Can someone tell me where if there exists a guide to determining what year a Fox was manufactured by providing the serial number?
Thank you.
SW Year of Manufacture
SW Year of Manufacture
"The gun is seldom responsible for the misses. The fault lies with the chap who is looking down the barrel." Burton Spiller
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Back in the 1960s or 70s, the Savage historian at the time, Roe Clark, put together a serial number list and it was published by Lightner Library in 1976. It has been reproduced many times in many places including by Galazan -- http://www.doublegunshop.com/dgsnos1.htm
I have some real problems with this listing, especially in the Savage years. The only real way to know for sure is to get a letter on the gun from the Savage historian, John T Callahan at 53 Old Quarry Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Provide the serial number, gauge, and grade and enclose a check for $30 for Sterlingworths and $40 for graded guns. You will receive a letter in 4-8 weeks.
I have guns that letter as many as five years off the "list." I have photocopies of a number of the pages that Roe Clark used to tabulate the graded smallbore numbers for McIntosh's book. He tabulated 50 serial numbers per page. During the 1930s sales were so slow on graded smallbores that some of these blocks of 50 show guns being shipped a decade or more apart.
I have some real problems with this listing, especially in the Savage years. The only real way to know for sure is to get a letter on the gun from the Savage historian, John T Callahan at 53 Old Quarry Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Provide the serial number, gauge, and grade and enclose a check for $30 for Sterlingworths and $40 for graded guns. You will receive a letter in 4-8 weeks.
I have guns that letter as many as five years off the "list." I have photocopies of a number of the pages that Roe Clark used to tabulate the graded smallbore numbers for McIntosh's book. He tabulated 50 serial numbers per page. During the 1930s sales were so slow on graded smallbores that some of these blocks of 50 show guns being shipped a decade or more apart.
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Fox Date of Manufacture
Researcher:
Thank you. That was most helpful. After looking at the list I am slightly confused. I have a SW with the SN 262443. The barrels say Philadelphia and the frame side has "Sterlingworth" rather than "Fox Sterlingworth," but the list would seem to suggest that the gun was built in 1930 which to my understanding was the first year for the Savage Arms Fox. My suspicion is that the gun was built in 1929 and the list may not be 100% accurate as you suggested.
Regards,
Bonasa
Thank you. That was most helpful. After looking at the list I am slightly confused. I have a SW with the SN 262443. The barrels say Philadelphia and the frame side has "Sterlingworth" rather than "Fox Sterlingworth," but the list would seem to suggest that the gun was built in 1930 which to my understanding was the first year for the Savage Arms Fox. My suspicion is that the gun was built in 1929 and the list may not be 100% accurate as you suggested.
Regards,
Bonasa
"The gun is seldom responsible for the misses. The fault lies with the chap who is looking down the barrel." Burton Spiller
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From my table I keep on observed specimens the transition from Philadelphia marked 20-gauge Sterlingworths to being solidly into Utica marked guns stretches from 259354 the lowest serial number Utica gun I've recorded to 262687, the highest serial number Philadelphia gun I've recorded. Then 262874 is a totally Philadelphia gun marked Sterlingworth on the side of the frame and has the big letters barrel stamp --
http://www.foxcollectors.com/barrel_stamps.htm
see the next to the bottom picture.
http://www.foxcollectors.com/barrel_stamps.htm
see the next to the bottom picture.
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