Correct Sterly Stock?

[nhshooter]

I'm one of those "newer" members who just seems to ask questions at this point in my Fox education, so here goes another one. The serial # of this Sterly is 265765. Is the stock configuration correct for this year gun? Thanks.

[fox-admin]

Looks to be correct for a late Utica era Sterlingworth.

[nhshooter]

Thank you for the reply.

[Researcher]

The lowest serial number Fox-Sterlingworth I've recorded with that style stock and forearm is a 30-inch barrel gun which apparently lingered in inventory a long time before actually selling as it is in the 259xxx range. The general transition in 20-gauge from Philadelphia Sterlingworths to Utica Fox-Sterlingworths is in the mid-262xxx range. I see from the notes in my table that 262717 letters from 1934. Sales of 20-gauge guns was sllooowwww in those Great Depression years. I use to own 265642, which lettered as being shipped in 1938, and looked exactly like the gun in question. It had been a 21st birthday gift, in 1938, to an old friend in Southern Maryland. It had over 60 years been intimate with every barbed wire fence and thorney growth in Southern Maryland. When Henry, who had great English Setters for over 50 years, was no longer hunting he passed it on to me, just before Dove season opened in 1997. I shot quite a few Doves with it over the next five seasons, then when I left the DC area I passed it on to another Southern Maryland Setter man, as I felt that is where it should stay. He sent me a picture of it a couple of years ago with a New York State Ruffed Grouse he'd taken with it.

Looks like this may be a good place to mention it again, but I have not recorded any 20-gauge Fox-Sterlingworths from the high 265xxx range to the low 270xxx range. It is looking to me like 4000 serial numbers were skipped. Anyone have a gun in the 266xxx, 267,xxx, 268xxx or 269xxx range?

[nhshooter]

Researcher, thanks. This gun is also a 20 gauge. Unfortunately, the pics from the seller are VERY poor, phone pics I am sure. It is hard to determine condition with such poor pictures. The seller has absolutely no knowledge of guns, let alone Fox guns, so getting a description is hard also. Thanks again for your help, Steve

[3birddogs]

Researcher, I have 2 20 ga Sterlingworths, late Utica with serial #'s 266019--28" barrels choked cyl/mod on my choke guage, w/ 40-50% case colors and #266435,also a 28" W/ IC/Mod. I have never looked up any more info on these guns, but they are in very good condition.