Fox Collectors

I want to thank anyone who helps me out in this search for info in advance your help is greatly appericiated.

I received an AH Fox Sterlingworth today from my uncle, serial number 88057 12ga. I want to confirm the production date and specific model. I do not think it is a "grade" model but also not sure what that exactly means. I have measured the barrels and they are 32".

Here is the story as to how it all came about staring back in 2010.

I was at a local pawn shop (upstate SC) one day just bumming around looking for tools or something back in mid 2010. A guy comes in with a double barrel shotgun looking to sell it but the shop owners tells him he only buys hand guns. I asked the shop owner if it was ok for me to take a look? Owner of the shop agrees but ask that we go outside. I spoke to the guy for a minute and he told me the price (something like 350) but I let him know I wasn't inquiring for myself but my uncle (always buying and selling.) I get the guys number, give it to my uncle long story short he buys it for like 275. It does have a loose stock and barrels look like they need work but it is all there. He knowing that it could be a nice gun to keep takes it to Ronnie Cox here in SC. Ronnie is a very experienced gunsmith and spent about 2 years working on the gun. I didn't get all the details but was told he had to repair where the stock and action come together and everything else on the gun was gone through completely. The only part not original is the pad and other than that it is all original. Basically a frame off restoration was done. My uncle got the gun back earlier in 2014 and today gave it to my daughter (she is 3 right now) and he has always been like my second dad and means the world to me. I have no intention to ever sell the gun but am curious what it is worth for insurance reasons. I also want to get the history/provenance figured out so that I can tell my daughter when she gets old enough to understand. I will post pics under this post from my phone to help out with identification.

....well I was gonna post some pics but dont see how to attach images. Any help.

Also can anyone explain to me why there is such a colorful pattern on the receiver?

Welcome aboard.

To post pictures: First upload your pictures into a hosting account. I use photobucket.com to do this. Start your post on here, or any other site, then open a new tab. Go to photobucket and click on the picture you want to post here. When the big image of it comes up in your screen there will be several "addresses" in a box to the right of the picture. Click on the bottom one. This is the URL address, and it will have IMG to the left of it. It will fade away and briefly say "copied". Now, go back to your other tab, where you began your post, put your cursor where you want the picture, and paste it there. On a Mac you will hold down "command", then hit "c" to copy. Then, hold down "command", and hit "v" to paste. The long address for the picture will appear on your post, but when you preview it you will see the picture itself.

Eprater,

Welcome to the Fox site. You have a very nice looking Sterlingworth Fox. Mr. Cox did a good job, it appears from what we can see, on the refurbishing. The colors on the receiver you asked about are called cyanide case coloring, and are a result of the case-hardening process used to impart a hard "skin" to the steel of the receiver itself. They wear off in time, with handling and usage, but yours appear to be approaching 100%, leading me to believe Mr. Cox had the receiver re-case-hardened.The wood and bluing look "right", to me. All in all, it appears Mr. Cox did your uncle a fine job of putting the gun back in close to original condition.

What we can't see is the condition of the bores, whether or not there are any repaired cracks as a result of the looseness in the buttstock you mentioned, whether or not the chokes are original or have been honed out, the length of the chambers, and how tight the action is. One obvious evidence of it's tightness is the position of the top lever when the gun is closed. A lever at center, or to the right, is desirable. One over to the left is a sign of impending looseness, and something that needs to be corrected by a professional.

As to value, the 32" barrels are a definite plus. A restored gun is never as desirable as one in the same original condition, but there are precious few originals in the condition of your gun. I am not a dealer, only a Fox shooter and enthusiast, but I can tell you that we see asking prices of upwards of $2000 for Philadelphia Sterlingworths with 32" barrels like yours, in that condition. Again, it is impossible for me to narrow in on a value any more than that without lots more pics and information. That $2000 would be near the top of the range for a refurbished gun, IMO. If mine, I would insure it for at least $2K, and believe no reasonable insurerer would question that amount.The Sterlingworth was the least adorned of the Foxes, and is not considered "graded", as you mentioned, but of all the "field grade" guns manufactured by all the American makers in the early 1900s, the Sterlingworth Fox is far and away the prettiest, and in my opinion, the best. The internals were made with the exact same parts as the more expensive graded guns. Again, the 32" barrels make it more desirable, thus more valuable. Don't be afraid to use it, if the bores are good and everything checks out sound. These guns have high quality steel barrels and off the shelf 7/8 oz. to 1 oz. loads are no problem for them to handle.

More pics and information on the things I mentioned would be great, but rest assured you have a very nice Sterlingworth and one you would have no trouble selling if the need ever arises. Thanks for asking and posting the pics. If it would be possible to find out from Mr. Cox how the case coloring was done, and by whom, it would be good information. There is a method used by some people in an attempt to reapply the colors whereby a torch is played over the surface and held in certain places for varying lengths of time. It does not appear that is how yours was done, but there are a couple of suspicious patterns in it that are curious. The "bullseye" on the lower left front of the receiver, and the blue "line" underneath, but the rest of the colors look so right that I think these are just anomalies. Torch coloring a receiver is very undesirable as it could affect the integrity of the steel itself.

Now, as to determining the original specs and information about it, if you will join the A. H. Fox Collectors Asso. you will receive one free card lookup each year of your membership. The association owns copies of these records and will provide you with that information on your gun upon joining, and your request. You will also gain access to a members only section of this BBS, with a for sale section and other interesting facets. I would highly recommend you do so. It is well worth the low membership fee.

All my best, SRH

Now, as to determining the original specs and information about it, if you will join the A. H. Fox Collectors Asso. you will receive one free card lookup each year of your membership. The association owns copies of these records and will provide you with that information on your gun upon joining, and your request. You will also gain access to a members only section of this BBS, with a for sale section and other interesting facets. I would highly recommend you do so. It is well with the low membership fee.

While most of what Stan said is right on, the A.H. Fox Collectors Association, Inc. does not have copies of the production cards for Sterlingworths, only for graded guns, and there are only a handful of cards for graded 12-gauge guns below 9650, and those are mostly for factory cut-aways.

Another interesting example of a 32-inch barrel 12-gauge Sterlingworth with a zero in the hundreds place in the serial number.

My apologies on that error, eprater. Thanks for the correction, Dave.

You do have the option of getting a factory letter from Mr. Callahan., Savage/Fox historian. If you are interested in pursuing that let us know and I, or anyone else here, will be glad to provide you with the information you need to do so.

SRH

Thanks so much for the input gentlemn. I have been doing more reading and see where the 0 in the hundredth place is a reoccurring theme, good catch researcher.

Could you gents explain to me all the locations and names And measurements that I need to take? I am comfortable with a set of mics and should have no problem getting these. Again I have zero interest in ever selling just want to be able to share the history with my uncle and my daughter. While we were not the original owners I hope to make it a family heirloom.

For anyone that ever needs any gun work done I do encourage you to contact Mr. Cox. His work is well known but slow at best. He had this one for about 3 tears and a single barrel Ithaca of my fathers I had redone as a Christmas present for almost 2. He does it right though and never cuts any corners. I will try and find out how it was hardened.

FYI the bores are almost mirror like and the lever is just slightly off to the right. I will post up more pics. Also there are no chokes in the gun nor can I see any threads for them?

I would start by getting hold of a bore micrometer, and determining what the bore diameter of each barrel is, down from the muzzle about 6", and as far as it will reach from each end. Post those diameters and we can tell you, with some degree of accuracy, whether or not they have been honed.

The gun will not have screw in chokes unless they were put in, in recent years. They are a relatively new invention, and no original A. H. Foxes were built that way. It will, however, have some degree of constriction in each barrel, beginning about 4", or a hair more, from the muzzle (if unmolested). By getting the bore diameter below the choke area, getting the diameter of the choked area right inside the muzzle, then subtracting the lesser from the greater you will know how much constriction each barrel has. This will be the degree of choke for each. They may be different, and they may be the same. But, if they are original they will almost certainly have choke. Never heard of a 32" breechloader that didn't.

SRH

Stan. Thx for the reply. I a bit of a novice and young so these older guns can throw me for a loop. I was looking for screw in ones like my 870 express. Thx for the clarification.

Stan Hillis wrote:My apologies on that error, eprater. Thanks for the correction, Dave.

You do have the option of getting a factory letter from Mr. Callahan., Savage/Fox historian. If you are interested in pursuing that let us know and I, or anyone else here, will be glad to provide you with the information you need to do so.

SRH

Please do provide this info. I am enjoying the "search" and the bonding my uncle and I are having with this.

Go to the Homepage for this site, look under Mechanisms/Identification Styles, and click on Factory Letter. All the info is there. There is lots of other interesting stuff you can go to from the Home Page as well.

SRH

Eprater wrote:Stan. Thx for the reply. I a bit of a novice and young so these older guns can throw me for a loop. I was looking for screw in ones like my 870 express. Thx for the clarification.

Kinda figured that with a three year old, you weren't an old fart like me. Either that, or you're another Strom Thurmond.

SRH