Late Philly 16 Ejector Sterlingworth w/BTFE

[JasonPeck]

New to me... Late Philly 16 gauge Ejector Sterlingworth with 28" barrels and BTFE. Chambered 2 3/4". Choked M/F. Reblued but excellent bores. The bonus was a nice pair of snap caps.

[fox-admin]

Very nice Jason.

[SXS ohio]

How many of these did A.H. Fox build... Factory SW with BTF, I would think not many as they seldom/never come up for sale.....SXS Ohio

[vaturkey]

I owned a 20 gauge just like this one. I believe the BTFE was a Savage addition to the line. I understand they are hard to come by.

[Fin2Feather]

Do you think it's been restocked? Maybe it's just me but the pistol grip looks bigger and more pronounced than I'm used to.

[Researcher]

From the 1931 catalog and price lists onward a beavertail forearm was an option on graded guns. The first mention of a beavertail for a Fox-Sterlingworth was in the 1935 catalog for the newly introduced Fox-Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Gun. A beavertail was finally catalogued for a regular Fox-Sterlingworth beginning with the 1937 catalog.

Philadelphia era graded guns with beavertail forearms do exist. I'd been playing in the Ansley H. Fox game for over forty years before I saw a righteous Philadelphia era beavertail. I really doubt the A.H. Fox Gun Co. ever built a Sterlingworth with a beavertail forearm.

To these eyes the gun in question looks like a total restock.

[vaturkey]

Researcher that was my thoughts as well, but I wanted to have someone with more knowledge then me chime in. My gun is a late savage made Fox and marked "Fox Sterlingworth" on the side of the frame. My forearm was a bit bulkier then this one for sure and the gun had a non capped pistol grip. Serial number on mine was 270769.

[Silvers]

A 20 bore Phila Sterlingworth 25370x is out there with a factory beavertail on a forend iron with forged/integral "side wings", not the Fox/Utica horseshoe-shaped crossbrace. I owned it overnight in 2009 before returning to the dealer due to a cut barrel, and had pics of it but apparently lost them when migrating files two or three computers ago. There's a picture of a Fox beavertail with that same early Phila winged f/e iron in one of the DGJ's but I don't have that reference right now.

Also, a while back I had a chance to buy a 16 bore Phila Sterly that carded to a famous baseball player; I was never a baseball fan and his name escapes me right now but it wasn't Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth. That Sterly carded with a Kautzky, straight stock and a beavertail. Price was way too steep for me and I passed.

[JasonPeck]

I believe this is a Philly gun but with a Utica BTFE. The barrels are stamped 2 3/4" CHAMBER so this gun was returned to the factory in the Savage era and perhaps then also fitted for the BTFE. The forend metal includes the factory "yoke" side wing extensions, and the wood is stamped with the matching serial number.

Yet another issue is why the checkering is off center from the escutcheon. Perhaps non-factory checkering?

[Researcher]

FWIW this is a beavertail on a 16-gauge Fox-Sterlingworth Deluxe Ejector Field that letters.

372747 original card

372747 Fox-Special card

372747 Beavertail inside

372747 Beavertail exterior

The interior of this forearm is more then a bit chewed, probably by whoever repaired the crack in the thin wood, long before I owned it.

[Researcher]

Finding pictures of documented beavertails is tough. Here is a scan of a very poor photo of an extra set of barrels with beavertail forearm fitted to a Sterlingworth by Savage in 1969.

Extra set of barrels with beavertail forearm fitted by Savage in 1969

[vaturkey]

This is a Savage Beveratail forum I mentioned earlier. Sold it to a member last year.

[JasonPeck]

Well my guess was confirmed after removing the stock. The head is stamped with the serial number and an "R" suffix. Which I assume stands for factory "restock". First time I've seen this.

[SXS ohio]

You got a good one! Make a nice gun to shoot clays with and bird hunt. I worked up a clays load for my very light 1912 SW 5lb-12oz that is not so hard on the shoulder...light 16-s can be punishing and hard to hit with when I use factory loads. RST light is the only factory load that is friendly. SXS Ohio