J Stevens A&T Co Rifle

Question
I have an old rifle, given to me by my grandfather.  I would like to restore it and
have a local gunsmith check it for safety.  It appears to be in good condition
except for needing a good cleaning.  It is a single shot, lever action 25.20,
produced by the J Stevens A&T Co..  Not sure when it was produced.  Can you
give me any history on this rifle and what it may be worth.

Answer
Hello Roger. It is always nice to hear from those whose older loved ones handed something down to them, especially a firearm. Your grandfather gave you a rifle made by J Stevens Arms & Tool Company. I am very familiar with these little rifles. Yours is either a Model 1889 or a Model 1894. One way you can tell which is by the patent date. If yours says J Stevens A&T CO. patent OCT.29,89 then yours is the Model 1889 Lever-Action Single-shot rifle. If it says J Stevens A&T Co.patent APR.17,94 then you have the Model 1894. These were the only two models to carry the J Stevens A&T CO. stamping. Now, for the caliber. Because of the small frame of these rifles, they were only manufactured to fire rimfire cartridges. They were .22RF;.25RF;.32RF and.22RF Shotshell.It could not be a.25-20 since they were not strong enough to handle the centerfire cartridges of that time. As far as the value, I have seen them auction for as much as $195.00 in .25RF. As far as I know, the .25RF cartridge is not available any longer. My father just passed away on the 16th and left me his little singleshot Model 67 Winchester .22caliber rifle.It needs a bit of cleaning, but I won't remove any of the natural patina it has received since new in 1933. Don't let your's get away either. If only they could talk! I'm sure there are stories both our rifles could tell. Thank you very much for asking about your Stevens and I hope I helped answer your questions in some small way. Charles Gage