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==History== | ==History== | ||
− | Stevens Arms was founded by Joshua Stevens with help from backers W.B. Fay and James Taylor in Chicopee Falls, MA,<ref>Fjestad, S.P. (2009). ''Blue Book | + | Stevens Arms was founded by Joshua Stevens with help from backers W.B. Fay and James Taylor in Chicopee Falls, MA,<ref>Fjestad, S.P. (2009). ''{{#Widget:Amazon/Blue Book 36}}[[category:pages with Amazon widgets]]''. Blue Book Publications. p. 1565. ISBN 978-1-886768-87-1.</ref> in 1864 as ''J. Stevens & Co.''. Their earliest product was a [[tip-up action]] single shot pistol.<ref name=flayderman>Flayderman, Norm (1994). ''Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms''. DBI Books. p. 209.</ref> Business was slow into 1870, when it occupied a converted grist mill and had just sixty employees. The 1873 Panic had a further negative impact on sales. By 1876 the company had recovered to the extent that it was then manufacturing twice the number of [[shotgun]]s as it had been prior to that year.<ref>Murtz, Harold (1994). ''Gun Digest Treasury: the best from 45 years of Gun Digest''. DBI Books. pp. 192–3. ISBN 978-0-87349-156-3.</ref> In 1886, the company was reorganized and incorporated as J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. The business was able to grow steadily with tool manufacturing and sales now accounting for the bulk of the business output.<ref name=flayderman/> |
Beginning in 1880, the company began making [[falling block]] [[rifle]]s. These, though less well known than [[Ballard]] or [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]] firearms, were of comparable quality. They were priced lower than those of Ballard or Winchester, making the Stevens' falling block models competitive in the marketplace. Under names like ''Favorite'', ''Little Scout'', ''Crack Shot'', and ''Marksman'', Stevens sold millions of reliable [[single-shot]]s. The total number of single-shot firearms manufactured by the company exceeded 3.5 million by 1892.<ref>Murtz, (1994), p.195.</ref> | Beginning in 1880, the company began making [[falling block]] [[rifle]]s. These, though less well known than [[Ballard]] or [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]] firearms, were of comparable quality. They were priced lower than those of Ballard or Winchester, making the Stevens' falling block models competitive in the marketplace. Under names like ''Favorite'', ''Little Scout'', ''Crack Shot'', and ''Marksman'', Stevens sold millions of reliable [[single-shot]]s. The total number of single-shot firearms manufactured by the company exceeded 3.5 million by 1892.<ref>Murtz, (1994), p.195.</ref> |