AHFCA at the Southern SxS

[Sporrns]

Foxers showed up in force for the Southern SxS this past weekend and I would have to say it was the best yet in terms of desirable vintage doubles in small gauges, particularly those of the Renaud persuasion. I personally have not seen so many smallbores in such high condition at that or any other event in years. Some examples were at least 3 Parker Bros. .410s, 2 field and one skeet gun; 2 stunning Ithaca Grade 4s, one 20 the other 28 ga. about 75% case colors, 3 absolutely lovely Fox A grades, 2 AEs & 1 extractor gun that was simply flat-a** new; a spectacular CE 16 with tons of color, 4-wt. barrels, 26" open bores and great wood. Rumored but not seen: a 32" Parker Bros. CHE 20 ga; conversely a confirmed sighting of the awesome 1-of-3 (?) Fox CE 32" 20 ga. with no safety!

The display this year consisted of 6 guns, one each in Sterlingworth, AE, BE, CE, HE and XE. All 3 gauges were represented as well as the different configurations of straight grip, pistol, half pistol, with single and double trigger examples. Varying the gauges and configurations I find really attracts people to examine them, ask questions, and explore the Fox Mystique further. A most attractive young couple who had come from England as PR reps for the Langthorne Gunmakers booth came back to ogle the Foxes; the last visit they wanted a detailed anthology of Ansley H., the development of the Fox gun, and what made it special. Very interesting to see that they were interested in the history of, as the young lady put it, "such an American gun by such an entrepreneurial American maker." (Charles & Wilbur, eat your hearts out!!).

One of the most rewarding parts of talking Foxes to owners and would-be buyers alike is the opportunity to steer them in the right direction, whether they are after that first Fox or preparing to do something drastic to a gun they already own. In that vein, Paul Plunkett and I helped an individual who brought in a truly stunning 20 ga. CE that he wanted to restock as well as "lengthen the chambers and open up those forcing cones" to surely avert disaster: this particular gun was a 26" with 4-wt. barrels, 2 5/8" chambers, cyl & mod bores, and tons of case color! It came to the shoulder and handled beautifully. When we asked him why he wanted to mess with the chambers and forcing cones. He replied that he wanted to shoot "regular" 2 3/4" shells (Wally World?!) in it. We game him a big thumbs up on replacing the stock (the leather-covered pad, although well done, was quite long and most unsightly on the gun), then a' mega' thumbs down on messing with the chambering in any way. Sent him to the RST booth and introduced him to the wonderful world of Morris' great 2 1/2 inch line of ammo. He thanked us profusely and went to see the stockmakers in the upper tent. WHEW! - precious 20 ga. CE saved from the ravages of the reamer!!

Attached are some photos of the display and booth. Very special thanks to Paul Plunkett for helping man the booth, spelling me periodically while I went out on "vision quests" looking for Ansley's finest.

[Jim Cloninger]

Thank you, Kevin. Jim

[jolly bill]

Kevin,

You obviously spent a lot of time and effort setting up the Fox display and helping with any queries that came up.

Many thanks.

Jolly

[loggy]

Kevin,
I wish I could have seen your impressive display. It would be a joy to visit with you.
John

[Sporrns]

Thanks guys! Yes it is a good amount of work to prepare and exhibit a good display, but I do enjoy the educational and human contact aspects of it very much. I try to vary my display from event to event, showing a variety of gauges, grades, and configurations available in the guns and the historical import behind their features. For example, the lovely couple from England who visited the booth 3 times over the weekend were particularly interested in why the engraving patterns were changed after the Godschalks took over the company. I gave them a narrative version of my story boards I prepared for my XE Grade display at the Baltimore show in March, detailing the changes and why they were made. This type of ancillary information incidental to the design, production, and marketing of the guns I feel is very important in detailing the evolution of a product relative to the time period of development, especially patents, styles, marketing and success of the product. Plus you get to see and examine walk-in guns of relative rarity that people bring in (like Wayne Junction barrel address guns, ejector Pin guns, and Philadelphia vs. Savage 20 ga. 32") to compare because they know there is a "Fox presence." In the endgame its more than worth it. Kevin

[JasonPeck]

Great job Kevin. Sounds like a blast.

[arcmaster]

Kevin;

I think that the thing most people dont understand and or appreciate is that the person in the booth makes the difference! You are one of the ambassadors of our fraternity and your friendly smile and your welcoming presence encourages people to stop by and chat! I had the pleasure to visit with you again this year and enjoyed my time speaking with you.

The time and effort that you and Mr. Plunkett spent are greatly appreciated by everyone who stopped by! Anyone who brought a fine Fox by to show off or to have an opinion rendered felt better!!! That sir is an accomplishment!
Respectfully,
Mike

[Sporrns]

Many thanks Mike!! Kevin

[Foxnut]

Kevin, thanks for sharing the details of the display and weekend. Sounds like a very successful weekend for sure. I’ve yet to make it to the Southern or one of the other events. Work travel and Turkey Season here in MI were the order for the weekend. Thanx for allowing us to vicariously attend through your post!! Brett