custom fox 16ga in progress

[Sam Ogle]

Ken Hurst was part of the long process. He engraved the receiver, then became so sick he just didn't finish. He lost his wife, he was sick, and kept assuring me he was working on the gun when he wasn't. He kept telling me his back just hurt so bad he could only work on the barrels a little at a time when he wasn't working on them at all. When I had finally had enough, which was way too long on my part, (years) a fellow I met through The DoubleGunBBS, picked up the (rusty) barrels for me and shipped them back to Dan. I cannot dislike Ken Hurst, he is a southern gentleman, but he cost me years on this project. It would have been so nice to have worked with Robert Strosin from the get-go, had I only known. In the meantime, Anthony and Dan went their separate ways, and I turned to Dan who was always nice, gracious, and would be the kind of friend we would all like to have.

Sam

[vaturkey]

Agree with Sam 100% on Ken. He also had the Abby Gun for 18 months and was too sick/ill to even start it. Dan recommended that I go down and pick up the gun in order to get it completed so I could hunt with Abby with her gun before she was done. I did indeed pick up the gun and had another engraver (Jack Jones) finish it for me in a very short time so I could indeed take it out with Abby as her health was declining rapidly. We managed to get in a preserve hunt with the gun about a year before she passed. FWIW, Ken did some outstanding work and was the go to engraver for lots of folks for years and years. Back in Ken's good days, he was very fast and very reasonably priced as compared to many. However, declining health robbed him of his abilities and therefor quite a bit of work went undone for a few years. I will say I enjoyed speaking with him and talking southern bbq and stories. Lots and lots of stories.

[Silvers]

Some really nice work on that 16 by Danny and his team. Dan has done some semi-custom Foxes for me too, but nothing as elaborate as some of his current work. And he's a friend who is rock solid as a person and craftsman.

I knew about Ken through postings on the doublegunshop site for many years before I met him at the Southern SxS about 12 tears ago. I was sitting in one of the rockers on the clubhouse deck looking over the event and this gent dressed in bibbed jeans sat down next to me and we started to talk. Turned out it was Ken and we hitted it right off. He spoke deliberately and well, and after a few minutes he impressed me as a solid, unimposing man and real southern gentleman. I had a shooting vest with a small star sewn on, that was pieced from cotton fabric, and he spotted and asked about it. Star was a good luck charm from my wife who is into quilting and it turns out Ken's wife was also a quilter, and that got us into a round of talk about our wives. Meanwhile other gents kept coming by and saying hello to Ken. I wasn't at the Southern for a couple of years after that and the next time I looked for Ken he was there and remembered me and we chatted about our wives again. A year or two later I read on doublegunshop about his wife passing and how he was having a hard time keeping up with the engraving work but was trying his best. I really felt for him, as a spouse who had just lost a lifelong loving partner, and thought about how that would be so very tough and turn your whole world upside down. Who of us could bounce back from that without it greatly affecting us and our work - especially work done alone in a shop or studio? I really liked how Sam and Tom reflected that in their posts for this fine southern gentleman who had done some outstanding work for many years.

[Sam Ogle]

Ken Hurst engraved the receiver, then quit working on the gun. He had his wife die, he got sick, he just tapered off and never finished the gun. He was really sick, not faking it.
I do not condemn Ken; he is a southern gentleman of the old school. BUT if it were not for a helluva nice guy who helped me out, the barrels would still be there. I like Ken, but would definitely not recommend him to anyone.
Robert Strosin is a master, and is fast........HE, I would strongly recommend!

Sam Ogle

[Sam Ogle]

The "Helluva nice guy's" name is Bill Davis. He picked up the barrels for me from Ken's.
We have never met in person, but if you meet him, he's a first class guy!
Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

[vaturkey]

Bill Davis is well known by many. Seems to have a real love for Ithaca guns as I recall, but its certainly not limited to Ithaca.

[Sam Ogle]

It's Back!

The mailman delivered it 30 minutes ago.
I will, with help send you Guys before and after pictures.

Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

[Mike of the Mountain]

Sam, can't wait for those pix!!!