Stevens Arms
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| Industry | Firearms manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | J. Stevens & Co. (1864-1886) J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company (1886-1916) J. Stevens Arms Company (1915-1945) Stevens Arms (1945-1991 and 1999+) |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Founder | Joshua Stevens |
| Headquarters | Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, United States |
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Key people
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W.B. Fay and James Taylor |
| Products | Rifles, pistols, shotguns |
| Parent | Savage Arms |
| Website | http://www.savagearms.com |
Stevens Arms was an American firearms manufacturer founded by Joshua Stevens in 1864 in Chicopee Falls, MA. The company introduced the .22 Long Rifle round and made a number of rifle, shotgun, and target pistol designs. By 1902 they were advertising themselves as "the largest producers of sporting arms in the world". They were purchased by New England Westinghouse on 28 May 1915 and again by Savage Arms on 1 April 1920. As a division of Savage, Stevens continued to produce firearms at their Chicopee Falls facility until 1960 when the plant was torn down and Stevens production was moved into other Savage facilities. Savage dropped the Stevens name in 1991 but revived it in 1999 and still uses it today for a number of its low cost rifles and shotguns.
Stevens Arms was founded by Joshua Stevens with help from backers W.B. Fay and James Taylor in Chicopee Falls, MA, in 1864 as J. Stevens & Co. Their earliest product was a tip-up action single shot pistol.
Business was slow into 1870, when Stevens 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 shotguns as it had been prior to that year. In 1883 they purchased the Massachusetts Arms Company which Joshua Stevens had helped found in 1850. 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.
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