Early Fox 12 gauge identification

[Researcher]

On the bottom of the barrels, ahead of the barrel flats, Is it marked -LIGHT-WEIGHT-BARRELS-?

We see the -HEAVY-WEIGHT-BARRELS- marking fairly often --

29 06 Heavy Weight Barrels.jpg (46.88 KiB) Viewed 3789 times

the -LIGHT-WEIGHT-BARRELS- not so much.

[Birddog17!]

Yes it is. Krupp Steel, Light weigh barrels. It will need work for sure , I plan to leave it to my son when I can no longer get out.
I was so surprised to see how nice and light the gun was as well as thin at the breech. It locks up tight . There is another company that has shown some amazing bluing, “ Custom Stocks” I’m upstate NY.
If anyone knows of a good company to work on the refurbishment and restoration of the breach I am open to suggestions ?
Thank you

[fox-admin]

You would need 2-3,000 or more to restore the action and barrels on your gun----forget it in my opinion, use it the way it is if the barrels are blessed by a good gunsmith that knows SxS's.

[jolly bill]

. . . . I’m upstate NY. . . .

Birddog17,

Where specifically in upstate NY?

Several of us on the forum are up that way. I'm in Ontario, Wayne County, just east of Rochester.

Jolly

[Birddog17!]

Jolly,
“I’m upstate” was supposed to be “ in upstate” NY.
I have attached a copy of the contact info for the company I have been in contact with. I recently re did a Model 21 with Connecticut Shotgun. They did a wonderful job, nice people as well.

[jolly bill]

Birddog17,

Agreed, Classic Gun Stocks are among the best. They also excel in single trigger work.

Dan May and Ken Waite are as nice as they come.

Jolly

[Birddog17!]

Thank you Jolly. Gun need a lot but I will get #’s from them and make a decision. It is my first Fox and it is old.
Are the KRUPP Steel barrels capable of shooting typical rounds ?
Are these barrels like Damascus ? They are “ Lightweight” barrels.

[jolly bill]

Thank you Jolly. Gun need a lot but I will get #’s from them and make a decision. It is my first Fox and it is old.
Are the KRUPP Steel barrels capable of shooting typical rounds ?
Are these barrels like Damascus ? They are “ Lightweight” barrels.

Birddog,

As long as the barrels are in good condition and not badly pitted which effectively weakens them via thin walls, standard field loads should be fine. Have someone who knows doubles check them out tho to be on the safe side. Look for any evidence of mild, smooth pitting that may have been polished. That reduces wall thickness.

Standard loads being 1 and/or 1 1/8 ounce lead loads. Definitely no steel shot.

I wouldn't think the guns "Lightweight" barrels would be a big factor unless compromised by pitts, thin walls, etc.

Some input from others would be welcomed.

And no, they are not damascus. Krupp barrels are good fluid steel.

Jolly

[Birddog17!]

Thank you Jolly. I will absolutely take it to a good gunsmith to evaluate the barrels. The actual operability must be tested as well.

[Birddog17!]

What is the correct steps to trying to polish the receiver and breach

[fox-admin]

The action is case hardened. So if you want to polish pits out on the frame it would need to be annealed, then polished with emery paper when re-case hardened. In the process you would destroy the engraving so an engraver would need to re-cut the engraving after polishing and before re-case color hardening. This is why complete restoration are so costly, many hours of hand work.

[vaturkey]

The action is case hardened. So if you want to polish pits out on the frame it would need to be annealed, then polished with emery paper when re-case hardened. In the process you would destroy the engraving so an engraver would need to re-cut the engraving after polishing and before re-case color hardening. This is why complete restoration are so costly, many hours of hand work.

Agree totally. If the pitting is super deep then your looking a Micro TIG welding to bring the surface up to where it needs to be to look right. Most anything can be done to restore a frame. However, barrels are the heart of any classic gun and if they have minimal wall thickness or other issues then it can quickly turn into a project that's pretty much unrepairable without spending 1,000s and 1,000s of dollars.

[Birddog17!]

So is it possible to have it professionally cleaned and buffed to make it the best it can be ? I am going to re blue the barrels though and get the wood cleaned I think

[jolly bill]

So is it possible to have it professionally cleaned and buffed to make it the best it can be ? I am going to re blue the barrels though and get the wood cleaned I think

Yes, it would be possible to have it "professionally cleaned and buffed" but I think most of us here would not recommend that.

Maybe have the barrels carefully cleaned and rust blued. And maybe tidy up the wood a little but no heavy sanding.

Buffing = ugly.

Just my opinion. What do you other guys and gals think?

[Birddog17!]

I ha e attached a photo of the Rear Axle screw, it appears from shot I am seeing is the gun has been taken apart before, I am trying to get the SMALL rear axle screw out so I can get the stock off.
It is so tight that I broke the head off of a small screwdriver typically used for eyeglasses.
The screw will not turn , I have some oil sitting on over night. I read the disassembly process, this was a great help !!
Need some expertise from you experts !!!