Foxers at the Southern SxS

[Silvers]

The Spring Southern has been home to the long time and excellent Parker - LC Smith Challenge event and it draws their shooters from across the country. Many of us Foxers are members of one or both Associations, and participate with our Elsies or Parkaahs in the Challenge Qualification, 5 stand shooting and the sporting courses. Along with being there to look at/trade/sell/buy fine vintage side by sides.

With all this said, we'd like to let our users and members know that the AHFCA has been working with Bill Kempffer, owner of Deep River Sporting Clays where the Southern is held, and Bill has kindly offered to provide an hospitality area for our members and guests. Speaking for the BD's I don't know what that looks like right now but we're thinking those of us who are at the Southern will arrange for a shade tent or similar in the "hot spot" at the Challenge parking and staging area. If not there, we will be obvious wherever Bill decides. Those of you who attend are of course welcome to bring your Fox guns for show & tell and to shoot on the courses. Also, be sure to bring a folding chair and maybe a cooler/soft drinks/munchies etc to share with your old and new Fox comrades. Please note, this IS NOT an official AHFCA event as those of us who attend are merely participants in the Southern SxS at Deep River Sporting Clays. I am posting this for information only.

http://www.southernsidebyside.com/

[fox-admin]

Franks: Thanks for setting this up we appreciate your efforts. Craig

[mc15426378]

WooHooo!!! Thanks Frank. Hope to see everyone next month at the Southern.

Mike

[Big Friend Ten]

See you there!

[SmithShady]

Thanks Frank for setting this up. Living only a few minutes away from Deep River, I hope you and or the rest of the BOD will let me know if there is anything I can do to help with the setup or stocking of this hospitality tent. That of course goes for the regular AHFCA booth as well.

Mike

[Silvers]

Thanks for offering your help Mike. Just to clarify for readers, the Fox hospitality area is in lieu of a booth in one of the vendor tents.

[jim garrett]

What would it take to make the Southern an AHFCA event? Jim Garrett

[MARSHFELLOW]

whiskey and cigarettes????.......

[Silvers]

I'm not the Events Chairman but here's my perspective. The Southern has hosted the annual LC Smith/Parker Challenge for many years now, and our colleagues have a a high quality, respected shooting event as it has been and is currently structured. Also, setting up/staffing a display booth anywhere requires significant effort. The Fox BD's who do get to the Southern do it as a busman's holiday with our own Parkers and Smiths, before rolling up our sleeves just one month later for the AHFCA display booth and our Bo-Whoop Long Range Championship at the NE Side by Side = May 31 to June 2 this year. Frank Silvers

http://www.hhhsc.net/

[SmithShady]

Hey Tom, how about some Utica Club? Isn't it the official beer of the AHFCA?

[Researcher]

What would it take to make the Southern an AHFCA event? Jim Garrett

It would take members volunteering to set up the booth, man the booth, bring the guns and materials to display, etc. If there are no volunteers to do these things, they are not going to happen.

Dave Noreen

[NeilC]

I will attend and am looking forward to talk to those that will be there.

[Silvers]

Well the Spring Southern has come and gone, and many of us are now back home. Again, this was not an official AHFCA event and those of us were there to shoot the courses, participate in the LC Smith - Parker Challenge and Hammer Gun events, also for the camaraderie and to buy/sell/trade guns. I won't report on the events because there are posts on them on both Associations' boards.

First off I want to thank our member Mike Smith for going well out of his way to secure and set up at tent for our hospitality area, along with bringing a big cooler filled with soft drinks and ice. Mike also brought some excellent apples for snacks. Mike Covington and I staffed the tent in the Challenge area on/off and we had a chance to talk with many Fox members and some new prospects.

I saw quite a few Foxes including 5 CE 12 gauge guns, one of them a smokin' hot screamer with full capped pistol grip and original hang tag and LOM case that was sold about 2 minutes before by a walk in gent. Long story on that one. I tried 3X to get a sale price from the buyer but he says it's going into his collection. Just too many Foxes for sale to detail here but in summary there were plenty of smallbore SW's extractor and some ejector guns, many 12 gauge SW's, a quite few A Grades, two B's that I saw, the aforementioned five C Grades, no Supers, two X's, no D's, and of course no F's. Also looked at one K Grade SBT that had some modifications. Also at a very nice straight grip A Grade 16 28" but couldn't get to the walk in gent's price, I later saw it on a dealer's table and he told me confidentailly he paid about what I'd offered. Oh well. A 16 30" SW with probably 1-weights kept pulling at me but I finally passed. Got some intel on a CE 20 coming into a dealer next week and gave it to a good friend. Also heard about another Fox I'll follow up on myself. Prices on honest guns haven't eroded and have increased maybe 5-10% - from what I saw. A good friend found a probably unfired jewel, not a Fox, to add to his collection and i am so happy for him.... a very very rare gun that handled like a magic wand. I left here with 2 guns for sale/trade and was mainly looking for grouse-upland guns. I came home with 5 guns, three excellent grousers one each 12-16-20. Also a 12 gauge Drawbolt SW with ejectors and factory BT, the only one in that configuration I've ever seen or heard of. 98+% original gun that probably deserves an article somewhere. Overall it was a good trip with 1260 miles on the odometer. As our Toolman says "ya ain't gonna find em in yur living room".

Frank

[fox-admin]

Nice report Frank, thanks to Mike and Mike for helping out with the Fox hospitality!
Can't wait to see your new 30" BT Sterly----sounds very cool.

[mc15426378]

Yes the Southern has come and gone much too quickly. Seemed like I had just arrived when it was time to hit the road for home. Put a little over 1,500 hundred miles on my ride......trip was approx. 11 hours each way.

For those that have not attended, the sheer number of guns can make a fella's head hurt trying to give them all a good look. Then there are the accoutrements to check which are also in high numbers.

I'd also like to thank Mike Smith for his generous help, Southern hospitality, and especially the heads up on a special gun that rode home with me. Thanks Mike.

Lots of gents stopped by to see what the Foxers were up to and I got to meet many SxS brothers that are members of the Parker/Smith Assns.

Here's a heads up for all......a new reality show will be coming to your TV soon.......Double Gun Pickers starring our very own Silvers......to say the least the show at the Southern was impressive and educational.

Craig, Frank's "picks" are all nice but the BT Sterly is a really cool piece.

One last thought......while my ride...both ways was long.....the ride home was more bearable knowing I had a new member of my "harem" in the back seat. If you don't go....you'll never know.

Mike