Fox Collectors

OK Here are a few pictures of 12 bore XE in a configuration that I have been looking for for quite some time. Thanks to Friends here in the AHFCA I was able to add this gun to my collection.
According to the John T. Callahan factory letter the gun is as follows:
Grade XE
12 gauge
26" bbls choked R-Imp.Cyl/ L- Full
14 1/4" LOP with 1 1/2" drop at comb, 2 5/8" drop at heel
specified weight 6 lbs 6oz. to 6lbs 8oz.
Half pistol grip stock
Shipped July 15 1927 original consignee listed as Von Lengerke & Detmold of New York City.

Beatuiful and great condition.

You probably already know this but Grffin and Howe has VL&D's records and may be able to tell you who the gun was for:

http://www.griffinhowe.com/research-main.cfm

Thanks for posting the pictures and again a very nice gun.

Did it fit the specified weight range? That is amazingly light for an American 12 bore I think.

Mike

Mike
I have the G&H letter . I will add some text with pics when I post them in the XE section.

Actual weight is 6lbs 12 oz.

I am sure you some of you "Sharp Foxers" out there noticed the letter did not mention the single trigger. Most likely this gun was delivered with double triggers and retro-fitted with a Kautzky sometime later. It may have been done at the factory but there is no way of knowing for sure as no Savage repair tickets seem to have survived. I base the possible factory conversion on the fact that if one looks closely at the trigger plate in the second picture you can see a slight difference in the case color from the rest of the reciever. These colors appear very similar to early Savage Fox type Case hardening but this is just my opinion. I am also not sure about the pad but it has been on the gun for "many moons". Do any of you guys have leather faced silvers on your XE's?? Paul

Lovely gun Paul.
I wish it were mine ( so what is new!).

I do have knowledge of a couple of DE's with the leather faced pad. I don't know if they are factory but they could be from the same source.
Jess

My circa 1923 big 32-inch XE-Grade boomer has the leather-faced Silvers pad. I think that was pretty standard on XE-Grades. See Headrick's XE-Grade article in The Double Gun Journal, Volume Thirteen, Issue 1, pages 98 to 108, a butt is shown on page 104. The XE-Grade catalogue text stated "Always furnished with automatic ejector, Silver's Recoil Pad and Lyman sights, unless otherwise ordered."

Paul, congrats again. A beautiful Fox! I knew she was coming but the gun pics really tell the story. I like those chokes. You are so right, the friendships made in the Fox CA have helped so many members find that "dream Fox". I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your XE with some grouse in a few weeks.

You asked about leather faced Silvers pads; here's one on another XE, s/n 23600's. Seems to be the same pad and leather facing as yours. Not that I've seen a lot of them but all have been about 7/8" thickness - not the regular 1" size. Regarding the Kautzky not being noted on your card, it's the same story with this XE. I've had her apart to study the mechanism (first Fox with Kautzky I ever owned) and the K parts are numbered same as the s/n of the gun. Not that you're going to take yours apart but I'm thinking that's an indication the Kautzky was furnished when the gun was first made. I remember reading somewhere that retrofitted K triggers normally had parts match-numbered alike, but not numbered to the gun. However I don't know if that is gospel. Frank

PS I like the outdoor stump photos better than indoor shots.

Thanks for the input . Very interesting about the triggers Frank! I like that big beefy grip on that straight grip XE you have there. I agree that looks to be the same type pad. I have seen leather faced Jostams on A grades that looked original but this is the first leather covered Silvers I have owned.
Dave is your pad the same thickness as these? Is it the orange type?
Jess have you had a chance to get the XE 20 bore out huntin yet?
Frank I took a lesson from you on the outdoor pictures but I didn't have any stumps on my postage stamp lot just some old unsplit firewood. The wood comes out more true to color in real sunlight. I still like the indoors for the close-up shots using filtered light.

As I recall it looks pretty much the same. All my guns are packed in the safe and the 32-inchers are on the far back corner. I looked thru the pictures I have of my XE-Grade and I dont have one of the pad. A CE-Grade I use to have, 29291, had a very deteriorated leather-faced Jostam Anti-Flinch when I got it, as did my SPE-Grade Skeet & Upland Game Gun.

Congrats Paul. Killer wood!!!The engraving is extra nice & crisp. I have an AE 20 with those chokes and they are a great combination.

My 16 ga SW with the SST also has the K parts numbered to the gun so I'm with Frank on his thoughts about the originality.

Mike

PS: Frank's stump is nicer

I put a couple of pics of leather faced Fox pads on the Members Forum. Frank

Beautiful wood on both the guns! I once had a 20 XE about mint in 202xxx range and it had an original Silvers leather faced pad. Bobby