Sterlingworth Pin Gun designer?

[bamboozler]

Who is the person(s) that can be credited with the design of the A.H. Fox Sterlingworth Pin Gun---was it Ansley himself? What year was it?

[Researcher]

Sterlingworth -- When Ansley H. Fox, was forced to add a lower priced gun to his line of graded Ansley H. Fox guns, in 1910, he didn't want to detract from the A.H. Fox Gun Co. name, so they dummied up "The Sterlingworth Company." The first year’s guns, beginning with serial number 50,000, were marked as being "Made By The Sterlingworth Company, Philadelphia, U.S.A." Actually the first few hundred were marked "Wayne Junction" instead of Philadelphia. They even produced a separate The Sterlingworth Gun Co. catalogue for 1910. These guns were built under the same patents as the graded Ansley H. Fox guns. The main moneysaving features were an American Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) stock as opposed to the more costly European thin shell walnut (Juglans regia) stocks on the graded guns, and the "Sterlingworth Fluid Steel" barrels instead of Krupp Fluid Steel barrels. Workmanship on these early Sterlingworths was generally excellent, better than graded guns from the 1920's and 30's. The early "The Sterlingworth Company" guns had a rounded front for the side panel of the frames. According to my list of observed specimens that was changed to the same pointed profile as the graded guns by #51,301.

In 1911 this field grade gun was added to the A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalogue as the Model 1911. "Model 1911" is stamped in the forearm iron. (A very few graded guns made about this time are stamped Model 1910) The lowest Model 1911 serial number I've recorded is #53,140. All of these early Sterlingworths had a recessed hinge-pin head like Parkers, or Ansley's earlier guns made in Baltimore and the Philadelphia Arms Company A.H. Fox gun. The highest "pin gun" Sterlingworth serial number I've recorded is # 62,244.

[bamboozler]

Thank you for your response Researcher.

So the information we have is that it was designed by Ansley himself and not someone else's design that Ansley had obtained a patent for, is that your understanding? Do we know of any Fox pin guns built in anything other than a 12-ga.?

[Researcher]

The Sterlingworths built by The Sterlingworth Co. were stamped with the same patent dates as A.H. Fox Gun Co. graded guns.

No. Don't know of any Fox pin guns in other than 12-gauge. I've handled some very low serial number smallbore Sterlingworths and they've had a smooth dressed hinge pin.

[spyder]

I know less about Fox guns than anyone on this site but I'll offer up this. In his book, McIntosh speculated that Fox used actions left over from Philadelphia Arms Co. (the predecessor to the AH Fox Gun Co) for the early Sterlingworths. Those older PAC guns had exposed hinge pins, hence the term "Pin Guns" for the first Sterlingworths. I couldn't tell you if Ansley designed the PAC gun frame, but whoever did took a cue from the Parker Gun.

[Twice Barrel]

I couldn't tell you if Ansley designed the PAC gun frame, but whoever did took a cue from the Parker Gun.

And from L C Smith for the barrel extension and rotary bolt locking system.

[mc15426378]

How about this gun? Copied from a Parkaah? Did Ansley use this gun as an example for his pin gun design?





Mike

[Researcher]

Nah!! I'm pretty sure that is an Edward H. Elder design.

I'm even more sure that Mike was wrong in his speculation that early Sterlingworths were made from left over Philadelphia Arms receivers. A PAC receiver is much longer than an A.H. Fox Gun Co. receiver.

[Researcher]

The Patent for the lock mechanism of the PAC gun was granted to Harry H. Fox, Ansley's younger brother, and a Patent for ejectors, which as far as I know PAC never built, was granted to Max Wirsing, both of Baltimore, MD. Both of those Patents were assigned to Philadelphia Arms Co. I suspect that possibly this was done to make sure Ansley was clear of his association with Winchester Repeating Arms Co. The Patent for the rotary bolting of the Philadelphia Arms Co. was granted to Ansley H. Fox after he had left Philadelphia Arms Co. and founded A.H. Fox Gun Co., and was assigned to AHFGCo. The PAC rotary bolt was driven by a coil spring, while the Alexander T. Brown rotary bolt was driven by a V-spring.

[Twice Barrel]

The Patent for the rotary bolting of the Philadelphia Arms Co. was granted to Ansley H. Fox after he had left Philadelphia Arms Co. and founded A.H. Fox Gun Co., and was assigned to AHFGCo. The PAC rotary bolt was driven by a coil spring, while the Alexander T. Brown rotary bolt was driven by a V-spring.

Seems as though the Fox boys were adept at taking a good idea and making it better.

[Researcher]

By the time Ansley H. Fox was getting into building double barrel shotguns the hammerless double was pretty well evolved. Everything was just refinement and simplification (except for Charles King with the hammerless Parker Bros., but he built them so well the complexity isn't really an issue!!) of the basic themes set down by Anson & Deeley and W.W. Greener in his Patent Hammerless Lock often called Facile Princeps.