unusual Fox

[dennyibrandt]

Found a 12ga with 30" bbls......marked FOX on side of receiver...Serial# is 511....Barrels have no markings other than 511......no grade indication...1904 patent on water table...no pictures of it in McIntosh.....Wondering if some other manufacturer also made a FOX side by side??.....DEN

[Researcher]

Are you talking a Philadelphia Arms Co. FOX gun?

Philadelphia Arms Co. serial number 526

Early examples were roll-stamped on the left watertable in rather large block letters "PAT'D AUG 16, 1904". Later examples had a smaller letter roll stamp "PAT. AUG. 16, 1904". The entry-level A-Grades generally don't have the grade stamped on them while the B- and higher grades do.

Normally they have a panel in the rib matting, like a Parker Bros. double, with "PHILADELPHIA ARMS CO., MAKERS, PHILA., PA., KRUPP FLUID STEEL".

If it is a PAC gun, pictures and specs would be nice so I can add it to my table of observed examples.

[dennyibrandt]

Yes,Never noticed any markings in the rib....Will get pix if I get gun....Thank You, DEN

[Researcher]

Dennis sent me some photographs of the gun.

511 Right Side

511 Inside

511 Forearm

511 Butt

I'll do the rest in a second post.

[Researcher]

Here are the rest.

511 Right Quarter

511 Barrel Sling Swivel

511 Left Quarter

With no surviving records, I don't believe there is any way we can definitively say whether or not the recoil pad and sling swivels are "factory." Certainly look like they could have been there 112 years. Dennis mentioned the gun was hard to close when loaded and he had to have the rim recess recut. It does seem that a lot of "modern" shotshells have thicker rims then older shells. Getting the rim recess recut seems to be especially prevalent in Parker Bros. 28-gauges.

[eightbore]

I love that recoil pad.