My Newly refurbed "C" grade 12

[tnmike]

This is my first fox just back from the restorer. I purchased it around the first of the year and researched restorers for awhile and got some excellent advice from several of the participants of this site. The goal was to take it as close to back to "Philadelphia new" as we could. I think we got close. It will go dove hunting with me in just a few days!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133761162 ... res/02r61i

[abner]

Very nice! What is the length of the barrels, chokes, and is that the original wood refinished?

[MARSHFELLOW]

nice work. Handsome gun.

tjw

[ROMAC]

The wood on those early Fox's was just outstanding.

Very nice restoration.

Romac

[simcgunner]

wonderful high grade Fox, ready for another hundred years.

[vaturkey]

This is my first fox just back from the restorer. I purchased it around the first of the year and researched restorers for awhile and got some excellent advice from several of the participants of this site. The goal was to take it as close to back to "Philadelphia new" as we could. I think we got close. It will go dove hunting with me in just a few days!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133761162 ... res/02r61i

Really nice work. Who did the restoration?

[SmithShady]

Hi tnmike,

I use Flickr to post all of my photos, and there is a quick way to grab the BB Code so that photos can be displayed within the post. Hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of copying them to this post so that members could enjoy them without having to jump to another site. It's a great looking CE by the way, fantastic restoration and some good camera work as well!

Thanks for taking the time to snap and post the pics,

Mike

dads gun 003 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 004 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 006 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 007 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 009 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 010 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 014 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 020 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 023 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 025 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 027 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 028 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 030 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 033 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 034 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 038 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 040 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 044 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 045 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 047 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

dads gun 049 by Rachel Russell, on Flickr

[Researcher]

Is it any wonder Ansley went broke putting wood like that in a net price $70 gun!! Beautiful!!

[tnmike]

Thanks for the nice comments. And thanks SmithShady for the better posting of the pictures. I am going to post the before pictures now also as the transformation is amazing. The restorer was Bill Schwarz in East Ellijay Ga. Bill doesn't believe in the internet or any web presence but is one of the most knowledgeable "old gun" guys you will ever meet. He knew we had to bone and charcoal case harden the receiver and point up the checkering etc. When I would call him with some fact I had just gleaned from this site about the early guns he would politely tell me he was aware and I quickly realized my input was really not needed. I knew he was the right guy when I drove the 6 hours to N. Ga to hand deliver the gun and found he lived by a running stream with the shop behind the house at an address that my GPS gave up on. He also had a wolf tied to a tree which alarmed my wife a little. (I think the wolf watches the shop when he is gone)

http://www.mwreynolds.com/HTML/shotFoxCgrade14467.html

This should show the before pictures. Note that someone had put an old marbles compass in the stock and Bill filled it beautifully.

It is the original wood with 28" barrels choked Imp Cyl/Lt.Mod 13 3/4 LOP and it weighs in at 6lbs and 13 oz. I have the letter and the card and the only change from the factory is that the left barrel choke was opened from the original Improved Modified. I am smitten and haven't even fired it yet!

Bill sent the receiver to have the engraving touched up to Ellis Sawyer in Washington NC. Bill recut the checkering and refinished the wood and metal and did ALL other work. My daughter took the pictures so I guess I am just the lucky user.

[vaturkey]

Thanks for the nice comments. And thanks SmithShady for the better posting of the pictures. I am going to post the before pictures now also as the transformation is amazing. The restorer was Bill Schwarz in East Ellijay Ga. Bill doesn't believe in the internet or any web presence but is one of the most knowledgeable "old gun" guys you will ever meet. He knew we had to bone and charcoal case harden the receiver and point up the checkering etc. When I would call him with some fact I had just gleaned from this site about the early guns he would politely tell me he was aware and I quickly realized my input was really not needed. I knew he was the right guy when I drove the 6 hours to N. Ga to hand deliver the gun and found he lived by a running stream with the shop behind the house at an address that my GPS gave up on. He also had a wolf tied to a tree which alarmed my wife a little. (I think the wolf watches the shop when he is gone)

http://www.mwreynolds.com/HTML/shotFoxCgrade14467.html

This should show the before pictures. Note that someone had put an old marbles compass in the stock and Bill filled it beautifully.

It is the original wood with 28" barrels choked Imp Cyl/Lt.Mod 13 3/4 LOP and it weighs in at 6lbs and 13 oz. I have the letter and the card and the only change from the factory is that the left barrel choke was opened from the original Improved Modified. I am smitten and haven't even fired it yet!

Bill sent the receiver to have the engraving touched up to Ellis Sawyer in Washington NC. Bill recut the checkering and refinished the wood and metal and did ALL other work. My daughter took the pictures so I guess I am just the lucky user.

I had Bill totally restore a Parker VH 12 gauge that I purchased from California. Someone had drilled a hole in the buttstock and then poured molten lead in the hole to balance the gun. It was a number 2 frame 30" Parker that had never been apart. Anyway, over time either the lead expanded or the buttstock shrank and the stock had a crack on both sides. Bill totally restored the gun for me and that included drilling out all the old lead. Anyway, did a wonderful job IMO. I kept the gun for quite a few years and then sold it to a Maine duck hunter who is still whacking ducks with it. The only problem I had truly was the gun was too nice to hunt with and the other bigger problem was it wasn't a Fox.

[jolly bill]

Gorgeous buttstock.

Question about Bill Schwarz: Did he or his father work for Bob Lefever in Lee Center NY near Utica? They had all sorts of side by side parts and did a lot of work on old doubles. I'm not certain of the spelling of his last name.

Jolly

[vaturkey]

Gorgeous buttstock.

Question about Bill Schwarz: Did he or his father work for Bob Lefever in Lee Center NY near Utica? They had all sorts of side by side parts and did a lot of work on old doubles. I'm not certain of the spelling of his last name.

Jolly

I don't know, but I know that Bill is a Lefever collector and shooter as well as big into classic single shot rifles. I however don't know his background beyond that.

PS. Found this picture of the Parker he restored for me:

[bbman3]

That is a wonderful C grade. Bobby

[Fin2Feather]

Niiiiice!

[fox-admin]

The early C's are some of the best AH Fox guns produced---beautiful thanks for posting. Craig Larter