Original Item: Only One Available. Invented by Warren R. Evans of Thomaston, Maine, the Evans Repeating Rifle was one of the most ambitious and mechanically fascinating firearms to emerge from the post–Civil War era. Production began in 1873 under the Evans Rifle Manufacturing Company of Mechanic Falls, Maine, but despite its ingenious design and advanced engineering, the company succumbed to the intense arms industry competition of the 1870s. Only about 15,000 Evans rifles and carbines were produced before the firm declared bankruptcy in 1879, leaving behind one of the most intriguing repeating rifles of the 19th century.

The Evans stood apart for its extraordinary 34-round tubular magazine ingeniously housed in the buttstock — a marvel of capacity for its time. If the Spencer was “the carbine you loaded on Sunday and shot all week,” the Evans could quite literally “shoot for a month.” Its unique Archimedean screw mechanism rotated four internal ammunition channels each time the lever was operated, automatically feeding a new round into the chamber. Although it appeared destined for military adoption, field testing revealed that the system was susceptible to dust interference, preventing official acceptance. The original chambering was .44 caliber, firing a cartridge approximately one inch long, known as the .44 Evans Short.

Over its brief production run, the Evans design evolved through three main models familiar to collectors today:

Old Model – The earliest version, lacking a lower buttstock extension, which made the rifle difficult to aim comfortably. There were only about 500 of this model produced.

Transitional Model – Introduced a revised buttstock and new buttplate for improved handling. There were around 1,750 of these produced.

New Model – The final and most refined iteration, chambered for a more powerful .44 Evans Long (or “.44 New Model”) cartridge measuring 1½ inches in length. This change reduced magazine capacity from 34 to 28 rounds, but offered greater ballistic performance. The New Model also made the receiver longer and more robust, and also removed the scallop on the bottom front for the fore stock to fit in. Additionally, the rotating cocking lever on the bottom of the lever to let down the striker was changed to a sliding lever. However, the best improvement was probably the introduction of a moving dust cover over the ejection port to prevent fouling and dirt entering — a key improvement addressing earlier reliability issues. The majority of Evans repeaters produced were of the "New Model", with around 10,000 produced in total.

What we have here is a lovely lightly patinated example of the "Transitional Model" Evans Sporting rifle with a 28-inch long octagonal barrel. This is the first Transitional Model we have had, as well as the first TRUE sporting rifle. Many of the military rifles later had the fore stocks cut down and adjusted to function as a sporting rifle, however they are easily spotted, as they have a round barrel and a single screw retaining the fore stock. This is a true "Sporting Rifle" with an octagonal barrel and the correct fore stock retained by two screws with a nose cap. It looks to have seen light to moderate use, and suffered some patination over the years due to moisture exposure.

The barrel on this example is still marked with the complete Evan's patent stamping in two lines, correct for the sporting rifle.:-

This sporting rifle is in very nice condition, and has has a lovely patina of age, and we noted what looks like possibly a serial number 1807 on the rear left of the barrel. It does look however like this marking was overstamped, and this number is higher than the production numbers for all of the Transitional models, so it may not be a serial or any meaningful marking. As with most we see, repeated cleaning to remove dirt and light oxidation has worn almost all of the original bluing off of the receiver and magazine tube portion of the butt stock. The barrel still shows relatively strong bluing, though there is overall peppering. The original finish is retained under the fore stock. The stocks show the lovely dark red brown color of aged and oiled walnut, and show some light wear and minor damage such as small chips, dings, and gouges. There is also some staining around the edges from oxidation coming off the metalwork.

The action functions well with a crisp dry fire, and you can see the rotating magazine through the ejection port. The action has very little slop, and we did not notice any of the usual finicky action we see from this type of firing system. It is however definitely a bit stiff due to age. The hammer can be manually cocked by rotating the lever on the bottom of the lever, and that can be used to let down the action slowly to avoid discharging the weapon. It also has a "half cock" position to keep the pressure off the primer if a round is in the chamber. The loading door on the rear of the butt stock opens easily. We checked the butt plate thoroughly, but did not see any serial number visible. The bore is in very good condition, with clear lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish. There is some light overall wear, as well as evidence of past fouling and oxidation, now cleaned away, but overall it is far better than what we usually see. The rear sight is present, however it is loose and bent a bit, and the slider is also missing.

We have handled only a handful of Evans repeaters over the decades, and this is really a lovely honest used example, as well as the first example of a Transitional Model we have ever had. Combining historical importance, mechanical innovation, and outstanding preservation, this Transitional Model Sporting Rifle represents a true landmark in American firearms development and an essential addition to any advanced collection of 19th-century U.S. arms or early repeating rifles.

Specifications-

Years of Manufacture: 1870s
Caliber: .44 Evans "Old Model"
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 28 inches
Overall Length: 45 inches
Action: Lever Action
Feed System: 34 Rotating Round Tube Magazine

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.