Fox Collectors

"SORRY CHARLIE" ( LOL----just remembering that old, tuna commercial) but unless the hand in that photo is attached to Andre the Giant......she sure looks like a smallbore to me. Ahhhhhhh.....nothing like a D-grade to fan the flames in Foxdom !!!

Of course, a Fox in hand beats all, but based on the pics , I concur with my comrades that the CC's and barrel blueing look pretty damn honest.
I'll tiptoe out on the limb and say that gun left Philly between late 1915----1917. What little I see of the barrel wedge engraving looks to be quite deep, indicative of the earlier Gen-2 guns.....the ones we all love to find!!!!

Obviously she left with a Kautzky ST, that has been replaced. Fox-Admin and I agree that the checkering pattern appears to be a bit different but one definitive here is.....NEVER SAY NEVER. Early D-grade wood, for the most part, is heavily marbled Circassian....what McINTOSH referred to as, "honey & smoke". This one seems
a bit straight/flat, though again, our field of view is limited. If the stock is original, it was most certainly refinished as it's just too bright, especially when balanced against the forearm.

I would have given my "left one" to have been in the packing room, the day she left Nicetown Station!!!! Like a Playboy centerfold.....nothing quite as enchanting as
a D-grade Fox!!! Best of luck on your quest and please keep us posted. Either way....a pretty damn rare gun!! Thanks for sharing.---TOOLMAN

Toolman's post got me to doing some math using the pic of the forend. Just scaling from that pic and not compensating for the slight angle of the camera lens, the wood is about 9.600" +/- long from the tip of the forend to its back end where it butts against the f/e iron. That closely matches the length for the special long forend in 12 gauge sizing. Now, I do not know if smallbore D Grades had a somewhat shorter forend, or not. I wish I did but alas there are no smallbore X, D or F's here in house Maybe someone with a X, D or F smallbore Fox can measure the length of its forend and post it here?

I still find it odd that someone sent pics, and did not mention the gauge, who made the gun, serial number, nor include pics of the barrel legends, water table or barrel flats. Also to confuse things that one pic shows the right side of the trigger, and those Millers that are stamped "Miller" have the stamping on the left side. Silvers

....in the interest of data: 16ga XE with D checkering: 28" barrels 9.5" 26" barrels 9.25" I believe the length of the FE is commensurate with the length of the barrels as much as anything but I havent made a study of them.

tjw

Talked to the man who sold this gun to the present owner. He said it was a 12 ga and that the gun lettered with a Kautzky but it had been changed to a Miller. So not original and not a small bore.

The present owner has been after this one for a long time, so probably not for sale. I still want to get it in hand.


Charlie

Charlie the guns engraving looks very similar to the example on our home page, see this link http://www.foxcollectors.com/ah_fox/con ... fox_2.html
Also note the difference in the checkering layout on the stock. Your example looks to be an early second generation D. The double dogs on the trigger plate look to an exact match to the gun on our home page. If you can get the serial number I would like to add it to my list of found examples. Craig

I handled a DE 12 ga made in 1913 last week and letters.Has no rebates ,senond style engraving with a gold band around each barrel at breech.Finest marbeled walnut.Has anyone ever seen a DE with the gold bands? Bobby

Hey guys

Got up to visit the guy to trade some pocket watches and he had already sold the fox DE. It was 12 ga, but I was not able to get a serial #.


Charlie

I HATE it when that happens!

He who snoozeth, loseth.