Fox Collectors

Now I see yet another draw-bolt Sterly on GunBroker. This time it's #143641, which is in the range of others Dave has noted. 12 gauge, of course, with 28" barrels. It has a small crack at the head of the stock, so I have no interest in buying it. But these draw-bolt guns keep showing up, so the...

I keep seeing them. As we've discussed in prior threads, maybe more of them were made than we realized. This one is #143745 (I think I'm reading the serial number correctly), has 28" barrels. 12 gauge of course. It seems to be in good condition, but the LOP is only 13 11/16" which is a dea...

From 531xx to 538xx was transition. The highest serial number The Sterlingworth Co. gun I've recorded has Model 1911 on the forearm iron and the FOX PROOF mark on the barrel flat. I'd guess your gun is very late 1910 or early 1911. Thanks! The only thing on the forearm iron on this gun is the seria...

Here's serial number 53568, marked "The Sterlingworth Company" on the frame and barrels: SterlyPin02.JPG I think Researcher has seen Sterlingworth Company guns as high as the 538xx range, but this is still one of the higher numbers. What I believe is unusual is it has a Baker-style forearm...

The Savage made Sterlingworths were usually marked "Fox Sterlingworth" while the earlier Philadelphia SWs were simply marked "Sterlingworth." Savage bought the A. H. Fox Gun Company in late 1929 and moved production to Utica, NY. Based on that serial number, your gun was made in ...

Now there is another drawbolt Sterlingworth for sale on GunBroker, this one is #143641. 28" barrels. The head of the stock is cracked and that's a dealbreaker for me. I also saw #133897 for sale yesterday at the Richmond, VA gun show. Also a drawbolt gun, but I thought the price was too high fo...

Drawbolt Sterlingworths are supposed to be rare, but I've seen several for sale over the past 12 months (For more info on these guns, see Frank Srebro's article in the Winter 2014 Double Gun Journal). There is one for sale on GunBroker (serial #143437) with a low starting price, but the LOP is only ...

16 gauge extractor Sterlingworth with 28" barrels - 5 lbs 15 ozs.

I hadn't thought of that, but Dave's theory makes sense. The plug is right where the forearm screw goes.
No, Ansley probably wouldn't have approved, but he was long gone by this time....

Wonder what's going on with the dark circle in the checkering? It is the shape, size, and location where the escutcheon would be on an ejector gun. Almost looks like a plug of different colored wood there. If it were mine I would have to take the f/e iron off and look underneath it. While I haven't...

Researcher wrote:

Do you think it was normal practice for Savage to stamp the gun's serial number on a replacement forearm?

Absolutely.

Okay, then that probably explains things - the gun went to the Savage factory for a new forearm, but the chambers were not lengthened. Thanks!

Dave, thanks for your response. The gun is marked simply STERLINGWORTH on the sides of the frame. According to my chamber gauge, the chambers are well short of 2 3/4" so they have not been lengthened. There is a small oval stamped on the barrel flat, I can't read the letters inside clearly, but...

I have a 12 gauge extractor Sterlingworth, serial number 126759. The barrels are marked Philidelphia but the forearm is the type usually found on Utica guns. The serial number is stamped on the forearm wood and it matches the numbers found elsewhere on the gun. The safety, trigger guard and top leve...

Thanks Dave, based on your evidence it seems there were many more Drawbolt Sterlingworths made than I originally thought. I guess we can't know the exact number, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than two thousand of them produced. BTW, if you are keeping track, that Drawbolt Sterly I s...

I've read somewhere that probably less than 200 of the draw bolt Sterlingworths were made by Savage. I may never see another one for sale, but I thought it pretty odd that I've seen two in the past two months..... From the serial number spread of those I've recorded you could very likely put a 2 in...