Fox Collectors

Going through my safe cleaning and organizing and just had to stop and look at these under appreciated Savage era Sterlingworth ejector guns. These both are relatively early Savage guns with the Philly stock and forend shaping. These were a lot of gun for the money back in the day and still are today!!

Very nice guns. Hard to believe that they’re 90 years old.

As you can see from my tag line, I'm very happy to participate in the Savage Sterlingworth Appreciation Day ! I'm proud to own and regularly shoot what I feel are the best value in sxs guns extant in 20ga, 16ga, and 12ga.

Fin2Feather wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2026 11:57 am As you can see from my tag line, I'm very happy to participate in the Savage Sterlingworth Appreciation Day ! I'm proud to own and regularly shoot what I feel are the best value in sxs guns extant in 20ga, 16ga, and 12ga.

Phil, I fully support that society!!! Some terrific guns during the Savage years!

Through the 1936 A.H. Fox Retail Catalog Savage used a picture showing the Philadelphia style Sterlingworth --
By the 1937 A.H. Fox Retail Catalog Savage began using a picture showing the capless pistol grip and the Savage style top-lever and safety slide, but still the Philadelphia style forearm wood --
I have never seen a gun with such a combination of features, but they continued using that picture in the retail catalogs to the end. This 1936 Savage Broadside pictures the capped pistol grip, Philadelphia style top lever and the bulky forearm --
I have a bit of a fascination with the combinations of features that we find from workers reaching into the parts bin and building a gun. I first record 12-gauge guns with Special Alloy -- Forged Steel barrels in the 132xxx range but still find many with Sterlingworth Fluid Compressed Steel in the 160xxx range. This February 1938 Fox-Sterlingworth Ejector Brush has Sterlingworth Fluid Compressed Steel barrels, capped pistol grip, Philly style safety slide & top-lever and the bulky forearm,
Savage brought us the Fox-Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Guns --
and the option of a beavertail forearm --
Then finally the "Drawbolt" --
and "SP-frame" Fox-Sterlingworths --

To Dave's point my 12ga Sterly is the latest of the three; has the uncapped pistol grip and larger forend, but a Philly-style top lever. My 20ga has a Philly-style safety slide but the rest is pure Utica.

My only Utica gun is this 20ga ejector I picked up last year.

The savage era sterlingworth is the best value in the shotgun world and I’m dang proud they are what started me down this rabbit hole!