Replacement barrels

[Clarence Kavanaugh]

Back in January I purchased a Sterlingworth 20ga that was advertised on GunBroker as being "Super Nice." Of course some sellers aren't honest and I got a very expensive wall hanger and no support from GunBroker even though I provide evidence that the guy lied to me twice concerning the condition of the gun.

Seeing as I'm now stuck with this gun I'm looking for a means to at least to get some use of it.

Is there anyone that manufacture (CSMC?) or have a supply of vintage barrels for sell?

My only option if not is either to part it out which I really don't want to do or go through the expense of sending it to Briley and have the barrels replace for mega buck$.

I talk with a guy that thinks that he might be able to reform the dents and bulges but what I'm seeing of the pitting (they look really deep) I don't think they'll be safe.

Can anyone help me out that might have info on where I can get a set of 20ga barrels or has a set that's just laying around?

[Big Friend Ten]

Clarence,

Members of the AH Fox Collectors Association (AHFCA) have access to members only For Sale and Wanted to Buy sub forum on this site. Membership has its privileges!

Otherwise, you might contact Jon Hosford who could quickly measure your minimum barrel wall thickness and if safe, would remove the dents. Jon is very reasonable in his fees. He will measure your barrels and remove dents if you desire or sell you the tools to do it yourself. For one job I'd pay Jon or another pro to do it.
http://www.hosfordco.com/products/tools-measuring.html

Several members of the AHFCA have Hosford barrel wall thickness and dent removal tools (or the equivalent) and could measure your barrels and remove the dents. The process isn't hard but working on guns is tricky in today's over-regulated society. Lacking a FFL, I do not do such work for strangers or for money. I do however bring my measuring tools to SxS shoots and measure for both old and new friends. I'd also remove a dent or two if asked.

Getting involved in this and other collectors organizations is rewarding. At the recent SxS shoot at Hausmans Hidden Hollow a AFHCA member measured the chambers of my Super Fox and pronounced them as un-modified, i.e. still in factory specs for a Super Fox! That distinguished member had made special chamber and forcing cone gauges for this specific purpose. You cannot find something that specialized that at Briley or other gunsmithing service companies! In general, members help other members.

Mark

[vaturkey]

"as is" is the curse of all of us. I've been bit before as well. Bad pictures with no measurements and no ability to return something described incorrectly is akin to going swimming with one's waders on.

The only thing one can do is flame them on feedback and hope you save the next poor sole. Finding barrels isn't impossible, but they don't grow on tree's. Finding 12 gauge barrels is a whole lot easier then finding 20 gauge barrels. Hopefully you don't need ejector 20 gauge barrels. Wouldn't be bad as hitting the lottery, but it sure wouldn't be easy for sure.

[Clarence Kavanaugh]

I would like to thank everyone that responded to my posting concerning the barrels of my Fox Sterlingworth.

I received today a email from Thomas at Hosford & Company suggesting that I contact Jon to see if they could help.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Hosford is in Ann Arbor, MI base company so that I don't have to ship my gun out for them to inspect it to see if they can help. Matter of fact I have to go to Detroit Metro Airport today so Jon invited me to stop by and he would take a look at my gun.

Whether he will be able to help or not I'm very grateful for the recommendation as Jon was very professional and by his conversation with me seem to be very interest in helping me out.

This willing for all of you to help a stranger and non-member out has convince me that I need to get a membership as soon as possible, that is if you'll have me.

Thanks again!

[TOOL MAN]

That's great news Clarence. Hopefully Jon will be able to help you out. Regarding your membership....it will have to pass both the House and Senate but a $30 donation will certainly protect you from any Filibusters!! Plenty of room left in The Church of Ansley H. .

TOOL MAN

[Clarence Kavanaugh]

Update:
Drop the barrels off to Jon of Hosford Company. After a thorough inspection of, he believes that he can get all the dents out, most of the pitting, may see a little freckling in the bores. But due to the bulges being in the heavy part of the barrels it will be difficult to eliminate them completely. He stated that there will be a slight ring where they were if you look down the bores but other then that, as both barrels have a lot of metal thickness there shouldn't be any safety issue after he's done.

While it means more invested in a firearm than it would be worth, at least it doesn't break my piggy bank to bad and instead of a overpriced wall hanger I now will have a double gun I can shoot!

After I get caught up with some bills I figure I would join the association if my application is accepted. So tell me does a Life membership assure my entrance to A.H. Fox heaven?

[MARSHFELLOW]

........no, there's no assurance, but it sure helps.

tjw

[Silvers]

You mentioned bulges (plural). Even a single bulge is a big problem and there's not much to be done with them when located back at the breech. Once I made up a split die that matched the barrel taper/contour, and tried to compress the bulge over a steel mandrel that was sized to the bore. A 25 ton industrial hydraulic press just squashed the die which was made of aircraft aluminum. Two other times I tried peening the barrel over a bore-sized mandrel and both times the barrel surface became deformed and the ribs popped loose. Net, I've concluded it's not practical to get a bulge back in place. Is the gun safe to shoot with the bulge and a "ring" showing in the barrel? You'll get different opinions but most authorities strongly advise against doing that for good reason because the metal was stretched beyond its elastic limit and the original safety margin is reduced; also the pressure is much higher at the breech end than closer to the muzzles where dents can be taken out without too much concern. Yep I've heard many tales for instance how Unk Rafe shot his old twist steel Elgin Arms double gun for years with his favorite Super-X load of 5's, and that was after the wagon ran over and bent the barrels and he straightened them by driving a plow hitch pin down the bores. He sure showed that stupid gunsmith who told him the gun was kaput. If this was my SW I'd try to find a set of replacement barrels that can be fit. Otherwise I'd probably part it out before it becomes a money pit and you start wondering about setting someone up for an injury when the gun moves on some day. Small frame Fox parts are hard to find and will command a premium when parting out. Of course all this is jmo fwiw. Silvers

[Fullopen]

It sounds like you have a good guy working on them now and it's hard for someone (expert as they may be) to judge the condition of your barrels without actually seeing them. 'Bulges' sounds bad but I would listen to his recommendations. I'm not an expert or a gunsmith but I've seen some remarkable things done to repair barrels and stocks. When I was 18, I picked-up an LC Smith live pigeon gun at a local shop for $225 because conventional thinking at the time (1970s) was to hang old doubles on the wall; they're unsafe to shoot. Times, attitudes and available skills have changed since then. If your barrel expert says you're OK, I would keep that gun and use it. Someday it will be worth what you've spent on it because it's a 20 gauge.

[Stan Hillis]

My experience with bulged barrels has been like Frank's. I can, and have, removed a pretty bad bulge by peening over a mandrel. But, ribs popping loose are the end result. And, if you really want to get it all out you have to remove the ribs anyway. There is no other way to get rid of that portion of the bulge that is between the ribs. Then, you've got to have the ribs relaid. Any way you figure it, trying to salvage a set of bulged barrels is a costly deal, and it will end up less than perfect. Money pit is a good term for it. One set I tried, I removed all the bulge that could be seen and the last few peenings popped the top rib loose. Well, I package it all up and send it off to my 'smith to finish removing that portion of the bulge between the ribs and relay them. He gets the rest of the bulge out, and actually complimented me on the job I had done on the rest of it. Then, ............. he noticed a tiny crack where the bulge had been, between the ribs.

This is the kind of thing that usually occurs, IMO. If the chambers are good, sleeving may be an option for a really nice gun. But then, .............. that ain't cheap, either!

SRH

[Fullopen]

Yes and it's very hard to say for sure, without seeing them, what the possibilities are. It depends on where the bulging is exactly and how bad it is. Everybody has to judge for themselves what they're comfortable with. I'd be OK with leaving slight bulges (in the right places). My sense is that if the bulging were severe in this case, it would've been noticeable in the advertisement photos and never purchased. I'd be more concerned about bulging AND honing though it sounds like the barrel experts have done some measuring and think it's reasonable. If the bulging isn't severe (and I don't know that) I would be inclined to do nothing and save up for a tube job. I don't know the state of the rest of the gun or the price but if it were otherwise in nice condition, I would probably have it retubed. That could be a future project if they're reasonably usable now. I would probably not consider it with a 12 ga. Sterlingworth but a 20 is probably worthwhile.