Old 22 -rifle/5 bullet clip

Question
I have a 22L/22S bolt action rifle that has been handed down though the family now to me.I am very sentimental about the fun although it's not the only one.The rifle was made by the Stevens Gun Co.and I don't know any history about the rifle.All I know is it read's Model-56C.How can I find about how old it is and and time in history that it was made.I am a 52 yrs old and this rifle was owned bye my great great grandfather in his young years. I going to make my own display for the rifle. Thank-You Sir ,Donna Martin

Answer
Hello Donna.

Your rifle was made by J. Stevens Arms Company which was founded in 1864 at Chicopee Falls, MA as "J. Stevens & Co." The company changed their name to "J. Stevens Arms and Tool Co." in 1886, then in 1916 they changed again to "New England Westinghouse" and they started making Mosin-Nagant rifles. In 1920 the plant was sold to the Savage Arms Corp. and they started manufacturing guns that were marked "J. Stevens Arms Co." From the late 1940s to 1990 they made and sold guns with only the name "Stevens", and then in 1999 Savage Arms, Inc. began manufacturing and importing Stevens trademarked guns again including rifles and shotguns.

The Stevens No. 56 rifle was manufactured between 1933 and 1945. They produced approximately 97,500 rifles of this type which includes any sub-models or variations that may exist. Most of these rifles are worth between $50 and $175 depending on rarity and condition.

It is possible that Stevens may still have some old factory data on file, and if so then you can purchase a factory letter authenticating the configuration and age of your specific rifle. This research and documentation service costs $20 to $30 per gun. Contact the following person if you are interested. It would help to send good color photos of your gun along with a complete description of all letters, numbers, and symbols that appear on the gun. Please allow 6 weeks for a response:

Mr. John Callahan
53 Old Quarry Rd.
Westfield, MA 01085

To preserve your gun it is important to clean it thoroughly using a modern gun cleaning kit which can be found at Walmart or most sporting goods stores. If you have the factory manual then it will tell you how to clean it, otherwise you can stop by any local gunsmith, gun store, gun club, or shooting range and someone should be able to show you how to clean it safely. Once it is cleaned then all metal parts should be lubricated with a light coat of gun oil and it should only be handled with a silicone-treated gun cloth from then on. Any time you handle it or touch the metal parts then wipe those parts down with the gun cloth again. Store it in a dry location and take it down every few years for another cleaning. Under these conditions it should last a lifetime.

Hope this helps. If you need more information then feel free to ask another question.

Bob