A Fox Came Out of the Den Today

afoxshooter · Post by **afoxshooter** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:17 pm

Greetings all. I am a short time lurker, first time poster. I just wanted to share a brief, feel-good story with all of the posters and readers on this forum.

I recently came into possession of my great-grandfather's AH Fox shotgun. The markings are H 28XXX. We are still waiting for a factory letter to arrive to tell us more about the origins of this magnificent piece.

My great-grandfather enjoyed spending a lot of time out in the fields. When he passed on, the shotgun went to my grandfather. My grandfather had the stock extended sometime in the 1950's and continued to use it off and on until he passed away in the early '60's.

From there, the gun spent a considerable amount of time being tucked away in the back of my uncle's closet. It made a brief appearance in 1969 to rid a garden of pesky rabbit, and then did not surface until recently.

Through a fortunate series of events, I took ownership of the gun a few weeks ago. Today, my father and I were able to make it out to shoot some clay pigeons for the first time in our lives. Although our accuracy left a lot to be desired, the shotgun functioned flawlessly and we had a great time. It was awesome to have the opportunity to enjoy an activity that my grandfather and great-grandfather enjoyed doing, using the same gun that they used. We look forward to taking the Fox out as time and opportunity permits.

Prior to this outing, I took the shotgun to a reputable gunsmith in my area. He gave it the green light to be fired and he recommended a few loads for it. We decided on 75 shells of Winchester AA Low Recoil, Low Noise, Target Load (2 3/4 inch, 26 Gram, 8 Shot), and 25 shells of Winchester Super X Game Loads (2 3/4 inch, 1 oz, 7 1/2 Lead Shot). Shooting both loads was very comfortable and pleasant.

The gun will receive a thorough cleaning tomorrow, and I am reading up on how to properly lubricate and care for it. I doubt the Fox will go another 38 years without being fired!

Any input or advice on proper maintenance beyond cleaning the barrels and surfaces is greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone can recommend some other loads that are safe to shoot out of the Fox, I would enjoy learning about them.

And now, some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

eightbore · Post by **eightbore** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:54 pm

Give us your exact serial number. Maybe one of us has the "numbermate" for your gun. I'm sure you don't care, but a nice HE Grade today should bring at least five grand, maybe more. What a neat gun. Don't let anyone disrespect your gun because the stock has been altered. It is all part of the charm of your family gun.

FRBRIT · Post by **FRBRIT** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:57 pm

Great story! This is the stuff that makes these guns so special, I just wish all the old guns could talk and tell their stories.

I take it your Grandfather must have been a tall man to need the stock lengthened this much. I wish you many good times with it and be sure to pass it and the story on to the next generation.

Post by **fox-admin** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:58 pm

Great story about the family HE. The HE is a highly sought after Fox, congratulations and it is great you are shooting it again. Your gun is very stout and should be able to handle lead loads and non-toxics designed for vintage guns. I like the Remington 1oz Gun Club Shells.

Researcher · Post by **Researcher** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:49 pm

Great family heirloom! Wonderful that another Super-Fox is out of the closet and being used. Is it chambered for 3-inch shells? Could you post pictures of the markings on the watertable and barrel flats? Mine which was new in July 1928 is 3-inch chambered and digested a lot of 3-inch 1 5/8 ounce lead loads in the 1960s and 70s. Mine also dropped quite a few Northern Virginia Canada Geese in the late 1990s to 2002 using 1 3/8 and 1 5/8 ounce Bismuth loads.

FOXIST · Post by **FOXIST** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:19 pm

Nice He grade!! Welcome aboard afoxshooter. Looks as if your Grandfather might have done a little trap shooting with those stock modifications. I will bet that ole "Super Fox smokes those clays. Paul

afoxshooter · Post by **afoxshooter** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:29 pm

Thank you all for the interest in my post. Yes, this is quite a bit of family history and my dad and I are enjoying learning all we can. I just received news this morning that the Factory Letter is in the mail and should arrive in a few days. My dad has already read through McIntosh's book, and it is on my to do list.

From what I have gathered, my grandfather was considerably taller/larger than his father and he was the one who had the stock extended. Why he did not try to match the wood is beyond me, but it does add to the character of the gun. My grandfather was interested in trap shooting and fly-fishing.

The Super Fox did a good job of busting up the clays yesterday and was a lot more accurate than the two rookie shooters!

It will be fun to stay in touch with this site and learn more about vintage shotguns, as well as any more about the HE grades. Here are a few more pictures, I am not completely familiar with the terminology of parts, so if the watertable is not shown let me know and I will get more pictures up in the next couple of days.

Researcher · Post by **Researcher** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:26 pm

It appears your gun at least started life as a 2 3/4 inch chambered gun. My gun was started February 23, 1927, and shipped July 31, 1928, to Kennedy Bros. in StPaul. It letters with 3-inch chambers, is marked "3 IN" and "Barrels Not Guaranteed - See Tag."

I'm really looking forward to the day we actually find a Super-Fox tag!!