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Frank,
How long are the chambers in "the beast"?

Chuck, chambers are 3-inch and the gun is made to shoot steel and/or any other known non-tox. This RBL is a go-to gun for waterfowling when limited to 5 kilos of bismuth or Nice shotshells (airline restriction). Get off the plane and buy whatever's in stock at the nearest sport shop. Actually she's not a beast at all. 8-4 is quite light as compared to most Super-Fox waterfowlers... most are way heavier than that.

For a couple of gents who emailed that they've never heard of a "thick wrist" A H Fox, here's an original 12 ga straight-grip early XE Grade that's got the special thick wrist and heavier comb. Shipped in 1918. The RBL was ordered to be comparable. Frank

Silvers,
I REALLY admire your taste. Two very nice guns you have there. Even if I did love the "Hillary's ankle" joke too.

We called 'em cankles, calf sized ankles.

Frank, Tony made at least one heavy 12 gauge RBL with a high solid rib. Would your gun be one of those?

Bill, no this RBL doesn't have a high rib. My understanding is that it's one of two made with that special stock. The other one was ordered by a fellow Fox comrade.

A 1918 Fox, of course, would have been made before the appearance of the Super Fox. A bit hard to tell from the photos in McIntosh's book, and while he stresses that the Supers were heavy guns, he doesn't mention that they all had overly thick wrists. They wouldn't look or feel right with a very thin wrist, but it would be interesting to measure some and compare to the above XE and RBL.

Less than 7% of 12 gauge Super-Foxes were made with straight grips, and of those, the number ordered with the thick wrist feature is unknown.... probably no more than a very very few. The RBL referenced here was ordered with a buttstock to be comparable with the 1918 XE, not to be comparable with a typical 12 ga straight grip Super-Fox (which has a wrist circumference about 7/16" less than this unusual XE Grade Fox gun). JFI to readers, McIntosh is only one reference on these guns, the Fox Collectors Association has much current information on them available to members. Frank Silvers

http://www.foxcollectors.com/ah_fox/content/index.html

"Roger That" on the information available from hard-core Foxists like Silvers and other members of the AH Fox Collectors Association! While I love reading the prose of McIntosh, even it he were still with us, I'd go to Silvers and his Fox friends for the most accurate information.

While I am extolling the merits of the AHFCA, let me finish by reporting that its annual membership fee includes one free (order?) card look-up with a photocopy of that card emailed to the requester. The information on the card is comparable to that which would be included in a Parker Association letter. Being a Fox Association member is a great deal!

PS: I am a member of the Fox Association and Parker Gun Collectors Association. Both are great groups of like minded gun collectors, shooters, and hunters.

I own the second 32" RBL straight grip (RBL Super Fox)Franks refers to above, the wrist on mine measures 4 7/8" and my Super Foxes measure 4 5/8".
My gun also weights 8lbs 4oz with one 4oz weight in the CSMC system removed, my 32" Super weights 8lbs 9oz The RBL barrels weigh 4lbs 2oz, the Super weights 4lbs 6oz. The RBL has a higher MOI (more weight out at the end of the barrels due to the screw in chokes in my opinion). If I could have had my way I would have made the wrist thinner and eliminated the screw in chokes, the gun would have handled better in my opinion.

That being said it is my go to duck gun, I have shot it for three years and killed a boat load of ducks and geese. I use the gun for sporting clays and have 5000 rounds through it to date.
I am trying my best to wear it out!