Fox Collectors

Guys,
To you that have had a custom Fox made, or are in the process. Do the barrel stamps matter to you? I ask mainly about the roll stamp on the top of the barrels . The address stamp, barrel steel stuff. Or do you have it filled in, struck off and have it engraved as you desire?
Curious, Jim

This is a good question.... I'm anxious to hear the replies from the fellas with the "customs". I don't have one.

tjw

I opted to leave the barrel stamps as they were on my custom project I called the "20-ga. Sterlingworth Special". http://foxcollectors.com/My%20Forum/php ... =34&t=4104
My reasoning was I preferred not to deceive anyone now or in the future and the serial number would tell the tale anyways. Personally, I prefer the Sterlingworth wording as I feel it evokes a certain aire of romanticism when compared to either Krupp, Chromox or nothing at all.

It will be struck off on the existing barrel. The second barrel was purchased from Jason Barden in the white as new old stock and it has no markings at all.

Both barrels will be engraved and I doubt that I will pay extra to have factory style lettering added back.

It really does not matter at all to me. Since I do not ever plan on sellling the gun and am having it made to heirloom quality I couldn't care less what someone thinks about it down the road.

On both my customs I had the lettering struck off on the barrels. On my upgraded Sterlingworth, I'll have the barrel rollstamped/engraved as it would be for that particular grade of gun. The serial numbers of course won't change, so anyone who knows anything about Foxes will know its an upgrade and it will have a different type butt treatment as compared to a factory Fox, so that would be a dead giveaway also.

An Upper Midwest engraver/gun nut did a 16-ga. Sterlingworth custom himself, upgrading it to an XE that's floating around somewhere in the Midwest. This engraver struck off STERLINGWORTH from the barrel legend and re-engraved that area "CROMOX". It wasn't until the gun was being shown on a for sale table at a local S x S shoot did someone point out the spelling error. The gun sold, but the buyer didn't recognize the misspelling. I wonder if he, the buyer, is still oblivious to it or not?

I am doing a custom 12ga Phili sterlingworth and I am striking off the stampings for sure. They are not stamped very well and are unsightly to begin with. I am also doing some engraving on the barrels so they have to go. I will engrave something on the top rib to note that it is a custom so it should never be mistaken for an original custom gun. If I was paying big money for an old highly ornate Fox, I would definitely know what I was buying by doing extensive research before pulling the trigger.

For me, I think it would come down to whether I'm building a custom gun, or a custom Fox. If I were trying to make it my own, and totally custom then I could see striking all markings and doing something unique. Look at Dewey Vicknair's custom rifle he's been posting about. If I'm going to upgrade a Fox to reproduce an original, or slightly alter one but still pay homage to the original I'd likely leave them. Some high grade Foxes had the legends engraved versus stamped anyway, so I could see striking and engraving the barrels to mimic that. I've got a Sterlingworth resurrection going that I'm not sure what to do with yet, but I've painstakingly made sure the legends made it through the striking done to remove the pitting.

Mike

So far I haven't heard anyone post about the before and after-striking wall thicknesses in let's say the first 10" run of the barrel, from the breech forward. Personally I think that's a critical question that should be considered before asking your gunsmith to strike off the legends, and before he agrees to do it. Yah some of the Krupp legends are pretty shallow, but Chromox and Sterlingworth legends can be deeply stamped. Has anyone done that and if so, what were the before and after (actual or projected) wall thickness readings? Another related question is, did or will your gunsmith agree that the modified barrels may be shot after his work with an unlimited number of regular commercial shells for that chamber length? If the 'smith balks at that question - you may have the answer on whether to get the legends struck off on your custom Fox gun. All this is just my opinion.

I don't mind the barrel stamps. I agree to polish them off already well struck barrels without measuring thickness is not a good idea. I would not take them off unless they were marred or damaged . I did see a guy down here in Chesapeake change a gun in an attempt to pass it off as something it was not. In the end my guns have to be a joy for me to carry in the woods and shoot. They get Knocked around rained and snowed on that's what they were made for.

Sure do appreciate the feedback fellas.
For the project I have in progress the barrel legends will be struck. Barrel walls are sufficient to allow this. This is just another iteration of the Fox Sterlingworth . Special to me and maybe the the guys doing the work. As it should be . I plan to have all the appropriate and necessary Fox barrel legend info engraved on the barrels.
Prefer this over the roll stamp .
Jim

cockerman,
What is or will be the wall thickness of your barrels at where the barrel legend is struck off? What do you anticipate the wall thickness in that area to be when the new barrel legend is engraved? What is 'the appropriate and necessary Fox barrel legend info engraved on the barrels' going to be?

Right is .043, left is .048. Dennis Potter is doing the metal and wood and his name will appear on the right barrel.
A.H. Fox Phila, PA, USA on the left barrel. All lightly engraved. Bob Strosin will do that along with some work on the
frame yet to be determined for sure.

cockerman wrote:Right is .043, left is .048. Dennis Potter is doing the metal and wood and his name will appear on the right barrel.
A.H. Fox Phila, PA, USA on the left barrel. All lightly engraved. Bob Strosin will do that along with some work on the
frame yet to be determined for sure.

Both of those guys certainly know this game well. Gun is in great hands for sure and will be something to be proud of. BTW, at some point pictures are mandatory.

Great conversation. I have a 1912 16 gauge Sterlingworth and am thinking about customization/upgrades. These conversations are very helpful while going through that process.