Stevens Mod 15B

[5shot]

I stopped at Cabelas and spotted this in the used guns. No rust or cracks in the stock but the bolt was so gummed up and caked full of old oil and firing residue it was difficult to open. The store policy is not to remove the trigger lock which prevents removing the bolt. The tag said $59 and I thought what the heck. With military discount $56 is not high stakes gambling.

So...after a good session of "gun scrubber" along with a lotta Kroil and picking and brushing....she shoots and functions just fine. I don't know about accuracy yet but with my old eyes and those crude irons I think we can rule out minute of angle.

Pulling the bolt knob back to cock the old .22 sure brings back memories.

Mod 15B.jpg (234.15 KiB) Viewed 129 times

[Ernie]

Good find. Love these older guns.

[Vaquero]

Nice find, don't know what she looked like before, but she shined up right nicely. Congrats.

RP

[RetiredSeabee]

Very nice and great price. The Cabellas in my neck of the woods has been changed over to the Bass Pro brand.

[Sir Henry]

I bet it will be a great shooter. I have a Winchester Model 68 which is similar and loves standard velocity.

IMG_6035.jpeg (4.11 MiB) Viewed 103 times

IMG_6036.jpeg (3.43 MiB) Viewed 103 times

Working the bolt, inserting a round and then cocking it is slow and the slow rhythm naturally sets you up for a good aim and trigger management. Mine has the optional factory peeps.

[Hatchdog]

Another neglected abused poor orphan has been brought back to life. Well done!

[CT_Shooter]

I stopped at Cabelas and spotted this in the used guns. No rust or cracks in the stock but the bolt was so gummed up and caked full of old oil and firing residue it was difficult to open. The store policy is not to remove the trigger lock which prevents removing the bolt. The tag said $59 and I thought what the heck. With military discount $56 is not high stakes gambling.

So...after a good session of "gun scrubber" along with a lotta Kroil and picking and brushing....she shoots and functions just fine. I don't know about accuracy yet but with my old eyes and those crude irons I think we can rule out minute of angle.

Pulling the bolt knob back to cock the old .22 sure brings back memories.

Awesome job cleaning that one. You're gonna have some fun! I'm looking forward to your range report.

Like Sir Henry, I have a similar rifle that my father-in-law bought new as a teenager in the 1930s; a Ranger 103-8, which was sold by Sears. Except for a few dings, it's been kept clean and well- cared for. And... It's a tack driver.

Ranger 103-8.jpg (50.72 KiB) Viewed 90 times

Sears Catalog 50 Year Jubilee Catalog - 1936 -Page 825 Ranger Rifle.pdf

(730.37 KiB) Downloaded 10 times

[Sir Henry]

I stopped at Cabelas and spotted this in the used guns. No rust or cracks in the stock but the bolt was so gummed up and caked full of old oil and firing residue it was difficult to open. The store policy is not to remove the trigger lock which prevents removing the bolt. The tag said $59 and I thought what the heck. With military discount $56 is not high stakes gambling.

So...after a good session of "gun scrubber" along with a lotta Kroil and picking and brushing....she shoots and functions just fine. I don't know about accuracy yet but with my old eyes and those crude irons I think we can rule out minute of angle.

Pulling the bolt knob back to cock the old .22 sure brings back memories.

Awesome job cleaning that one. You're gonna have some fun! I'm looking forward to your range report.

Like Sir Henry, I have a similar rifle that my father-in-law bought new as a teenager in the 1930s; a Ranger 103-8, which was sold by Sears. Except for a few dings, it's been kept clean and well- cared for. And... It's a tack driver.

Ranger 103-8.jpg


Sears Catalog 50 Year Jubilee Catalog - 1936 -Page 825 Ranger Rifle.pdf

I had a Marlin Model 100 which was the exact same rifle.

[5shot]

Thanks for the very interesting link CT. I imagine a young lad in 1936 coming up with $3.50 to $4 probably involved mowing a lot of lawns and running a lot of errands.

It shouldn't surprise me so many of you either had or still have one of these. As a kid I think about half the neighbor boys had one of the variations of this gun.

I think the reason they had this one priced so low is the gummed up action and it was missing the elevation ladder for the rear sight. Being an old pack rat paid off. I just happened to have a couple in a box of stuff....

[CT_Shooter]

Thanks for the very interesting link CT. I imagine a young lad in 1936 coming up with $3.50 to $4 probably involved mowing a lot of lawns and running a lot of errands.

I was delighted when I found that page from the Sears Catalog. Glad you liked it, too. My late wife's father came from a stereotypical Yankee family and he earned every cent that he spent on that rifle and he took good care of it. It'll probably belong to another shooter in another fifty or a hundred years.