Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
-
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:01 am
- Location: New Mexico- Central Alabama
- Has thanked: 20 times
- Been thanked: 17 times
Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
At some time in the 1930s, Fox offered a Sterlingworth Waterfowl gun with HE weight barrels and alleged chambering options.
There may have even been small brochures offering this gun well after the move to New York state. Bert Becker remained in
Philadelphia. There may have been HE barrels left as the country slipped deeper into the Depression era-and Fox decided to offer
this option in hopes of selling a more attractively priced heavy double. I believe the American Rifleman ran an article years back
reflecting this waterfowl Sterlingworth -titled Fox Sterlingworth-A Good Gun-Cheap" or something to that effect.
Has anyone run across a heavy HE-barreled Sterlingworth-answering this description?
Any articles or literature?
There may have even been small brochures offering this gun well after the move to New York state. Bert Becker remained in
Philadelphia. There may have been HE barrels left as the country slipped deeper into the Depression era-and Fox decided to offer
this option in hopes of selling a more attractively priced heavy double. I believe the American Rifleman ran an article years back
reflecting this waterfowl Sterlingworth -titled Fox Sterlingworth-A Good Gun-Cheap" or something to that effect.
Has anyone run across a heavy HE-barreled Sterlingworth-answering this description?
Any articles or literature?
-
- Posts: 661
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:49 pm
- Been thanked: 1 time
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
do a search on wildfowl and you will find a few discussions of this model
"If there is a heaven it must have thinning aspen gold, and flighting woodcock, and a bird dog" GBE
-
- Posts: 5557
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:18 pm
- Location: WA/AK
- Has thanked: 242 times
- Been thanked: 1286 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
https://www.foxcollectors.com/fox-gun-g ... circa-1935
The Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grade first appears on the 1934 Retail Prices sheet stuck in the retail catalogs
and in the Wholesale Price List --
For 1935, 36, and 37 the Sterlingworth Wildfowl appears in the Wholesale Price Lists --
It doesn't appear on any Fox paper I have for 1938, but McIntosh mentions a 1938 price for it which must have come from a Jobbers or Distributor's Price List.
The Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grade first appears on the 1934 Retail Prices sheet stuck in the retail catalogs
and in the Wholesale Price List --
For 1935, 36, and 37 the Sterlingworth Wildfowl appears in the Wholesale Price Lists --
It doesn't appear on any Fox paper I have for 1938, but McIntosh mentions a 1938 price for it which must have come from a Jobbers or Distributor's Price List.
Share the knowledge
-
- Posts: 5557
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:18 pm
- Location: WA/AK
- Has thanked: 242 times
- Been thanked: 1286 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
It is back in the 1939 Wholesale Price List --
For 1940 it makes its only retail catalog appearance in the orange Fox retail catalog --
and the price list --
and also in the Wholesale Price List which by then had a separate price sheet --
For 1940 it makes its only retail catalog appearance in the orange Fox retail catalog --
and the price list --
and also in the Wholesale Price List which by then had a separate price sheet --
Share the knowledge
-
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:01 am
- Location: New Mexico- Central Alabama
- Has thanked: 20 times
- Been thanked: 17 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Interesting. Thanks for the additional research help.
The Sterlingworth Wildfowl grade consistently was listed $-10 to approximately $15 below the HE grade.
Both retained ejectors. It was the depression era, and times being what they were......
I did read of a more recent occurance where a widow sold a Wildfowl Sterlingworth at a standard Sterlingworth price.
The Sterlingworth Wildfowl grade consistently was listed $-10 to approximately $15 below the HE grade.
Both retained ejectors. It was the depression era, and times being what they were......
I did read of a more recent occurance where a widow sold a Wildfowl Sterlingworth at a standard Sterlingworth price.
-
- Posts: 5557
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:18 pm
- Location: WA/AK
- Has thanked: 242 times
- Been thanked: 1286 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
The Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grade is essentially the HE-Grade Super-Fox metal finished up in Sterlingworth finish. There appears to be two batches of Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grades. Maybe forty or so in the 1341xx serial number range. The ten that I have observed run from 134102 to 134130. Guns observed in this batch are stocked in Fox-Sterlingworth quality wood.
The second batch is the last five cards in the graded gun serial number sequence -- 35281 to 35285. While the metal of these guns is finished in Sterlingworth fashion, those observed are stocked in HE-Grade Super-Fox wood.
The second batch is the last five cards in the graded gun serial number sequence -- 35281 to 35285. While the metal of these guns is finished in Sterlingworth fashion, those observed are stocked in HE-Grade Super-Fox wood.
Share the knowledge
-
- Posts: 1294
- Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:53 pm
- Location: Western, MI
- Has thanked: 382 times
- Been thanked: 412 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Here are a couple of pictures of two Wildfowlers from the different Serial # batches that Dave referred to in the previous post. The first gun is Serial # 35170 and is fitted with HE wood with PG cap and Jostam Pad (as recorded in the letter). The second gun is Serial # 134112 and is a later gun fitted with Savage Sterlingworth non capped PG and a Pachmayr White Line Pad. This gun is in a block of Wildfowlers that the order cards are not available for. I have seen three of these guns including one that is a single digit off from my gun and all three have the Pachmayr White Line Pads fitted to them. Notice the Tiger Stripe coloring of the second gun consistent with the late Savage era guns. Both guns have the frame polish line of the Savage era guns directly above the "worth" portion of Sterlingworth on the frame side.
Regards - Foxnut
-
- Posts: 1570
- Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:14 pm
- Location: West
- Has thanked: 794 times
- Been thanked: 73 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Very interesting, Brett. Thanks. Jim
Goodbye Mandy, once in a life time hunting dog. I miss you every day.
-
- Posts: 5557
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:18 pm
- Location: WA/AK
- Has thanked: 242 times
- Been thanked: 1286 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
I'm sorry, but if the pad is a Pachmayr, that is from well after the last Fox price list. There are a few guns in the late cards that request a "White Line" recoil pad, but in those days that would be a Fray-Mershon or The Mershon Company Inc. The Fox-Sterlingworth Wildfowl I use to own, pictured in McIntosh's book and a couple of Headrick photo spreads, had the original butt plate.I have seen three of these guns including one that is a single digit off from my gun and all three have the Pachmayr White Line Pads fitted to them.
Share the knowledge
-
- Posts: 1294
- Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:53 pm
- Location: Western, MI
- Has thanked: 382 times
- Been thanked: 412 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Did not mean to imply that the pad was from the factory. Just find it interesting that all three guns I’ve personally observed in that batch have black Pachmayr white line pads. I know they came post the last price list but It does make one go hmmmm!
Regards - Foxnut
- scaupman
- Posts: 394
- Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:58 pm
- Location: Minnesota, Mississippi & Louisiana
- Has thanked: 38 times
- Been thanked: 93 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Dave - Apparently not all of the Wildfowls in the 1341xx range were stocked in Fox-Sterlingworth quality wood - here's a fully optioned Wildfowl, within the range you have recorded above, with a capped full-pistol grip stock and the original Hawkins pad. The Callahan letter indicates it was shipped in 1945 and says: "Of interest is the information is written on an "HE" grade card with the "HE" crossed out".Researcher wrote:The Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grade is essentially the HE-Grade Super-Fox metal finished up in Sterlingworth finish. There appears to be two batches of Sterlingworth Wildfowl Grades. Maybe forty or so in the 1341xx serial number range. The ten that I have observed run from 134102 to 134130. Guns observed in this batch are stocked in Fox-Sterlingworth quality wood.
-
- Posts: 5557
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:18 pm
- Location: WA/AK
- Has thanked: 242 times
- Been thanked: 1286 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
I didn't look at my records, worked from memory!! Anyone have one of the guns from that third, earlier batch, that Frank reported in the 132383 to 132390 range? I've not recorded anything in that range.
I'd like to know what type of wood is on the top gun in this ad from "The Dutchman" back in December 1978 --
I'd like to know what type of wood is on the top gun in this ad from "The Dutchman" back in December 1978 --
Share the knowledge
-
- Posts: 1649
- Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:07 pm
- Location: Adirondack Mountain foothills
- Has thanked: 65 times
- Been thanked: 137 times
Re: Fox Sterlingworth Heavy barrels (HE weight)
Dave, I never knew Pete was Dutch. Huh.
tjw
tjw
IN GOD WE TRUST. SPE Skeet & Uplands and AH Fox vent rib guns a specialty