doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Nash Buckinghams Fox "HE"..

Repaired an icemaker huh? I would like to talk about the "old days" if you could do that for me.

If Mr. Highsmith doesn't have ice for his libations, everything becomes a derailment or train wreck.
If you would tell me in what fashion, I'd be happy to oblidge. I have jotted down bits and pieces of shooting geese at 80 yards with a single 4 bore, turkey hunting described( as Mr. Highsmith would call across the table to my boy of 4 months) to hunting with Nash as well as working on Mr. Buck's guns. It takes snake-eyed concentration on the inquiry as well as liberal spirits and Levi Garrett(?) tobacco(in early America, the Highsmiths grew tobacco and shipped it to England). If you can pick a topic he likes and be correct in your questions, he will fill in the gaps. He describes his War effort in repairing Rem. Model 11s(Humpbacks) for the aerial shooters, of which he was at first an instructor before he informed the Navy(because Mr. Highsmith deemed the Navy to be the most clean) he could repair guns.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

I have never handled a NID Magnum, don't know how much it weighs, but I have found that the Super, for all it's weight and length (mine is 32") is a good handling gun. I've used it on a variety of jobs from sporting clays to mallards on the Cache and the L'Anguille Rivers in Arkansas. I am not a big man. Tall, yes, but I only weigh 164 lbs., and find the big gun to handle well. My Elsie short ten with 32" tubes is much slower to get moving and seems much more weight forward. I have posted the inside barrel dims here in the past on it, but don't have them at hand right now. Would be glad to dig them out for anyone needing info.

It may just be another Fox to some, but to me the HE is a prize that I count myself very fortunate to have in my keeping. Very hard times would have to befall me to see it sold. Many others in the safe would leave first. It came with an extra high-combed buttstock serialed to the gun which the previous owner strongly believed was made by Fox for the owner, maybe for trap.

Anyone ever seen an early HE that was not stamped "Not Guaranteed"? Any guess on how many were made before they started stamping them with this disclaimer as to patterns?

Stan,

I am not sure what constitutes "early", but my HE #29,397 is "Not Guaranteed".

Thanks, Terry. I'd like to know how many were shipped out before Fox realized that they could not guarantee the high percentage patterns with loads other than the Super-X Luballoy that the gun was originally "built around". May be near impossible to ever know that.

Do you shoot yours?

The original Super-Fox was not built around Lubaloy shot. The Super-X shells and the Super-Fox were on the market a good five or six years before Lubaloy was introduced.

crossedchisles & Craig Havener:

I gave Mr. Highsmith your regards verbally as well as having Mr. Highsmith pen your names. Upon his return from work today, she is going to refresh his memory seeing it was a hectic weekend with the house guests and noise.

Also, Mr. Highsmith pulled out a 1960 vintage bottle of "Dry Slyde(Slide?)" which gave me a headache right of the bat. I've been around a lot of hydrocarbon contaminates, and you need a set of filters to use that stuff. Anyone shed any light on the lubricant?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Another discussion by H. Lea Lawrence, "The Saga of Bo Whoop" (but pics of Bo Whoop #2) on p. 36 of the 2001 Gun Digest

Stan, as I remember, the second batch of 25 HE Grades began with serial number 27,850. 27,850 may be the 26th production HE, and it is "Not Guaranteed". This information may be completely incorrect, because it is in my head, not written down. I do know that 27,850 is a fairly early HE and it is stamped. Has anyone seen any HE, early or late, that is not stamped?

DGJ - Vol. II, Issue 3. Page 37
Mr. Buck's letter to Caldwell on Becker Bored Magnums

"198 South McLean
October 16 59

Mr. Edgar B. Caldwell
5225 Dee Road
Memphis I7, Tenn.

Dear Mr. Caldwell-:,
In my opinion, your Ansley H. Fox 12 bore HE grade Magnum #30069, is undoubtedly Burt Becker bored and finished. He worked ONLY on the top-grade guns, Magnum field.In 1923-24 when these Askins-Sweely(Fox) guns first appeared,I was in the sporting goods business, in Memphis and owned two; before Capt Roll, Fox's sales manager had the HE made for me with special Becker boring, I927.3II08.So Burt undoubtedly turned out your fine weapon,in I925. When Fox later consolidated or sold out,Becker didn't go with the new firm but opened his own shop in Philadelphia.I have the last 12 Ga.Magnum he turned out-in '50.In the opinion of the late Col. H.P.Sheldon,in my opinion the country's finest gun-editor and critic,in his Saga of Bo-Whoop(my original Becker) speaks of Becker as "unquestionalby the finest gun-borer that ever lived." You are exceedingly fortunate to have such a fine weapon by so fine a master of his trade.We'll have to turn it loose this season with some of my favorite 4--I 3.8th #4's-coppered.You'll see mention of my gun in Lucian Cary's current article in True magazine "How Far Will A Shotgun Kill." Keep in touch with me as reports filter in from the mallard front.
With every good wish and best regards,
Nash Buckingham."

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse