Only the late Savage-era graded guns were regularly stamped with the E for ejectors, most Philadelphia era guns just had the grade stamp. Which style ejectors does your gun have? The A.H. Fox & G.H. Horne Patent No. 921,220 granted May 11, 1909, or the later F.T. Russell Patent No. 991,375 granted May 2, 1911? Tom Kidd once mentioned in one of his articles that AHFGCo. added the later style ejectors to many of their graded extractor guns that were in stock once they were perfected.
Unless special longer chambering was requested, there would be nothing about chamber length on the card. The only two A.H. Fox Gun Co. catalogues, that I have seen, that state chamber lengths are the 1913 and 1914. They both state 12-gauge guns are regularly chambered for 2 3/4 - inch shells, 16-gauge 2 9/16 – inch shells and 20-gauge 2 1/2 - inch shells. That being said, virtually every 12-gauge Ansley H. Fox gun made in Philadelphia (other than the HE-Grade Super-Fox) that I've run a chamber gauge in shows about 2 5/8 - inch. The chambers of unmolested 16-gauge guns seem to run about 2 7/16 inch and 20-gauge guns a hair over 2 3/8 inch. A very few graded guns were ordered with longer chambers. Savage began stating chambered for 2 ¾ inch shells in their 1938 Fox catalogues.
All this being said there is a good body of evidence that back in those days chambers were held about 1/8 inch shorter than the shells for which they were intended. In the recently published book "The Parker Story" the Remington vintage specification sheets on pages 164 to 169 call for a chamber 1/8-inch shorter than the shell for which it is intended. Also in the 1930's there were a couple of articles in "The American Rifleman" (July 1936 and March 1938) on the virtue of short chambers. A recent issue of The Double Gun Journal carried an article on tests showing no significant increase in pressure from shooting shells in slightly short chambers. IMHO I don't much sweat that 1/8-inch in 12-gauge guns. On the other hand when one gets a 20-gauge chambered at 2 3/8-inch likely intended for 2 1/2-inch shells I do worry about folks firing 2 3/4-inch shells in such guns.
One could speculate endlessly as to why the gun is heavier then the card states. Something couple have happened and it was returned to the factory for a new set of barrels. Has it been restocked with a heavier piece of wood? Adding a recoil pad might add a few ounces.
