doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com American Classics - Your Take

In my 50 years of shooting,collecting,testing handling and yes inadvertently abusing doubles I have yet to see a "blown up Fox". My 1923 example had cases of Super Xs and some really nasty handloads run through it before I knew any better. So in this time I have seen nada,nary a one,not a single example of a blown up Fox. Perhaps you could post some pictures of examples here and enlighten me?
Jim

Crossed Chisels, where are you? I can swear that when I was in yuor shop (a while ago) you have a FOX 12 that had a burst chamber area. But I dont think it had a cracked frame.
Can you weigh in on this

revdocdrew:

I believe I recognize that picture.

Hack

Baker. Chamber had been honed.


LC Smith. Obvious barrel obstruction.


Fox.


Another Fox.






Over the years, I keep hearing the "common wisdom" that the Flues is prone to cracking. I have never personally seen a cracked Flues or a picture of one.

Pete

Pete:

I owned a Flues 5e sn 1762xx that had a cracked frame.

Hack

Talking about over the pond, I was at Bonham's in London last month for a morning-look before the sale. There were lots of wonderful guns. It may be a cultural thing---culture being what we do---but I left more satisfied than ever with what I have at home. There wasn't one I'd buy if my pockets were full. There's a lot of snobbery, vanity and conceit in everything we do, too much of we are what we own. I wondered at Bonham's if most members here felt as I did: great guns and reasonably priced, light weight for the field mostly, many suprisingly to me with Cylinder right barrels but hunting wouldn't be the same without those great hardware store guns of our own.

More of Hack's Premier



AH Fox HE Becker bored 2 3/4" chambers, after abundant 3" magnum loads courtesy of cc/dt



Hollenbeck Syracuse



Flues

The Premier & I are about to leave for the Southern Side by Side Classic at Deep River, NC.

Hack

Dean. Ok. What is gained by glass bedding a SXS stock is full contact between the wood and the metal parts, to allow for whatever shrinkage or other changes have happened over the years to the wood. Wood, over time, is often not dimensionally stable. Factor in a drop of oil here, or a loose screw there, and you can be rewarded with the pin we so often see at the head of a Parker stock, or the cracks behind the lockplates of an LC Smith.

I double dog dare anyone to tell me, here, in public, they have never seen cracks behind the lockplates of an LC Smith, or a pinned Parker.

Cherry bomb, Italian SXS-There was a time when the Rev, or others, had a modest collection of blown up Fox pictures at hand. I didn't save them, because I don't give a rip, not ever having owned one, and with no desire to do so. This isn't because I believe them to be inferior to any other period design. I would guess that the examples we have seen (and, there have been quite a few blown up Fox guns here, and elsewhere, over the years, don't kid yourself) have been abused, either by owners with limited understanding of the guns limitations, (Burt Becker's use of them for his waterfowling ideas may burden every single Fox ever built with a reputation for indestructability, acted out on by past owners) or by gunsmiths (I'm thinking of one right now, who's nickname is "The Torch") who favor the Fox design for re-sale, after working their "magic" upon it.

I triple dog dare anyone to repeat that they have never seen a blown up Fox, here, in public.

I have a lone, turn of the century double in my gunsafe-a Tobin, a gun that I believe has a built in manufacturing flaw that leaves it especially vulnerable to being damaged by high pressure ammunition. I respect this, and subject the gun only to occasional use with English CIP rated 2 1/2 inch ammunition.
In my case, one antique gun design is enough, and the remainder are all suitable for shooting whatever ammunition is available. I wouldn't treat a Fox, LC Smith, or Parker any different than I treat my Tobin. The hassle and expense of keeping a bunch of old stuff working in a disposable society isn't worth it, to me. Hence, my one and only one philosophy. I still have the only one on the block, and that won't change anytime soon.
You can use your Fox however you see fit. I'd humbly suggest you not duplicate Burt Beckers use, or loads, with any Fox, but, again, do as you see fit. I hope never to see it in a full color destruction photo, here.
Best,
Ted

Ted, and there are those who shoot more through those old doubles in a month than some of us, hunting actively yearly, would in a lifetime.