Fox Collectors

I have a 1923 A.H. Fox Sterlingworth 16 gauge side by side that has unlocked and popped the action open a couple times on its own after I have fired a 2.5” shell. Is this something that can be repaired? What gunsmith would you recommend?

Did you get this fixed?

Wanna, your profile shows you do gun work. Maybe you can offer up some ideas on troubleshooting and repair?

In case readers haven't noticed this Tech Forum is becoming almost moribund. Why is that? Well, there are plenty of fellas who come here with questions but often won't post a follow-up or even a thank you. And that's a turn-off for those who step up to help. Also many times, one reply can lead to more questions and the gent who replied is kind of committed and gets sucked into spending more and more time to keep replying. Then there are those who've been here for 12-13 years now "to learn" but are apparently too busy to answer questions and will wait for good old Tom, Dick or Harry to come along and reply. All these factors, in net, have caused some techies who've been active here (in the past) to get tired answering questions and go away or hold back. At least that's how I see the Tech Forum has veered off from having been very active and helpful in the past.

This might be a good focus area as the Board of Directors welcomes this year's new or renewal member in coming months, and discusses what is/is not working well. Nothing can run on autopilot for years and years without leadership adjustments. frank

This is a bit of an old post that was resurrected, but it was not really addressed with an answer.
Your issue with the gun popping open is likely caused by how the rotary bolt has worn in. Recoil forces will make the barrels want to rise up from the frame. And if the bearing points on the bite are not in the right spots or uneven, it will make the gun want to open. Usually it is not a case where the gun fully opens up, but it will just bump the lever enough to reset the safety and prevent the second shot. Or it opens the breech enough to create a low and light strike or misfire on the second shot. Many would first think the issue to be a weak top lever spring, which can possibly add to the issue, but it usually is not the only cause. Fox T/L springs are usually pretty strong and they stay that way.

This issue is something that can happen to any gun with a rotary bolt. That would be Foxes, Smiths and Ithaca NIDs. I have personally encountered this issue most with Ithacas. AndFox would be second in the number of times I have seen/heard of it happening.


In regards to Franks comments about lack of participation, I cannot give a definitive answer as to "why" things become stagnant. But I think the idea that the BOD can possibly improve the situation is a bit ridiculous. How on earth could the BOD force participation on the forum? Or even encourage it? Cash prizes for answers given. Hardly realistic. I think the comments about the BOD are simply another way to point fingers and place blame for a perceived problem or just to have an issue with something for the sake of having an issue.

Besides, the internet is hardly the place to get your gun repaired. Too many people seek out solutions to a problem and yes, pester far too much as if they think that constantly asking questions will magically repair their gun for them. If the owner is not capable of repairing the gun, the only solution is taking the gun to a good gunsmith that is familiar with the gun and the repairs needed. And if an owner thinks that they are somehow helping their prospective gunsmith by obtaining the solution to the problem ahead of time is really no help. If the gunsmith does not know the solution himself, then they are not the one that should be fixing the gun. And yes, answering the DIY fix it questions constantly can get tiresome and very repetitive. It boils down to sometimes feeling like answering and sometimes not.

Silvers wrote:..... This might be a good focus area as the Board of Directors welcomes this year's new or renewal member in coming months, and discusses what is/is not working well. Nothing can run on autopilot for years and years without leadership adjustments. frank

Brian Dudley wrote:..... In regards to Franks comments about lack of participation, I cannot give a definitive answer as to "why" things become stagnant. But I think the idea that the BOD can possibly improve the situation is a bit ridiculous. How on earth could the BOD force participation on the forum? Or even encourage it? Cash prizes for answers given. Hardly realistic. I think the comments about the BOD are simply another way to point fingers and place blame for a perceived problem or just to have an issue with something for the sake of having an issue. .

Methinks Dudley should re-read what I wrote and tell us where I suggested cash prizes or to "force participation". Duh. I can only assume that he never worked in a competitive industry or was part of a civic or fraternal group that was MOTIVATED by its leaders. Whether those leaders ever heard of the Continuous Improvement cycle or the S-Curve deterioration/improvement model, or not. A big part of their role is to evaluate things in their purview - those that work well and those that don't - and focus energy on the latter to motivate and improve. That's what leaders do and if something isn't working well, it always falls to leadership. A good positive example of the latter is the excellent work that Daryl Corona, our shooting BD, has done this year to increase interest and participation in Fox shooting events. Similar evaluations can and should be done on other aspects of the Fox nation to include improving our forums.

frank

Did I say that you specifically suggested cash prizes? No. You suggested that the Board could somehow have an effect on people participating on the forum or not. I was thinking out loud and trying to assign a scenario to it because it does not make sense to me.
Fraternal organizations... no. But I have been involved in enough groups where people want to complain and point fingers at problems they see, but not do anything about it but just that. Complain and assign blame. So I can recognize that when I see it. Plain as day.

Silvers wrote: ..... A big part of their role [Leadership] is to evaluate things in their purview - those that work well and those that don't - and focus energy on the latter to motivate and improve. That's what leaders do and if something isn't working well, it always falls to leadership. A good positive example of the latter is the excellent work that Daryl Corona, our shooting BD, has done this year to increase interest and participation in Fox shooting events. Similar evaluations can and should be done on other aspects of the Fox nation to include improving our forums.
frank

Brian Dudley wrote: ..... But I have been involved in enough groups where people want to complain and point fingers at problems they see, but not do anything about it but just that. Complain and assign blame. So I can recognize that when I see it. Plain as day.

Well, I suppose one man's feedback and offering input can be another man's definition of complaint and assigning blame.

Just for perspective I am Life Member #1 and one of the five Founding Life members of the AHFCA. I served almost two terms as a Board Member, spent 1000's of dollars of personal money to attend membership gain events and to set up shooting events during our formative years, and have freely offered answers/replies and perspectives here and at Fox events and privately for 13+ years now. I've been part of the rise of our Association and I see the declining trend of participation here (except for collector stuff) over recent years and am stating my opinion and concerns. And no one has to be all that astute to "see and recognize" that; I've used plain English to share them.

And now with that perspective perhaps any naysayers can give us a brief resume of his/their hands-on involvement and personal support of the AHFCA over the years. Briefly, what have he or they done for the good of the AHFCA?

I don't want this forum to turn into another vintage gun BBS I could name and that many are familiar with, where retorts, personal attacks, jealosy, vendettas and hidden agendas have become the norm. I've put too much time and effort into helping build the AHFCA and making this forum a good thing. Hence unless something else comes up I am signing out on this thread.

frank

Silvers wrote:
Well, I suppose one man's feedback and offering input can be another man's definition of complaint and assigning blame.

Just for perspective I am Life Member #1 and one of the five Founding Life members of the AHFCA. I served almost two terms as a Board Member, spent 1000's of dollars of personal money to attend membership gain events and to set up shooting events during our formative years, and have freely offered answers/replies and perspectives here and at Fox events and privately for 13+ years now. I've been part of the rise of our Association and I see the declining trend of participation here (except for collector stuff) over recent years and am stating my opinion and concerns. And no one has to be all that astute to "see and recognize" that; I've used plain English to share them.

And now with that perspective perhaps any naysayers can give us a brief resume of his/their hands-on involvement and personal support of the AHFCA over the years. Briefly, what have he or they done for the good of the AHFCA?

I don't want this forum to turn into another vintage gun BBS I could name and that many are familiar with, where retorts, personal attacks, jealosy, vendettas and hidden agendas have become the norm. I've put too much time and effort into helping build the AHFCA and making this forum a good thing. Hence unless something else comes up I am signing out on this thread.

frank

Since we don't have a "Like" feature on this site I will simply say .........

+1

SRH