Sterlingworth & Trojan

[rdhenley7]

Who is copying who?

[Researcher]

Trojan vs Sterlingworth -- Opinions being like a------s and everyone has one, I will risk venturing mine. As to workmanship, I'd say that when the Sterlingworth came out in 1910 as a $25 gun its workmanship was really quite good. The Trojan when it came out a couple of years later at $27.50 was also of good quality. After WW-I the prices went up steeply and by 1919 the Sterlingworth had a list price of $55. Fox then cut the price to $48 in 1922 then to $36.50 in 1926 and of course workmanship and wood quality suffered. While Parker did eliminate the rib extension on the Trojan overall quality stayed high and so did the price with a price of $51.50 in 1927 and $55 by 1929.

Parker Bros. Trojans in 12-gauge are built on the #2 frame and tend to be heavy. It is fairly easy to find 30-inch 12-gauge Sterlingworths right at 7 pounds and shorter barrels a bit under. Similarly I believe small bore Sterlingworths tend to run lighter than Trojans. Sterlingworths were offered in 26-, 28-, 30-, and 32-inch barrels in all three gauges while Trojans had a more limited selection of barrel lengths -- 30-, 28, and 26- inch in 12-gauge and only 28- and 26-inch in the small bores. There should also be many more Sterlingworths out there to choose from as Fox made about 96,000 in 12-gauge, 28,000 in 16-gauge and 21,000 in 20-gauge, as to about 33,000 total Trojans by the Brothers P. Also, Sterlingworths were available with ejectors and with the Fox-Kautzky single selective trigger. In the later 1930s the Fox-Sterlingworth was also offered in the straight gripped Skeet & Upland Game Gun version and with beavertail forearms. In their last few years, the Parker Trojan Grade was offered with the second generation Parker single selective trigger, but never with a beavertail or straight grip, though there is the experimental Parker Trojan Skeet Gun with a straight grip and beavertail in the Remington Museum.

FWIW, the Trojan used the J.C. Kremer & A.H. Fox, Patent No. 1,029,374, forearm fastening that was also used on some early Sterlingworths and graded Ansley H. Fox smallbores.

[MARSHFELLOW]

Good info Dave....I would have thought Parker made alot more Trojans than that.

tjw

[Researcher]

When the first Ansley H. Fox doubles saw the light of day in 1905, the Parker Bros. ads were saying "135000 in Sportsmen's hands." So, the Brothers P. only made about 107000 more guns while Fox made about 200000. It does seem like buyers who were going to fork over the dollars for a Parker wanted it to look like a Parker and paid the extra dollars for a VH-Grade quite often. A Sterlingworth looked like a Fox, and that seemed to satisfy the great bulk of Fox customers!?!

[Silvers]

Back in the day some of the sporting mag publishers offered guns to those who could drum up X number of new subscribers. Here's a copy of an advert from the October 1922 National Sportsman. Check the going rate for Sterlingworths, Trojans and other period shotguns. Much simpler times than today! Silvers

[MARSHFELLOW]

Thats neat Frank....I'm impressed by the extent of the list. yeah, what a simpler time.

tjw

[rdhenley7]

That is a neat advertisement to see, Silvers. I am sure that nobody would have thought then that with 120 subscriptions, they would have been smart to get 6 Winchester Model 36's for the best long-term investment, assuming they couldn't get sub-gauges unless listed.

A big part of me posting the two guns was to show the irony in Parker being upset over the dished hinge pins of the Philadelphia Arms and early Sterlingworth's (such as the one pictured), only to come out with the Trojan that was built strikingly similar to the Sterlingworth and for direct competition with it.

[Brian Dudley]

The whole recessed hinge pin on the early Sterlingworth guns as related to Parker's patent design, I think, is a debated topic and I do not know if anyone knows truely what went down at the time. But they are interesting guns.

I think that the Trojan was introduced as a reaction to price competition and catered to the shooter that wanted a PARKER at a lower price. At the time they were made, the Trojan was the most poular selling gun in Parker's offering.

No doubt the Trojan lacked many options and Parker was not at all flexible on configurations. That is where Fox had the edge with the price concious sportsman. The Sterlingworth offered many more options and a lot of flexibility in ordering/buying a gun. And with all the options on a Sterlingworth, I am sure it was significantly less than a Parker VHE with comparable options.

And yes, the 16g Sterlingworths are a light gun with that 20/16g frame.

[eightbore]

I am fairly sure that 99% of Trojans and Sterlingworths were purchased by the ultimate "users" from retail stores, mostly hardware and bicycle shops. The existence of single trigger Trojans, ejector Sterlingworths, and small bore 32" Sterlingworths, is "maybe" the result of the factories sending spec guns to retailers unsolicited, not neccesarily special orders from individual customers. The availability of certain features on some guns that aren't available on others is a mystery that is probably explained more by marketing and finance than by any other explanation. To explain my opinion: Why would Parker make a 28 gauge Trojan when their total 28 gauge production was maybe 100 guns a year. Whey would Fox make a .410 when Parker could only sell 30 a year?