Hello all
I thought some of you might be interested in some pics of our latest custom fox project. This started its life as a 16ga sterlingworth ejector. We have been commissioned to reshape the action, top lever, safety button, and forend iron. The action is currently with the engraver and should be completed in a few months. I will post pics of the engraving when completed. Hope you all enjoy the photos.

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays.
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Sorry the pics where down for a few min. its the first time I have posted pictures

I like it except I wouldn't have rounded the Fox "arrowheads"......or maybe it's just the angle of the photos.I know....you can't please everyone. Looking forward to the finals!

Opening lever seems a bit left of center. Nice work, otherwise.

Best,
Ted

Looks like nice clean work, congrats!
Steve

Beautiful job Dan, looking forward to future progress pics.

Thanks for the feed back. These old Sterlingworths are a wonderful platform for a custom project. I really enjoy reshaping these actions. Mr. Hughes your book Fine Gunmaking Double Shotguns has been a wealth of information during these projects.

Nice file work Dan. I note that there's no rebates or scalloping. Did the customer object to those features? The rebates are something I'd think were a desireable functional feature.

Ted, I think the lever is to the left on all of these guns. Bob, what are the "arrowheads"? Oh, almost forgot, great work, Dan. Bill Murphy

Kinda sorry I brought it up but the "arrowheads" I was referring to are the elevated areas on the back half of the lateral surfaces of the receiver on all A.H. Fox guns. At least all I've ever seen. The same feature on a Parker has a rounded anterior end while in the Fox it is more pointed. I've seen redone Foxes both ways. Just sayin'......I like them left pointed.

Bob, the rounded feature on the Fox is a characteristic Burt Becker touch. If I'm not mistaken, the Philadelphia Arms Company guns have a similar treatment.

The toplever most likely will come back some to the right when the barrels are in place.

In regards to the arrowheads...it is really a matter of personal preference, whether they be pointed or rounded is probably done to accomodate the planned engraving.

Eightbore and Stan are correct regarding the top lever of most Foxes will be slightly left of center when the barrels are not on the action.

Dan, did you file off the "Sterlingworth" or tig weld, then file the letters in on the sides of the action?

The decision to scallop and rebate the action may also be dependant on whether or not one would like to incorporate a border to the engraving. Here's a couple of pics of an upgraded custom 16-ga. Parker VHE that was engraved by Bob Strosin with such a border...scalloping and rebating may have detracted from the overall look.

Great job on the metalwork Mr. Dan. I hope Jakaroo will see this post so he can see what knid of work you'll do on his three Sterly's besides the stocking yall will be doing. I'm certainly looking forward to engraving them. ken

Great job on the metalwork Mr. Dan. I hope Jakaroo will see this post so he can see what knid of work you'll do on his three Sterly's besides the stocking yall will be doing. I'm certainly looking forward to engraving them. ken

To answer a few questions; personally I would love to see this action rebated if not scalloped and also have the opportunity to stock it. However, This gun was previously stocked some years back with a nice stick of wood. Thus, rebates and or scallops where out of the question as this gun already sports a custom stock. In a perfect world the metal work would be done first but it will come together nicely in the end.

The Sterlingworth was filed off as was the original engraving it was not very deep.

The top lever is to the left of center in the photos because there are absolutely no internal parts in the gun at the time the photos where taken. Thus, the top lever is not connected to anything. However as part of this job we preformed a full rejoin refitting hook to hingepin, barrel breech to breech face (back on face), and rotary bolt to rib extension. When fully assembled with barrels in place the top lever is well to the right.

Thanks again for all the kind feedback.

Thosw steps behind the fences really fire my rocket. I reciently got two Foxes in 20 and 16 but my job stability is not very secure right now. Hopefully it will improve and I can get going on one of them at least.

Regards, Gordon

Very nice work, and a nice "design" or maybe "redesign" Nice work. And I would only worry about the position of the lever with the barrels mounted and closed.

I suspect the lever might be centered or right-of-center if the bolt had a barrel lug to contact, no?

Very nice. I understand there's to be no restock, but if there were, those shadow lines could have been planned to continue around the cheek panels. Shadow-line panels were/are popular on Ruger #1's and somewhere out there is a custom, DeMunck-engraved NID with shadow-line cheeks.

I gottah say DUHH to a couple of you would be experts with stars by yourt name including the guy who is always putting dowen Fox guns. Shows how much you knoww. If you look at the pix you will see there are NO internals in that reciever, it was annealed for filing and engraving. The top lever is just sitting there for the pix no particular location rightt or left.

I'd send it to my gunsmith, Doug Milweski, in Bozeman MT to get that top lever problem fixed. If Doug can't fix it no one can.
If you need any proof his work is the best, well, you know a gunsmith is good when his name is used in the possessive form.

Cherry bomb- you got that right about the experts. Where do they think the top lever is going with out the barrels on the reciever or in this case no parts in it.

AC

Esactly right, on that top lever, IMHO. I love what has been done so far and look forward to seeing the "rest of the story". How about a picture of the wood also so we have even more to drool over.

Dan, that is very nice file work and I'm sure the client will be very pleased with the result.

I might suggest that the next time you take a photo of a Fox action you attach the nut to the bottom of the top lever and tighten it down so the top lever is to the right. That will keep all the experts happy :-)

I'm a great fan of Fox actions as a custom shotgun base (hence my email address)and I've found a LOT of variation in the shape of the action spear or whatever you want to call it. Some are sharp and some are much more rounded at the front. You have to work with what you've got unless you have access to a TIG welder to add metal.

Again, nice job!

Hey Dan:
Terrific design and execution! Happy to see so many compliments, expecially those from some of the most experienced and respected craftsmen in the business. Look forward to seeing more work in progress and finished project.
Berle Cherney

Doug -

did you get my e mail with photos??

- JBP

Goodness gracious. I'll certainly be pleased when my custom Fox SW 12 gauge gets started. I'm hoping that will be next month. Am I correct on that Dan? PS. Mine will have the rebates, etc. and Dan will be restocking it as well. I'm getting excited to say the least.

Thanks for the compliments and for the advice Mr. Mann. It never occured to me that the top lever position would become an "issue" in a photo of a completly stripped receiver.

Dan I wouldn't worry about.

GregSY, do you have an address and phone no. for your gunsmith in Bozeman ? I have not been able to find him in the phone book. Thanks, Daryl

I never posted a single picture of a blown up Fox. I didn't have to.

But, the reason I noted the lever was left of center was more because the lever itself appears out of proportion, with the right side appearing higher at the top then the left side in the photo. If that is the case, a little more file work would correct it easy enough. But, it could be camera angle also. Also, the hole for the screw seems like it may be a bit off center.
Proportion is what it is all about. Well, that, and spelling.
Ain't that right, Cherry?

Best,
Ted

That one pix of a cracked not blown up fox receiver sure made thhe rounds. Speaking of spelling, shouldn't that be 'higher at the top than the left side'. CB

If you had been paying attention, you would have seen multiple posts and photos on the subject by Drew alone. There have been more THAN just his, as well. I would tend to believe operator error, but, have never seen evidence one way, or, the other. Caution is a good thing. Blind faith, not so much.

Hey, I'll go back and fix my mistake if you go back and fix the dozen or so. Fair enough? Jeez, dude, with all the double letters at the end of words, you had me wondering if maybe the dosage on the anti-psychotics needed to be increased again.

Best,
Ted

No one here bashes guns made by Fox or whomever. Most if not all Americans think that a firearm made in America is virtually indestructible regardless of age. Posting pictures of cracked frames is just a sobering reminder that even they (American built guns) are not above the most severe abuse.

I think my friend Dan knows what he is dealing with here. I'm sure most of his pictures will be posted on the Fox collectors site in the future. That's too bad, because Dan's last great effort received very good reviews on this site without any juvenile BS. I'm sure our webmaster, Dave, is throwing up his hands about now.