doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Small Sterlingworth bore diameter question

Hello,

I'm in the midst of an inspection period of a circa 1926 Sterlingworth 12 ga. with 28" bbls and when measuring the bores with a bore mic am coming up with .721 and .715 (choke constircition .012 and .033 respectively). All of my other A.H. Fox 12 ga. guns are closer to .729. I'm measuring from the muzzle end to about 12" [from muzzle]. Are these barrels underbored, or was this normal for this time period? Anything to be concerned about?

Thanks,

Jerry

I've never measured any 12 gauge Foxes that were quite that tight, .724" has been the smallest I've observed. The largest was .735" in what I belive was an unmolested factory bore/standard gun. (Super Foxes were larger than that). I think it's a function of the specific supplier that made the tubes, and what they shipped to Fox. Fox used at least 3 suppliers with recognized barrel ID stamps. Are there any letters at the very back end of the breeches, under side of the barrels? If so, what are the letters? I doubt there's any reason for concern if the barrels are not corroded or damaged. 12 gauge barrel bores can vary widely, in fact some of the live bird shooters prefer the tightest bores. Silvers

Well we all know it's a heck of a lot easier to remove metal than to put it back so I think you can safely assume they left the factory that way. Perhaps someone can give you a more definitive answer but this is the way I'd look at it.
Jim

Thanks guys... I'll look closer for anything that identifies the source of the bbls and report back if I find something. The weigth stamps are clear #3's. No damage of any kind to bbls so sounds like more metal is a good thing! Will be interesting to see how she patterns.

I love these Sterlingworth's... Have a later Philly SW (1929 mfg) and these barrels fit that gun perfectly and vice-versa. No such luck on earlier (1914) Sterly with 26" bbls. Have to see if they will fit to A grades as well.

-Jerry

Have a 30" #2 weight, 1926 by the reference here.

.729 and .730

Fellows,

I moved this thread over to the Fox site as it is getting quickly burried here.. Thanks much to all who responded and please head over to the Fox site if you care.

-Jerry