doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Striking off the barrel legend - how does it look?

I have had 3 Fox specials made over the years. We TIG'ed the roll stamps and hand engraved the legends ala a Fox factory high grade special. I think I might have gone the "Fluid Steel" and "A.H. Fox Gun Co." route on the barrels of the pictured gun if only for symmetry's sake but to each his own.

No one mentioned any double marks & no one stated any "Caveats" as to insuring this gun could never be mis-represented in the future. There is simply too much of that type of thing going on. How did you decide which of the dual markings were correct, as a Sterlingworth was not normally marked Krupp?

Nor did CJO say anything in his original post to lead one to conclude that he did NOT start with Krupp barrels. Nor did anyone suggest that a serial number was altered....and no Fox is ever misrepresented so long as it retains its original serial number.

But it seems much was surmised from much that was not said.

Sorry Miller,...I can see this practice goes against your grain
It's just a custom Sterlingworth, it is what it is! no mirepresentation intended.
Maybe you should try and talk to the one who started the thread you might be able to stop him before he reaches for the file,
not all is lost yet!

Best

CJ

It sure seems to be nice lettering. The scariest part of an engraving job is not the price, it is a screwed up lettering job. Who is your engraver? I don't know what message I would choose for the barrels of a custom Fox, but it gives us something to contemplate. "NOT BAD STEEL" has a certain ring to it. How about "BURT'S BEST"?

Gents, I started this thread to ask about the proper way of striking off a barrel stamping as when doing a Sterlingworth upgrade. Hopefully this reply will end it.

I did not ask how to restamp or re-engrave a different barrel legend that might be trademarked. These Sterlingworth upgrades are quite common and there is at least one book I'm aware of that's largely dedicated to doing custom Foxes. Mike is absolutely correct, there is no misrepresentation as long as the serial number is not altered - and as everyone knows it's a violation of federal law to do so. All Fox models had different serial number blocks and the s/n positively identifies the gauge, grade, barrel length, manufacturing date and special features (if any) of the gun. There is no way to "misrepresent" this Fox, its serial number tells all. Practically speaking there are thousands of non-collector grade Sterlingworths out there and they are hardly scarce. No one is sacrificing an one-of-kind museum piece here. Many Sterlingworths are in well worn, modified, and even abused condition, and are great platforms for a custom gun.

Lastly let me remind all on this forum there is great diversity in the world. Like it or not, your opinion may be different than someone else's. Who is to say you are correct and another person with a differing viewpoint is not? The world in general and gun builders in particular don't have to conform to your picture of correctness. There's no need to stuff your opinion down someone else's throat, especially on relatively insignificant minutia like this. SHORT ANSWER - GET OVER IT. Frank Silvers

Never saw so much agitation over a CUSTOM gun. My Sterlingworth custom has a smooth swamped rib....it's CUSTOM.....it's what I wanted. It's your gun and your money. Make it the way you want it. If you don't like what another man has done with his gun, tough. It's a cruel world and you probably won't be around to not buy it when it goes back on the market anyway.

CJO

No intelligent person here thinks that you are a crook. Custom guns can be a blank canvas that the owner gets to have painted anyway he wishes. Wish you could fake a few upgrades for me with such nice lines and good looks.

I'm with CJO and Silvers on this one. Assuming that one is starting with a well worn / abused sterlingworth or other common gun, which has no real collector grade value, upgrading said piece can be a wonderful option. In fact some will go so far as to select a gun that would otherwise be parted out to use as a platform for such a project, thus saving the gun from the scrap heap.
As long as the SN remains all is well with the world, a gun owner gets his own expression of what a custom gun should be (very satisfying for the owner on personal level), and someone in the trade gets a commission.
On a personal level I would never alter a collector grade gun. I have however customized well worn sterlingworths.

Please understand one thing. I have no problem at all with the "Customizing". To quote though ""It's just a custom Sterlingworth"". Why?? is the need felt to remove the word Sterlingworth!! from it??? Is it just an Ego thing that it can be showed off & unless some snoop disassembles the gun & does a SN check "They Shall Never know"?