doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com This Fox has a barrel problem

Chuck H,

"Fox Sterlingworth" was used on the Utica guns.
http://www.foxcollectors.com/sterlingworth%20directory.htm
http://www.foxcollectors.com/sw%20waterfowl%20grade.htm

Pete

Seems the Sterlingworth shows up pretty regular..blown barrels cracked recievers.
Are they best just used in photo opps to prop up pine trees ?

Absolutely, "NO" signs of an obstruction. An obstruction will show a bulged area like a snake swallowing an egg & then if it bursts the bulge will still be visable in the edges of the burst. This is a clean longitudinal split. I also Very Seriously Doubt steel shot had anything to do with this burst. Was likely not the result of a "High Pressure" load either as is too far down the bbl. Pressures are remarkedly similar once you pass the chamber, & if the load had similar ballistics the pressure curve normally crosses at about the end of chamber, thus a lower "Peak" pressure load would have more at this point. Looks much more like an internal seam in the steel that just finally gave way.

Disagree, Miller. The bulge is in the center of the split area. This is almost the identical pattern of the damage to a 28ga 1100 which I know to have been split with a stuck wad.

Do we all think that the pictured L.C.Smith was bulged (or burst)merely by the use of a common 2 3/4" shell?

Egads! Stuck wad or mud dauber; a prime candidate for the barrel ostruction case study graveyard. No matter, a project gun in the offing for sure. A quick swap with proper weight barrels then its off to Lander Land for proper rehab'ed Fox case colors. We'll be seeing her up on the block in no time under the "lovingly restored" category, fodder for all the HE wannabes lusting for an almost-correct relic. KBM

Doug, before I would have someone like Kirk Merrington do a one barrel steeving repair, I would have him do a two barrel sleeve job in 28 gauge, a somewhat more expensive service he offers. You would then at least have a rare and valuable 28 gauge Sterlingworth, original or not. By the way, my only wad generated seam split resulted in a bit of a bulge, not much, but the "seam" was actually four "seams" equally spaced around the circumference of the tube. Of course, I doubt that the Remington 3200 barrel that I have in my parts bin has any area mid barrel that would measure .047. If I get some time, I will check this out. Murphy

I keep reading comments about the checkering...I don'r see any checkering on the stock.
I would imagine you could buy a gun better than this for the price of sleeving.

Pete,
I'm familiar enough with them to know Savage built Sterlingworths, in fact, I have two plus a couple AHF Philly guns. The Savage built guns I have, have a square corner in the intersection of the top tang to frame. The Philly guns have a generous radius there.