Best song Simon and Garfunkel ever wrote and performed. Rumor has it that "The Boxer" was possibly Bob Dylan, an iconoclastic figure in the music world. I owned a Fox HE 12- 32" barrels 3" chambers with the oft-misread "Barrels Not Guaranteed" stamping on the flat(s) BUT I never shot 3 inch shells in it. It has been replaced by an older L.C. Smith 2E 12- also 32" Nitro barrels with original factory ventilated rib, and although NOT a longrange model (I have one 'in the wings'" however) it has 3" chambers- originally a 30" Chain Damascus gun built about 1898, sent to Fulton and refitted with the Nitro barrels. I also have two other pre-1913 12 gauge Smiths- a Grade 2 mfg. 1907 and a 3E 12 ga. mfg. 1909. NONE of these older "Elsies" have any cracks in the stock heads, at either lock plate area, or the tangs, and they have been shot a fair amount- But in looking over area shotguns for sale, I see later Smiths with that problem. Why? possibly over-oiling and storing the gun muzzles up-allowing the oil to weaken the pores of the wood at the stock head. Also, as Mike McIntosh mentions in his 1989 "Best Guns" book- early Smiths had finer engraving for grade and filing and shaping of the lockplates- possibly a slight beveled mortise that was eliminated to cut labor costs- I strip and clean the Smiths-removing the lock plates to clean and lube same (light Rem-Oil) and I use a Q-tip and apply a very light coat of Tru-Oil to the inletted wood areas, then re-assemble. I use 2.75" Classic Doubles Non-Toxic shells in the Smiths for waterfowling, I also have two older Model 12 Heavy Duck pumpguns and a "POS" if I can borrow from Destry's term here- Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag- and all I shoot in those cannons is 2.75" steel shot (usually Kent or Federal)- BUT I only shoot greenheads and Canadas on private farms or rivers in my area, not on Federal reserves or Public areas- and I take my birds in close-how close- I like to count the eyelets in their boots before I shoot- and my shotshell budget goes further by sticking with the std. loads. I have never heard of a AH Fox, whether a Sterlingworth or a Burt Becker "Bo Whoop" with a cracked frame or the rib extension damaged (as per the fotos)-my HE was breeched so tightly that once fired 12 AA reloads- I could not close the breech- the lever would stick to the right of the tang- only with factory new shells would that Cannon close properly-I like Smiths because in my area they are affordable, but if I had access to Bernie Madoff's Swiss bank accounts, I would 10 times rather have a High Graded 12 gauge ejector Fox made before 1916 with Krupp barrels than any other American boxlock of that same era. But name association and what the market will bear prevails- the Parker "mystique" exists, always has, always will- go to a music store in any major city and price a used Steinway Grand against a Baldwin or a Yamaha- all have 55 white keys, 33 black and three pedals and a black top you prop open- but the name Steinway says it all- ditto Parker--
