doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Fox Upgrade, opinions wanted

Can you show us pics?

Mark Beasland used a verney carron sidelock in the white i think a remington would be a nice start.i dont know if they built small bore 1894 or 1900.i am going to use a FN 12ga.have the gun and the wood now getting to it.mc

I'd be happy to post pics of Gunner's Gun if I knew how to do it. Right now I couldn't get to it if I had to. I'm having my basement finished off and the gunroom is literly filled with mounts and I can't get to the safe.

I used a Smith extractor gun as the basis for a gun with my dogs engraved on it - no regrets on that choice. Two things I might add if I had to do it again - skeleton buttplate and stock oval (mine will be handed down to kids too).

Brian,

Here is another way to look at it.

I fooled around with a friend's hammer gun a bit, and one of the things that I was really impressed with, that I did not anticipate BTW (in addition to it being so graceful and slim), was that there was no effort required to open and close it after shooting, because you are not cocking anything.

That was a bit of a revelation to me, not sure why exactly... Just never thought about it, I guess.

Anyway, with an extractor gun you are one step removed from that, as it cocks the tumblers when you open it.

And an ejector gun is yet an additional step removed, as you are cocking the tumblers on opening, and compressing the ejector springs on closing (most of them, anyway).

If you are shooting clays, or driven birds, or doves, I can understand the benefit of ejectors. But for grouse and woodcock shooting, particularly over a pointing dog, I will pass.

Use what you want, make what you want. But if you go w/extractors, have a prepared statement ready every time you show off your personal prize.
You'll be asked over and over as to why extractors on such a beautiful gun and not ejectors.
The answer is simple of course,,because you wanted it that way and beyond that it's none of anyones business,,,but the question will be a forever one. Kind of like why did you dye your hair green.

Everyone has said 'I'll never sell this gun',,but that doesn't always hold true. In those cases, the ejector upgrade will not make the buyers flinch and say 'extractors??' when they open it for the first time.
Definetly a value point. Like 'em or not, they are just about to be expected on a high grade or upgrade. That doesn't make them a better practical choice of course.
If practicality was in play, so would an Worthington Special for a base gun. Maybe it is,,I completely redid an Enders (Royal?)Special 20ga once and came out w/a fine shooter!.

Some guns allow the ejectors to be disabled, springs removed, and they still work as an extractor gun. A possibility, but perhaps you don't want nor care to deal with it.

I've upgraded more than a few extractor guns just because I liked the gun to start with. All of the above came with it,,but I still liked the gun. I eventually sold them, but not because I didn't like them. I just like to make others.
I've built plenty of ejector gun projects too.

They sell much easier (I know that's not supposed to be in play).
Fox and Ithaca ejectors are about the most trouble free US guns I can think of off hand. I don't think 21 is in play here.

LC Smith can be a real pain. Parker are not actually too bad from a maint and problem point, but if they do have problems, it's much harder to get parts than the others,,and they are a complicated compared to the others.
I don't care for SST,but they've provided lots of income over the years fixing them. DT or at best a simple SNS trigger as on the Ithaca is OK. DT's is my vote.

Lots of Belgian, German,Austrian shotguns around of excellent quality, many with no names, that would lend themselves to an upgrade. They are usually simple strong boxlocks, many w/ejectors if you want them, many w/o.
16 and 20ga guns are not that uncommon and the quality can be many times over what a US made shotgun is from the same pre-War era. Something to look at also.
Keep short chambers, abrupt forcing cones in mind with any early gun, US or Foreign.
Have fun. Make what you want, You Deserve It... Thank You!

When I finish a project gun, I won't have to excuse the fact that it is an extractor gun to those examining it. I did this in one line.