Stevens and it has Engravings of a bird dog in a little bit of Tallgrass on the top of my barrels one side says select forged-steel the other side says proof tested 16 gauge 2 3/4 chamber and then on the right side it says Jason. Stevens Arms Company Chicopee falls Mass U.S.A. I have to dig up the info somewhere I have the website wrote down but there is a Steven shotgun Forum somewhere on the internet where somebody that had a book on J Stevens Arms Company and this was a really old dated book had the info on how to identify what year they were made but not all the way down to the months actually I do know however if yours is anything like mine you can look underneath the front Ford stock and just on the metal part just above the spring lever that hooks into the front part of the barrel instead of the receiver there should be two letters and then a circle stand for letter and on the wood as well just a buck at or forward of that on the gun at least on the wood there should be those same two letters and a circle stamped letter and then on the receiver side I have on the receiver underneath the left Barrel there should be those two letters and the circled letter all stamped into the receiver underneath left Barrel you should be able to see that when you break the shotgun over itself now it's to my understanding that individual letters don't have anything to do with the date or corresponding month it's the circle stamped letter that does I think the two other letters were a way of identifying an individual person that had a hand in making the shotguns or at least proof testing them as their final test and stamp their initial of approval on it before sending it out of the factory and onto the shelves but the circle stamped letter is the one that you're looking for as far as determining age mine was made in 1953 and it was Circle stamped the letter E on the inside of the circle so when you take yours apart that's a good way to match up the wood with the receiver to make sure that is all original parts still because these things were everywhere back then and they were pretty cheap and they still are I mean this thing's not worth a ton of money but it's a damn good gun but like I said mine was Circle stamped with the letter E and it was made in 1953 according to the source that was on a forum specifically about Stevens shotguns and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it but with that much info I'm pretty sure you can just count up or down the letters like if my math circle stamped E with being made in 1953 if yours was Circle stamped G yours would be a 1955 model... I'm not saying that that is how yours is but if it was made by Stevens I don't see a reason why they would deviate from that kind of identification back then because this was all before the government pass the wall back in the 60s that required all rifles and shotguns to have serial numbers on each one of them I hope I helped you out a bit man, and if I find out anything else when I'm through my notes some more I will definitely let you know bro. Oh and current value on one in great shape is about 200 to 300 hundred bucks, they're not like a treasure of cash but I take mine dove hunting and duck hunting every year and I never came home empty-handed these things are badass with some Federal High brass number six birdshot 2 3/4 shells. Not sure how well the choke is on yours but mine is extremely tight, and I can reach 40 yards before I see any significant spread easily with mine. Keep it and pass it on is what I'm doing with mine its a great bird fun that my son will enjoy when he gets old enough to, I only shoot mine once or twice a year not counting dove and duck season just to have fun mine is like new pretty much but my Marlin model 60 from 1977, the Taurus pt1911 45acp, and Marlin 336 30-30 lever get shot daily LOL
@@nicholecrouch311 Thank you for all the info and time it took to get that info! On my gun stamped on receiver, barrels and fore-arm are the letter A in a circle, then the letter I in a circle and then the letters Y O.
@@nicholecrouch311 I just acquired a J Stevens 5100 12 Guage side x side, and I'm trying to find out how old it is. Stamped on the receiver under the left chamber, and under the foregrip there is an A E both circled followed by O I. Any clues what era it might be from? I saw your post estimating a circled E would be from the early 1950's, but I'm not sure what to make of having an A and an E both circled. I wonder if at some point they restarted the alphabet and made a two letter stamp to indicate year of manufacture?
TIA!
I have a 16 gauge version of this shotgun with a 28" full choke barrel I only use high brass bird shot since 16 gauge is primarily a bird gun...mine is made in 1953 and has a circle stamped E so you can do the math to figure out your guns maufacture date
Mine has a J I along with the circled E I think that was a indication of which worker finished the wood and final inspection on it
The shotgun is post WWII and should be able to handle modern loads. No need to be overly cautious.
you can't get these brand new like a Stoeger Stage Coach Shotgun?
No..these are no longer made..alsouch better gun than a stoeger
Fired it yet? I have the same make and model, but it is a 16 gauge. Of the several guns that I own (and they're all newer), I have to say that this one is my favorite. Cheers, thanks for sharing.
Nope. Still haven't fired it yet.
how about the 20ga with plastic stock?
I have one,,very good
5100 is an action not a model