Stevens Visible Loader .22 Pump Rifle

[stephenjones]

I recently acquired a Stevens Visible Loader .22 Pump Rifle. This gun is about 100 years old. It was filthy and really needed cleaning. So I took it apart to clean it. Now I can't figure out how to get it back together and can't find a manual or exploded view of it anywhere. I know they exist. I just can't get my hands on one. I would really appreciate it if anyone has one they could share with me. Thanks.

Stephen Jones

[michiganhunter]

i also have an old .22 pump but no manual i have taken it apart 100s of times it is pretty simple, is it the type where you drop the trigger out and you get the whole loading mechanism out with it, and all you have left in the gun is the bolt with the slides? the bolt can be pretty tricky to get back in sometimes. oh and BTW its a sport king model-P1011 pump action .22.

[stephenjones]

No, it's not the same as yours. But thanks.

[hoglot]

Mr. Jones I have a stevens visible loader .ww pump rifle. I in the process of dismantling the gun to clean and repair. How do you remove the barrel off the gun and if you have a manual on how to put back together?

Donald Morgan
email: hoglot@hotmail.com

Originally Posted by stephenjones

I recently acquired a Stevens Visible Loader .22 Pump Rifle. This gun is about 100 years old. It was filthy and really needed cleaning. So I took it apart to clean it. Now I can't figure out how to get it back together and can't find a manual or exploded view of it anywhere. I know they exist. I just can't get my hands on one. I would really appreciate it if anyone has one they could share with me. Thanks.

Stephen Jones

[Fatstrat]

Oh boy, have you guys stepped in it. The Stevens Visible loader is a nightmare most modern gunsmiths are reluctant to tackle. And definantly not a gun for the novice to tinker on.
There is no owners manual/dis-assembly/assembly instruction books that I have ever seen. The most helpful info I have ever found is the designers patent which has detailed info on how the gun works.
You can locate it @ Google Patent search, patent # 953291. Or send me an email @ Fatstrat@webtv.net and I will forward it to you.

[Sav22]

Here's a link with some info that has another link with some more, hope it helps.
stevens model 70 VLR info - RimfireCentral.com Forums
The Visible Loader is one of my favorites, no because it's the best made which it's not, not because it's the best designed because it's not and not because its the best shooter because it's not - it's just so odd and different that it's NOT the same or even similar to anything else. PS the first rule of owning a Visable Loader is DO NOT TAKE THEM APART!!!! I unfortunatly couldn't leave mine alone either but now can do it with minimal problems. I wonder how many if these interesting guns met their end as a box of old parts in a dreary corner of a basement????

[Jim Keith]

I love mine for the same reasons as above. There is simply not another gun like it.
It chambers a round with absolute precision. Mine misfires a lot, but functions flawlessly otherwise. Maybe someday I will find the reason it misfires. It would sure be fun too shoot otherwise.

[jjwebber]

I have a VLR that also loads flawlessly, but frequently fails to fire. It almost always fires if I re-cock the hammer. Inspecting the brass, the firing pin mark seems unusual: It appears to be round, not a chisel-like strike made by all my other .22's. Instead of a nice sharp dent in the rim, it peens over the edge of the cartridge, leaving a mark that is, well, not easy to spot without come closer inspection. Sound familiar to anyone else?

[Eaton56]

I have a Visible and I have had it apart but don't remember that it was a huge problem. What I would suggest to those with misfiring problems is to point the rifle downward into a bucket of sand etc. and see if the problem goes away. Mine did the same thing and it turned out to be a weak spring. Also I need a magazine tube and spring if anyone has one

[Fatstrat]

Originally Posted by Eaton56

I have a Visible and I have had it apart but don't remember that it was a huge problem. What I would suggest to those with misfiring problems is to point the rifle downward into a bucket of sand etc. and see if the problem goes away. Mine did the same thing and it turned out to be a weak spring. Also I need a magazine tube and spring if anyone has one

Do you mean INNER magazine tube & spring? If so, it's EASY. Most gunsmiths will make you one for about $30. Or you can make it yourself if you're handy at all. Brownells and Midway sell mag tube kits that are easy to assemble. It's very likely the ones you buy from gunsmiths are made from the same kits. All you really need is the dimensions.

[ravenh2001]

I have a inner tube and spring for the visible loader. I was given the gun in a box when a friend cleaned out an old house.When I put it together I found out why it was apart. The action is so worn it wont load more than 2 in a row. if someone needs parts e mail me at ravenh2001@hotmail.com and put visible loader in the subject line. I delete email from unknown but that will catch my eye. putting it together was fun like doing a 1000 piece puzzle. walk away and come back later.

[ravenh2001]

to remove the barrel there is a pin going threw the reciever just 3/4 inch from the front. screw heads on both sides. it is 1/4 inch pin flat on one side. one side is a lock screw. remove the locking screw and turn the other till it feels loose then tap it out. be gental it is a brass cam/ pin.

[Al22]

Originally Posted by michiganhunter

i also have an old .22 pump but no manual i have taken it apart 100s of times it is pretty simple, is it the type where you drop the trigger out and you get the whole loading mechanism out with it, and all you have left in the gun is the bolt with the slides? the bolt can be pretty tricky to get back in sometimes. oh and BTW its a sport king model-P1011 pump action .22.

i have the same rifle and took apart the trigger assembly now i am having trouble putting it back together . do you know if there is a manual or maybe a diagram i can get .or do you know a trick or two you could pass on. this is a really cool gun i would like to get it working again.
thanks

[sbowers5]

I am a gunsmith and i don't find the visable loader that difficult to work on, just pay attention to how you take it apart and reverse the process, that being said I can understand how it would confuse someone the first time. I dont know if it will help but here is the picture of one that I am rebuilding right now

Steve

[Al22]

Thanks for the reply the pic may help .I do remember how to put it together I just can't see inside the trigger housing ,and there is one piece I can't seem to put back in . if you don,t mind i would like to send a picture of this piece .I'll bet you know what i'm talking about. il'll thy to send the picture soon .Don't have my camera handy.

[raygoerdt]

any idea what part it is, the lifter, hammer lock...................

I recently aquired one, and have it apart now, have had it apart and together several times with no real problems.

[big shrek]

Originally Posted by sbowers5

I am a gunsmith and i don't find the visable loader that difficult to work on, just pay attention to how you take it apart and reverse the process, that being said I can understand how it would confuse someone the first time. I dont know if it will help but here is the picture of one that I am rebuilding right now

Steve

Sounds like you oughta take a pic of each step as you do it, and post them with a line or two of instruction on each pic to help out the other guys

Arrowdodger did a Powerpoint picture presentation with the Marlin 60 over on RFC, and it's helped MANY Marlin owners over the years

Or heck, make it into a book and sell it Or both

[big shrek]

Hah, found this quote and laughed...

As with many Stevens rifles of the first half of the 1900s, different reference books offer different dates of manufacture. It's usually accepted that the Visible Loader #70 was manufactured from 1907 into the early 1930s. It was last assembled from remaining parts in 1941 after parts production had ceased several years earlier. Sometimes called the "Miserable Loader," this gun can be found in good condition for $150 to $275 dollars. Ones with higher prices never seem to sell. Needing some work, they can be found for as little as $50.

Then this one...

Hello Bart. Your rifle is a Stevens Model 70 manufactured between 1907 and 1934.It was the first pump-action made by Stevens and had an estimated production of 100,000.There were many variations manufactured of the Model 70. The standard had an all blue barrel with a case-hardened receiver. It also had a 3/4 length magazine. The numbers you found are usually not serial numbers but rather part or production run numbers.Yes Bart, your gun has a very respectable value, depending on the condition. You describe your rifle as in 'excellent condition', so I would place it between $200 and $800 depending on the variation.I hope this has helped answer your question and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage

Here's a Parts Listing of available stuff...both links apply
Firearm Parts and Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts Corp. | e-GunParts.com
Firearm Parts and Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts Corp. | e-GunParts.com

Here's the kicker,
"models 70 &1/2, 71, 71 &1/2, 72, 722 are essentially the SAME as the model 70, differing chiefly in barrel length &/or sight equipment."
Made 1907-1934

And one more quote...

Model 70 "Visible Loader". Congrats on owning one of the more interesting historical rimfire rifles. But actually, even tho it was produced for quite a few years, it was kind of an "Edsel" which was also called the "miserable loader".
Basically is was a poor designed attempt to produce a pump action repeater based on the popular Stevens Favorite styling.
It did work reasonably well as new, but was and is a such a NIGHTMARE to repair that when they broke people just began discarding them or tossing them in the closet not to be seen for decades. So many of them have found their way into history's scrap-pile that nowdays they (especially good condition WORKING examples) have aquired collector interest.
Generally parts are fairly easy to come by, as many find it easier to part them out than repair. Watch the gun auction websites such as Gunbroker.com or AuctionArms.com . Be aware they are usually refered to as "Visible Loader". But occasionally listed under the Mod.70 .
Finding someone to work on it, who knows what he's doing, will likely be the trick.
I'm a hobbiest "kitchen table gunsmith', who buys old broken vintage guns and attempts to repair/restore them. I picked up an early Mod. 70 in .22 short awhile back. But instead of tackiling the repairs myself, took it to my local gunsmith who claimed he knew how to work on them.
That was 3 months ago. And altho much progress has been made, we still have a few bugs to work out. But he/we are learning as we go. I'd be happy to ask my gunsmith if he would be willing to work on yours. Or you can look around locally to see if anyone wants to try. Be advised it is NOT, repeat NOT a gun you'll want to try fixing yourself. Unless you are an experinced gunsmith w/proper shop tools

[Bill Carson]

Originally Posted by michiganhunter

i also have an old .22 pump but no manual i have taken it apart 100s of times it is pretty simple, is it the type where you drop the trigger out and you get the whole loading mechanism out with it, and all you have left in the gun is the bolt with the slides? the bolt can be pretty tricky to get back in sometimes. oh and BTW its a sport king model-P1011 pump action .22.

I had a hell of a time trying to keep both of my Families Rifles. Steven's and a Model 1890 Winchester. I've shot the Steven's a few times, No problem. My Dad used to clean it and shoot the Steven's, so it was pretty clean. Bill