Fox Collectors

This Utica gun is advertised as having been professionally restored. I'm no Fox expert, but I do own one, and the "FOX STERLINGWORTH" inscription on the action looks unusually large. What do you all think?

www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=94759361

The "Fox Sterlingworth" frame engraving looks okay to me; it's a Utica gun. Overall the gun is definitely redone and it's a decent job from what I can tell from the pics. The tail of the trigger guard is a little proud of the wood. That can be corrected. Maybe it's the lighting for the pics but the frame colors don't seem right - very few recolored frames are - and the wood finish is a little shiny. Again, maybe it's how the pics were taken. The one question I would have if you really want a refinished SW is if the barrels are original 26" or not. Not that that really matters on a redone gun but if they were cut back from 28" or even 30" as was in vogue a few years back, you may get into an open choked gun that doesn't suit the game you want to hunt. Same if the gun is an original 26" but someone opened the chokes excessively. The owner said he would post the choke diameters but I don't see where they are shown. I may have missed it. If the gun gets much higher on the auction it's getting up in "original condition" territory and that's another consideration. FWIW, I saw a decent Philly 16 gauge SW at the Harrisburg PA gun show on Sunday. It was original 28" with only one minor forend issue and the asking price was $1795. as I recall. Silvers

FWIW, I emailed the owner to ask him if I could inspect it re: the issues that Silvers raised (I live 40 miles away) , and he told me that it's a gun he has listed for a friend and he doesn't have possession !

I agree on the case colors, but maybe it is the light. The serial # puts the gun around 1931; did the Utica guns still have the smaller Philly-style forearm at that time? My '33 20ga has the larger one.

I wanted to bring this thread back to the top; just curious when Savage went to the larger forearm? Thanks...

When they ran out of tapered ones from Phila. Small gauge guns seemed to get the Utica style before the 12 bores from what I've seen.

FC the last Utica 12ga I had had the large F/E and was 1935 or so, it had ejectors, there may have been a difference in time frame for non-ejector guns. It also was marked 2 3/4 chambers on the barrels.

Jim