Whippet Model C

[TheOtherOne]

I have my Dad's old single shot .22 that I'm trying to get the bolt apart on and can't figure it out. On the barrel is "WHIPPET manufactured by J. Stevens Arms Company Chicoppe Falls, MASS. U.S.A. CAL .22 S.L. OR L.R. MODEL C".

Anyways, has anyone ever even heard of this type of gun or maybe know how the bolt comes apart? It won't extract the shells half the time and I think it's just really dirty. I've cleaned all I can and it's working a little better but I want to try and get into all the springs and everything and really clean it up.

I've googled it and found a little bit of info on shotguns, but can't find anything at all about a Whippet 22.

Also, there is no serial number anywhere on the gun. Is that legal?

 

[Selfdfenz]

Can't tell you much about the Whippet but I have a 22 I purchased NIB in the 60's that has no serial number. I've picked up several older 22 at shows that lacked serial numbers. It's a requirement now but certainly wasn't back in the day. No legal issue there.

BTW the bolt on this rifle [which is not a Whippet] is not made to be disassembled unless you want to drive a pin. Perhaps that was common manufacturing practice at one time for rimfires.

There's a single post over on rimfirecental regarding the Whippet and it received no replies.
S-

 

[JohnBT]

I thought the Whippet model was a single-shot shotgun they made for some big hardware store in Chicago. Learn something new every day.

If the bolt doesn't come apart easily, and after all these years it might not, try: spray cleaner; soaking the bolt in a jar of solvent or CLP; lighter fluid to clean the solvent/oil out (carefully of course); or an ultrasonic cleaner if you know somebody who has one.

Got a pic?

John

 

[TheOtherOne]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, it looks like there are pins that need to be pushed out to get the thing all apart. I'm afraid if I try taking them out things will go flying and I'll never figure out how to get it back together. I did manage to get the extractor off though. I was just rocking a case in and it seemed to pull up pretty easy and just came out. There was a bunch of build up under it and I got all that cleaned off and put it back on. Now it's working just perfect.

 

[Selfdfenz]

I also checked the Gun Parts Co (Numerich) hoping for an exploded diagram.....nada.

I guess the issue here is Stevens was bought by Savage and something of Stevens identity slipped away in that action many decades ago. If there was a Stevens owners and collectors group you'd be in luck but alas I can't locate one. The Stevens line was pretty utiliatrian = perhaps not so much interest to collectors.

There is a dude who regularly writes a 1-2 page arti in Shotgun News regarding collectable firearms. He answers questions about all manner of old firearms not all of them collectable.
Scarlatta something or other I think.

S-

 

[Preacherman]

I'm going to move this thread over to Harley Nolden's forum, where some more esoterically-minded aficionado may be able to help. If you don't get much info there in the next couple of days, PM me to move it back here.

 

[Jagermeister]

Whippet: The information I have, SXS's of the World 2K, by Charles Carder, indicates that was a trade name registered to the Hibbard, Spencer Bartlett and Co of Chicago, on guns made by the H&D Folsom Firearms Co.

Although Carder's book is SXS's, the .22's are not mentioned. As Folsom bought Crescent, and J Stevens Bought Folsom, they may have made the .22 rifles as well. With the markings on the gun this could very well be true.

HJN

 

[kennedy]

An older freind of mine had a 12 ga and 28 or 410(can`t remember) single barrel whippet shot guns, he thought it was a picture of a fox, not a dog, on it, but I did some research and found they were made by stevens for the hardware company in chicago HS&B, They were stolen last year while he was in florida, one of them was his fathers.

 

[SDC]

Stevens apparently made both rifles and shotguns under the "Whippet" trade name ("whippet" is also British slang for a sawn-off rifle or shotgun, so maybe one came from the other). Our lab's database describes one of these rifles with a 22" barrel, a chromed bolt and trigger, and an uncheckered hardwood stock with a steel buttplate.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Our lab's database describes one of these rifles with a 22" barrel, a chromed bolt and trigger, and an uncheckered hardwood stock with a steel buttplate.

That sounds exactly like this one. The bolt and trigger don't look the greatest, but yeah, they were probably chrome at one time.