POTD: Flawed but Cool – The Stevens Visible Loader
Sam.S 12.21.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Stevens Visible Loader is a .22 rimfire pump-action repeater with a single-action trigger. It was made in the 1920s after Savage Arms bought Stevens, though production began in 1908. While its revealing action name aptly describes the rifle’s pump mechanism loading cycling process visible to the naked eye, the misnomer “Miserable Loader” bestowed by users reflects its finicky nature. The innovative design proved too ambitious for long-term functionality given poor machining tolerances and rampant reliability issues plaguing out-of-battery firing, round ejection/extraction, and jamming from slight wear or debris. Though the No.70 lacks manual safeties, interlocks aim to prevent unsafe firing states. Despite its shortcomings, Stevens still sold over 100,000 Visible Loaders in around 25 years thanks to low cost before ending production in 1934. But lasting mechanical quirks continue thwarting shooters, rendering this historic oddball more admired as a novelty than a practical firearm.
Lot 229: Stevens Visable Loader Slide Action Rifle. (n.d.-h). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved December 21, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2030/229/stevens-visible-loader-slide-action-rifle.
