Barrel roll stamps

[Jabba3153]

Upland journal had a post that John hosford has the original stamps for Philly sterlingworth and graded barrels he also has the original ribb matting machine not shore about the stamps for receiver just passing info don’t know the guy

[Jeff S]

Yes, I have seen the equipment. Thanks for posting the information for those who have joined this group recently.

[Researcher]

Are the roll-stamps John has A.H. Fox Gun Co., Savage or both. Mitzie obviously had roll-stamps to mark barrels as being A.H. Fox Gun Co. Chromox barrels --

[Silvers]

That's Jon Hosford, not John. Jon is typically set up at some of the larger SxS shoots in the east where he’ll raise barrel dents for passers by and to display his complete line of bore and wall thickness measurement tools and other precision accessories. He's a very talented, well known and respected gent in the double-gun community. frank

[vaturkey]

Are the roll-stamps John has A.H. Fox Gun Co., Savage or both. Mitzie obviously had roll-stamps to mark barrels as being A.H. Fox Gun Co. Chromox barrels --

1733 25.JPG

Believe he only has the early ones. Here is a set he marked for me:

[Foxnut]

Mr. Hossford is quite talented and a heck of a nice guy! Had the pleasure to shoot w/him at the Hossford Cup SxS Shoot back in August. He is a whiz!

[44whiskey]

i have always heard Hossford is highly regarded in vintage shotgun barrel work. i understand repairing dent vs bulge are very different animals. i think shooters in northeast have more opportunities and resources to meet, shake hands, and cultivate relationships . i called mrHossford about bulge repair on graded fox double and was shut down before any specifics were discussed. maybe i should not have said i was calling from tx, ha ha. i guess liabilities these days are a huge concern to independent craftsmen. just thinking out loud,fred

[vaturkey]

i have always heard Hossford is highly regarded in vintage shotgun barrel work. i understand repairing dent vs bulge are very different animals. i think shooters in northeast have more opportunities and resources to meet, shake hands, and cultivate relationships . i called mrHossford about bulge repair on graded fox double and was shut down before any specifics were discussed. maybe i should not have said i was calling from tx, ha ha. i guess liabilities these days are a huge concern to independent craftsmen. just thinking out loud,fred

Fred,
More then a few years ago Jon bought a small bore GH high condition Parker from Steve Barnett ultra cheap because it had Bulges in both barrels in front of the chambers. Bulges could be seen with the naked eye. Many hours later he thought he had fixed both barrels and fired some test rounds. Both Bulges came right back. I think he learned his lesson. Barrel Bulges are bad business. Dents unless in the choke area can usually be fixed rather quickly.

[Stan Hillis]

I have fixed several dents in double gun barrels. Not really hard to do if you have patience. I tried removing one bulge and it was going very well, or so I thought. I had the bulge nearly all worked down, except for between the ribs of course, when the top rib popped loose from all the light hammer taps necessary to work the metal down and back into place. When the rib popped loose I went on and removed it completely. It was then that I could see a tiny crack in the portion of the bulge that was between the ribs. That barrel set still stands on one end of my workbench as a reminder to never mess with a bulged barrel again. I'd rather try to herd cats into a deep freezer.

[Silvers]

What Tom and Stan said. Personally I wouldn't buy a Fox or any other vintage shotgun with a bulged barrel in the higher pressure area anywhere in the back 2/3 of the barrel run. SLIGHT bulges in the forward 1/3 end of a desirable high grade Fox might be OK to try fixing by an expert who will careful tap the barrel against a steel mandrel sized to exact caliber and then bore honed and struck off/reblued on the exterior. That's assuming the top and bottom rib haven't been loosened due to the bulge and require relaying. All told though, work like that is in the "why try" category. On the other hand some owners will get things done no matter what. Some of us long time Foxers will remember the very high grade Fox ordered by a noted gun editor back in the day and previewed by an auction house while we were at the XYZ event. Gun looked great and so sounded its advertising verbiage, but my bore mike showed a bulge in one barrel just ahead of and into its very long, tight and sexy choke run. The bulge had merely been struck over and barrel was spot reblued, resulting in a very thin wall. I assume that Fox went into a collection after the auction and I often wonder what the barrel would look like if that collector had fired it a time or too with a 1-3/8 ounce load of hard 4's as designed. Maybe to hunt turkeys with a period load or with bismuth etc on a bluebird day duck hunt?

Net, anyone into vintage shotguns needs a good bore mike to check for anomalies; otherwise it’s caveat emptor. frank

[dblgunfix]

Dents are easily repaired as long as it does not have a sharp crease in the dent. When it comes to a bulge that is a whole other thing. Think of it as blowing up a balloon.
The walls of the balloon become thinner and stretched out, the same is true with a bulge in the bbl. The integrity of the steel has been compromised and it is now stretched and thinner
in the area of the bulge. IMO the only area where a bulge can be removed is close to the muzzle end , any area near the chamber or forcing cone is a huge safety risk and should not be recommended.