doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com lengthening chambers

Original SW 12 stock as stripped, including a small area of damage on the right lower corner in the checkering as shown in the pictures....this was the only area that I repaired and can be seen in the photo of the unfinished butt stock pistol grip, right side checkering..........all the wood is serial numbered to this gun.....

This stock had the original finish and original FACTORY checkering prior to stripping and still has the original FACTORY checkering with my small repair and re-finish.......




Undamaged left side--


After my repair on the right side--


Re-finished stock before assembly--

I've never seen a sterlingworth with pointed checkering. Is this relatively normal and just shows my inexperience or is it a "known rarity"?

Apparently life is black and white to some of you--must be nice. For me, as long as the MEASUREMENTS taken on the barrels as taken by the professional I have do the work reflect safe wall thickness I've lengthened the chambers in mine--and given that my budget mandates field-grade only most have been built like a tank to begin with. None of my guns were original when I got them and even given that some metal was removed, based on the clean bill of health given by multiple respected barrel-guys I still believe my guns are in better shape than when I got them. One mans butcher is another mans craftsman.

I can't answer that for you David, I would have to defer that question to the...-"known experts"-.... of which I am not one..........I only KNOW for a fact that this gun left the Philadelphia factory with the checkering as pictured above.....



Best,

They were low grade guns with low grade wood that could explain the 'flat top looking' checkering on some.

PA24, that wasn't meant to be a barbed comment--I just have never seen a sterly with checkering that was pointed up, and I had thought I looked at a decent number of them. I'm interested in learning what I can about it so I tried sending you a PM to ask, but you have that function disabled. Had I seen it on a gunshow table I would have pegged it as a well-done refinish due to the pointed checkering--I don't doubt that it could be original, I was just curious how you know it to be original.
If you care to reply and want to keep this thread on topic my email is david.furman "at" hotmail.com

Thank you

Doug,
I'll be honest, I just dont think that checkering is original to the gun. It doesnt even look like the correct "pointed up" style that Fox used on its Utica made guns and even more so.. it doesnt seem match Philly style checkering either. The diamonds on your gun are just too nice and look to have been recently cut.
Double Gun Journal, vol. 15, issue 3, Autumn 2004, pg. 89. Excellent article by David Noreen. Pg. 94 & 95 there are two pictures that give excellent reference.

Dustin

Dustin--

You are sure entitled to your opinion as I am to mine....The gun sat in a closet since new and was known by me as was the original owner, who has long passed.....Dustin, I'll be honest like you----the gun has never been touched since it was new until I refinished the stock....those are the facts....................

David----sent you two PM's David....

I understand your post clearly, but I cannot confirm how many guns the Philadelphia factory produced with pointed checkering....as you can see by Dustin's posting, others appear to know more about my gun than I, whether from a book or real experiences, who knows.........the gun was 100% original when I bought it.......as mentioned right above.........

Like I mentioned on a previous post, I have another field grade gun that was purchased new in the 30's with upgraded factory checkering and wood and mentioned in the factory letter ......The SW is lettered, but the checkering is not mentioned.......

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For all the experts and critics here, I dug out the photo's I took of the gun before I started the wood refinish.....(I keep complete files and photo's on every gun--before and after any work)....then took pictures of the pictures to post here just for you..............the checkering was not re-cut or touched up....only the repair in the corner to match as close as possible the undamaged area --by me--...what you see posted above is the checkering as it appeared after stripping.............now are you going to tell me next that it is not the factory finish and checkering OR that this is not factory pointed checkering...?....






Best,

Listen up Doug, I was the first to say that I was no Fox expert, I'm just saying that your Fox's checkering doesnt look "right" for that era of Fox. If yours is original, then it would be the first Philly Fox Sterly I've ever seen with pointed up checkering and with diamonds cut at that angle. The only Fox's I've seen out of Philly with pointed checkering were graded guns. I haven't seen a ton of em, but a few. Just sayin'.
We really should start another thread on this so guys like Researcher, ellenbr, Petrov, etc. can chime in, those are the guys that should be looking at this and telling us whats what.
Just thought of this and it has nothing to do with your Fox really, but that 30's era Sterly you mention, the one that letters with ugraded wood and checkering...why would someone do that? Why not just upgrade to an A grade gun?? Food for thought.

Dustin

Dustin--


Listen up Dustin, the "other" field gun I mentioned IS NOT a Sterly....**Not a Sterly**...it is an LC Smith.....(the post says 30's field gun I think).....and letters with the wood upgrades and checkering, unlike the Fox Callahan letters..........LC's letter with Cody and are much more detailed generally........

As far as starting another thread, I am really tired of this back and forth Q & A --........I know what this gun is and where it came from........ the checkering is pointed, I like it and "I'm sure there are more" and it does look nice..... Tired of listening to the so-called "experts" who don't really appear to do their homework and spew mainly opinions or parroting what another "expert" wrote in some book, if you know what I mean....none of us were in the factory back then, so we only know what someone wrote on an index card and believe me that is not conclusive by any means...........like most factories, I am sure you could pay someone to do a little extra work and they would do it........or maybe it was a newbee who screwed up, or an employee made gun who changed his mind, or all the so-called experts are half a bubble off and they made lot's of them, don't really know and it's not important to me........

It is a pristine gun with factory 99-100% blue and CC, with original wood and checkering and sports all the steel that it left the factory with and letters as such......and shoots like a dream with F-M.......28"....and I have not seen another SW that even comes close to the condition of this gun and doubt that I ever will......

Thanks for your interest and opinions Dustin..........

Best,

Truthfully I'm having trouble seeing what they are arguing about.