Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Stevens 425 High Power

supply might be low but where is demand? Price is a combination of both...neat gun...now that I have seen this I would keep my eye out for one at a gun show but not looking and would have to be priced a bit better than that one to get my attention...just my $.02

Neat thread, and interesting rifle...

lovemy99,The demand wasn't that high on savages 20 years ago. Don

How dare you dub them thangs 'Savages'

Look at the listing number of the one on GunsAmerica - It's been listed for a few months I have been watching to see if it sells.

Here's a picture of one that was listed on GunBroker 12/29/2003 - the picture isn't very good but it does show checkering that was supposed to be original, price was $1000 with $1,120 buy it now - don't know if it sold and there was no serial listed. This would be the 430.



Here are some more pictures that show the end of the breech block, it is milled to clear the hammer when fully opened but has a lot of locking area on the right side. Also a picture of the repair on my stock which shows the open area needed for clearance. Also a picture of the butt plate which is the only type I have seen on a High Power and have never seen a similar one on any other Stevens.

Some more info:

Gene, Is that information from the 1912 stevens catalog? thats the most i've seen in print. I believe the checkered rifle is a 430 since the 435-440 both have engraving, real nice find on the paperwork.good information on the scope mounts ,using the rear sight dovetail and the 2 tapped holes in the receiver. Don

That is some neat info on the scope and mount that's not in Stroebel's Old Rifle Scope Book. I've always wondered what the top of the High Power reciever was tapped for. I think it's the same as on Marlins for the Hepburn sight.

Dave, the tapping on the marlins for the Hepburn sight is more to the rear,while the stevens is about centered ,it might be the same spacing! Don

I've got a nice .32. If I could only find someone that had 2 .35's and didn't have a .32

Dave Bring it over ,i'll look at it! . Don

Peter, I just talked to a friend in Maine. He's got a .35 ser# 4209. His Brother In Law has a .30. He'll get back to me with the ser#, Dave

Don, Yes the info is from the 1912 catalog #53 - actually a reprint of it. I have not found many original Stevens�s catalogs for sale and the early ones seem to always bring good prices. That catalog has 5 models of single shot rimfires (including the Crackshot), 2 single shot models available in rimfire or centerfire (and there are several variations of each) and 1 rimfire repeater as well as the 425.

I therefore find it hard to believe that the 425 would have been serial numbered along with the Crackshot when they had so many models in production. Also if combined with the Crackshot I would think the high serial numbers found would be way over 5000 in a six to seven year production run. Another reason I think it is unlikely is that I have a Crackshot and it is serial number Q649 which is the way Stevens serial numbered their 22's at that time, a letter followed by 3 digits. This was done on the Visible loaders for so long that they must have started over as I have very late ones (SVG stamped) with low serial numbers.

As for the 32's they seem to be the rarest of the rare. I have been gathering information on the High Powers for several years and still do not have a lot that I am sure is correct!!! I think I have seen at the most 6 or 7 in person and about that many more on line. Just roughly comparing the number I have seen with numbers of other guns of known production I had estimated (very very roughly) 5000 to 10000. I have looked for model 16 Remington�s (17,720 apx. made) for about the same time and have seen about 3 times as many as 425's (did not keep accurate records). This gun is from the same production period so I thought it would be a reasonable comparison.

Another issue with these that has not been discussed much is choice of only Remington chamberings. This may have been one reason for the lack of popularity. Also if there ever was a real safety issue with using pointed bullets in a tube magazine centerfire that would also have been an issue. Remington had a special patented spiraled magazine for their tube repeaters in these calibers to keep the bullet point from contacting the primer of the next cartridge - Patent . Only the 35 seemed to be loaded almost exclusively with round nosed bullets. If there was a possibility of one cartridge setting of the next I wonder if that was the end of some of these rifles. Gene

I just emailed a gentleman who says that he is a collector of Stevens 425 rifles. I invited him to the forum to take a look at this thread and see if he can shed any light on the rifle numbers, or any info for that matter. (Who knows, he might be a member already, in disguise... )

Let's hope he accepts...

Mike...

Peter, Heres a couple more for the list, s/n 2592 30-30 rem, s/n 2914 35 rem, there just a little way from here. Don

"lozen",

Have you posted the serial number for this Stevens High Power in this forum? We are still trying to get as many serial numbers that we can.

Peter

GeneB,

I think all of the Remington cartridges that the Stevens High Power chambered (.25 Rem, .30 Rem, .32 Rem, and .35 Rem) had round nose bullets.

Peter

Yea, It was one of the first ones over at Leverguns. #2628. Are you keeping track of the calibers? I hope so. Dave

I'd never given that much thought. I always presumed they were available loaded with spitzers, as I figured that was what the spiral magazine tube on Model 14's was all about.

So far there are 22 Stevens High Power rifles on the list. There are five in .35 Rem, seven in .30 Rem, three in .32 Rem, two in .25 Rem, and five are unknown calibers.

If anyone can supply the calibers of the following rifles on the list it will be greatly appreciated:
1842
1977
4073
40xx (also the complete number)
5302

Thanks!

Peter

I e-mailed a question to the Historian and here is the reply:

Hi Rick, The Stevens Model 425 is a very nice rifle. I think the last one that I saw was at a show and Doug Murray was trying to sell it. Anyway, there are no J. Stevens serial records existing for any model and have not been since way before WW II. There are no production records either. I have a remnant of some Stevens comparison production records , but not this early and as far as I know these are the only ones that exist. The rifle was designed by Edward Redfield of Glendale, Oregon and his patent from 1910 was assigned to Stevens. The 11K number produced may have come from a summary sheet somewhere, but any that I have sent info on never had a S/N over 6 or7 thousand as I recall. The 1911 to 1917 dates are pretty accurate. There were 4 versions of this gun, The basic Model 425, the Model 430, same basics as the 425 except checkered stock, The Model 435 with checkered stock , fancy wood an! d engraved chain borders around the receiver, some scroll on the top of the receiver and lever, and the Model 440 which had fancier checkering, extra fancy wood and some beautiful scroll and animal scenes on the receiver, matted receiver . I have never seen or had inquiry on a 435 or 440. The engraving as illustrated would have rivaled or exceeded anything that Tue did and would stand up to a lot of todays engravers.

What model 15 is your poster referring to? John C.