BE Grade 32” 12 Gauge English Stock

[ar15meister]

I just picked one up.

I have a few Fox guns and love them.


Bought this one to be a backup to my Super Fox.


Is this a rare piece? How desireable is it in the Fox kingdom?

[Researcher]

I don't see any pictures. Is the gun in question a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th style B-Grade?

[ar15meister]

I don't see any pictures. Is the gun in question a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th style B-Grade?

I’m sorry I don’t have the gun yet.

It was made in 1912 which I believe is the first early style.

[Researcher]

That would probably be the second style, made from 1907 to 1912. Complete records from that era don't exist.

[spyder]

There were only a handful BE grade 32 inch SG guns in the late style. 9 I think. I have one of them. I imagine there weren’t that many made in the earlier styles either. Please post pictures when you get it.

[Silvers]

IME, the Fox 12 ga/32-inch straight grip configuration has always been hot and especially so when heavy 1-weight barreled and choked F&F. The hottest versions imo are those made post-1922 and occasionally with factory 3-inch chambers. Of course most here know that 1922 was pivotal with the development of Western's Super-X with progressive burning powder, followed by cloned shells by other makers. frank

[ar15meister]

So I received the gun and it had some issues. Seller lied and told me the gun was choked full and full. the chokes were actually messed with by some hack gunsmith who turned it into mod and mod from the muzzle end. Gun was loose on face and some other items including a bulge in one of the barrels that was cleverly hidden in the pics.

when I called seller to talk it all over he essentially told me to "F" off.

I am keeping it and we are going to address the issues and restore the gun.

Does anyone know where I go to find records on the gun or my other Fox guns?

[Stan Hillis]

Good luck with the bulge. The only way that can be fixed it to strip the ribs, hopefully get all the bulge removed, then relay and reblue it all. There is no way to remove the portion of the bulge that is between the top and bottom ribs without doing that. Then, once all the bulge is removed, there still may be a tiny crack where the worst of the bulge was. Been there.

SRH

[Silvers]

The one issue you mentioned that can be a major problem is the barrel bulge. Example: just yesterday evening after asking questions I learned that a really nice straight grip smallbore I was close to buying has one barrel with a wall measuring 16 thou right at the start of the choke leade. The seller was honest and described what looks to be an "eccentric" area right there in that bore. Apparently a bulge was struck off and the barrel reblued. I passed on that gun and the seller said he was sending it back to his consignor. Like my friend Stan, been there-done that, once had a Fox barrel measuring 18 thou at the choke leade and it re-bulged badly after about 50 shots. That gun now has a replacement barrel. Then there was the Super-Fox owned by a famous period gun editor that had one tube apparently bulged and struck off/reblued. It was an auction gun some of us measured while at a big SxS shoot.

Sign up as a paying member and you can request a Card copy once your membership kicks in. That's not an instant pudding type thing and it might take up to several weeks. With some exceptions the AHFCA has the Card copies for Graded guns (not Sterlingworths) with serial nos >10,000.

frank

[vaturkey]

Good luck with making it right. Bulges are bad news indeed. Where might the bulge be located on the barrels? That might have some bearing as to whether they can be repaired.

[DarylC]

Indeed, bulges are bad news all around. Most importantly was this seller a private individual or a dealer? If he did not disclose these problems beforehand then he would be someone to avoid in the future.

[spyder]

I know the devil is in the details, but if someone sells a gun with bulged barrels without disclosing and then not accepting a return, he should be outed. JMO.

[ar15meister]

I am happy to post who seller was. His explanation was that he told me there was a 'dent' in the left barrel (which there is) but his pics cleverly disguised the bulge which he then told me that he would have referred to as a dent and that's what he was talking about. Very sneaky.


The bulge was about 4 inches from the muzzle. The good news is that it is being repaired by the master, Claudio Opacak and he is confident that the gun will be perfect (albeit with mod/mod chokes).

"Lenaakkshe" was the screen name on the selling website Canadiangunnutz.com

Seller was
Hady Akkashe
18056 85 ST NW
Edmonton AB T5Z0E4

780-993-4193

[Silvers]

CJ is indeed a Master and will do an excellent job. If you're talking with him please tell him Frank said hello.

[canvasback]

There were only a handful BE grade 32 inch SG guns in the late style. 9 I think. I have one of them. I imagine there weren’t that many made in the earlier styles either. Please post pictures when you get it.

I know the OP pretty well and Claudio Opacek even better. Given they each have 1 32" B grade and you have a third, it seems we have accounted for the whereabouts of a third of all production. LOL