doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need help from the Fox experts

Hi everyone,

I have a 1927 Philly era 16 gauge Sterlingworth. The head of the stock is fairly trashed (Oil soaked & cracked) and my gunsmith thought I might be better off finding another stock instead of him trying to repair this one.

Well, I've located an A grade 20 gauge stock from a 1912 Philly gun.

Can anyone tell me if there is a chance that this stock would fit my sterlingworth without major modifications?

I believe that Fox had only two size frames the 12 and the 16/20.

I need some help here.


Thanks!


Bryan

Bryan,

Slim chance. Over the years there was variability in the top tang width and length and, in the junction of top tang and frame, there were several different radii used. Internal surfaces can be glass-bedded, but for the fit to be decent where it's visible on the outside, you'd not want to see the glass. To be really successful you'd have to be lucky enough that the replacement stock has excess wood in several areas to allow it to be fitted without unsightly gaps. Very unlikely.

Heck, I had trouble finding a replacement triggerguard that was even close to fitting my original inletting.

And just what do you hope to accomplish? Do your current stock dimensions even fit you? You're lucky if they're anywhere close to high enough. And if they are, it's very likely that the stock on a gun 13 years older than yours will have more drop. If your main interest is in some casual shooting for little cash outlay, you'd be miles ahead if you a) repair your existing stock and see if holds up (seek a second or third opinion). If not, nothing lost but some labor. Then consider b) a new stock from a semi-inlet.

I'd pass on the A stock unless it was free.

Bryan,
The 1912 stock may work and it may not? Fox changed the radius where the tangs meet the stock head over the years. If these Radius don't match they cannot be fit. Even if they have the same radius it still may be a real problem to fit a stock from one gun to another. Foxes were not the precision machine made guns we have today. There can be dimensional differences in them from gun to gun and era to era. You are correct that the 16 & 20ga were based on the same frame size, but with that said it doesn't mean they will interchange stocks.

I suggest you visit the Fox collectors site and post your question over there and possibly add some pictures of both your gun and the stock your interested in buying. It may be more cost effective having a new stock made or yours repaired.

http://www.foxcollectors.com/

Thanks gentlemen!!

I'm pretty well versed in side by sides, but am far from an expert on the nuances of AH Fox shotguns.

Everything you both mentioned is what I thought could or would be a problem.

I'm going to pay a visit to the smith and find out why he feels the way he does about the current stock. So far it's only been a phone conversation.

I know I can go to Macon gunstocks or the like and buy a semi finished stock for not much money and probably get a nice result.


Bryan

Almost any oil soaking and cracking can be repaired with enough effort and skill, as long as most of the wood is still there.

Have you looked at the current thread on repairing the head of a Parker stock?

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...ge=1#Post139685

Maybe you should look into another smith?

OWD

I would do what Mike Campbel advised. I am struggling with an Ithica 5E trap stock that was a take off from another gun. The upper tang is not right and the inletting is a bit different. The guy that owns this gun can't believe that they can be that different.

A new stock would be my pick.

Regards, Gordon

Gordon, what are the serial numbers of the Ithaca gun and stock you wish to fit? Pistol grip or straight?

If you can get the stock with the right to return it I would try to see how different the two guns are. Many of the later guns have wider tangs than the earlier guns. You can always inlet the wider tang into a narrow stock inletting, it is a bit harder to stretch the wood back to cover a narrow tang. Getting the stock to fit you is just hit or miss but it might be a stock that you can have bent to suit.

I'd consider giving The Stock Doctor a chance to look at the old stock.