doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Help in identifying this SxS.

A buddy of mine recently brought this 12 ga. single-trigger SxS over to show me. Any help in identifying it would be appreciated. The Greener bolt is the only lock-up; trigger appears to be bench-made; also, there are no markings anywhere except for the faint remnants of "Krupp-Essen" on the underside of the right tube. Thanks in advance for any help.
Craig Libhart

Craig, it's an Infallible Single Selective trigger , not uncommonly found on guns after the turn of the century. I believe Lancaster Arms [or similar] offered them and there was even an office in Suhl. Can't say for sure on the gun itself. Could it be the Facile Princeps design of Greener, sometimes seen made in Germany. I do not see any Anson Deeley cocking lugs.

There's a lot there that reminds me of a Fox, excepting the lockup with Greener bolt. A prototype built on a Philadelphia Arms frame? Just a SWAG.

The trigger plate looks A.H. Fox Gun Co., not at all Philadelphia Arms Co. Wonder if it was an early prototype for the Ansley H. Fox gun that was later fitted with the Infallible Single Trigger. Interesting historical piece. Double Gun Journal article?

When is a Fox not a Fox!!

Frame and innards look remarkably like a Fox SxS altho the cocking slide setup is somewhat different. Also, from what I can see the Greener bolt actuation is different than the Greener bolt on Fox SBT guns. Whatever..... I agree, a very interesting piece. Thanks Craig for posting. Silvers

Is there a/an "X" on the watertable? My guess it is of the variety of the "Ithaca-Flavored Fox"/Ithaca prototype as found in Volume 8, Issue 2(Summer 1997) page 92 by Tom C. Kidd

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

What an interesting gun and lots of it is Fox.If it could only talk! Bobby

Thanks loads for all the comments. I agree it is very Fox-like except for no provision for the rotary bolt, plus the coil sear springs forward of the axle. Anyway, if it's like Dave said, a prototype, that could explain the differences. Raimey, I'll dig out that issue and see if I can make sense of it; BTW, nothing on the water table. Thanks again to everyone for contributing.
Craig

Not likely any connection with any European maker. The only Greener style "round sliding" bolt gun without functional underlugs I can think of is the 200E Merkel over under. It seems to be someone's effort to get away from the chore of fitting the rotary bolt. In the late thirties, Remington considered using Fox actions for a "Parker reintroduction" after the Parker operation was shut down. Remington would be hard pressed to pass off a Fox as a Parker if the rotary bolt were present. Remington memos discussing the use of the Fox do exist, but I am not aware of any prototype. I believe that the Lancaster Trigger Company was out of business by the late thirties, but a gun with a Lancaster trigger could have been used as the Parker-Fox prototype, I guess.