Fox Collectors

I have a hand ( OK safe full) of Fox guns I am want to have the drops decreased on. I am looking for suggestion on which operator does the best job with the lowest risk. I know some risk is there on 100 year old stocks. I am also trying to have reasonable expectations of how much I can expect to have the drop at the heel decreased?

I guns I am considering having this done on need from 1/4 to 5/8 in my dream world.
Any input is welcome.
jess

Don't do it. Just learn to shoot guns with more drop it does not take long to adjust your shooting style. In my opinion it's a waste of money. If you feel you really need a little different drop on a hunting gun use a slip on foam comb riser. If you want to shoot for score take one gun and modify it with a new stock and keep the old stock in case you want to sell the gun some day.
Stock bending comes with no guarantee, if one old stock snaps at the wrist during bending you will loose twice, the cost of replacing the stock and the value lost by not having an original stock on the gun.

I sent Mike Orlen a 20-ga. Sterlingworth that had a 2 3/4" drop and a 14" LOP with instructions to bend it up as much as he felt comfortable doing. It was returned with a 2 3/8" drop---so he got 3/8" out of it. Incidently, I sent the gun to him in Massachusettes from my home in Wisconsin and it was back in my hands eight days later, he has a reputation of a quick turnaround. If you're a member of shotgunworld.com you can get "dealer" discount pricing for any of his services.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=36237

I disagree heartily with Craig. Send the guns to Mike Orlen and get the drop out. Mike has bent well over 30 stocks for me over the years most up and to the left (and on some rather pricey Purdeys, Perazzis, M21s, Parkers and Foxes). I have never had a problem. London "best guns" are routinely bent from generation to generation so they fit their new owners. Adapt the tool to you not you to the tool. Stock bending, even on a very sound stock, is not without some small risk but then what isn't?

I have a question about raising the comb through bending process... To raise say 3/8" of drop, does any part of the top tang and associated components (saftey, rear tang screw, ..) need adjustment as well?

Thanks,

JMC

No, the wood at the wrist bends not the metal with the exception of the rear end of the triggerguard. When raising a stock's drop sometimes a very small amount of compression of the wood at the rear tip of the top tang can be viewed. Usually with older guns this does not happen with normal shrinkage being evident the bend up takes up the small space. Another things to remember are American walnut (juglans nigra- Sterlingworths and some Savage graded Foxes) is not usually as pliant as "English" walnut (juglans regia-almost all graded Foxes) and straight grips usually bend easier and farther than pistol grips do.

Thanks for everyones input.
Craig I agree in some cases. My C grade 18x is not a candidate. I do want to hunt the old girls but it will be with leather lace on comb extension.

Don, What do you find a reasonable expectation for a early graded gun?
Is 1/2" rise something that will work?
Jess

Birdawg,
I've been bending stocks for about 7 years now and have done everything from a pair of Perrazis to best English guns, to a lot of Foxes. Once you get used to shooting a gun that fits, you will wonder why you ever tried to shoot one that didn't. It is just that much better. There is, indeed, some risk to bending anything, but normally it is not cracking the wrist but in hurting the finish. Any oil finish will give no trouble, varnish is likewise OK. Laquer burns and bubbles, polyurethane can also be a problem. So the usual Fox finishes are OK, no troubles. A stock that has been repaired in the wrist, or is cracked, is not a candidate for bending. Generally speaking old thin shell walnut (regia) bends best, new black walnut (nigra) is most brittle. However, each piece of walnut , of either kind, is unto itself in the universe. Each is unique. The only way you know how much, or if, a piece will bend is to strap it down, heat it up and add some pressure. This is where experience and feel pay dividends. You kind of feel how the piece is moving and adjust pressure and heat accordingly. Too much pressure and you can crack the piece, too much heat and you can darken the checkering or char the wood. The biggest change in drop that I've ever got was 3/4". There have been a significant number of pieces that refused to move at all. If you get 1/2" in drop at heel that is pretty good. That holds for cast as well, although I can usually get the piece to move sideways more easily than up and down. So there are risks involved with bending stocks but nothing that can't be minimized by the application of caution and experience. The joy of shooting a gun that fits you is well worth any risk involved.
Cheers, DoubleGun