Abby gun done and ready for a test drive

[tom tutwiler]

I've posted different pics of the Abby gun in various stages or progress. *Finally had time with pretty good light to take a few pictures of the mostly finished product. *Still needs to have a little tweak or two (nitre blue the cross pins), but its essentially done. *Lots of craftsmen are responsible, but the key folks are Dan Rossiter and Jack Jones. *Dan did the metal work which was extensive and the restocking with a stick of California English and Jack did the engraving. *John Gillette at Classic Guns did the case coloring. *Gun has a swamped top rib with twin ivory beads and a rolled trigger guard. *Lots of ideas went into making this gun, including polishing and case coloring the triggers themselves. **

The base gun was made in 1913. *Not bad for a 100 year old gun. *It started life as a Fox Sterlingworth ejector 12 gauge. *Finished gun is 6 lb 14 oz. *Dan could have made it a we bit lighter by doing a few things, but its very well balanced and is made to fit me. *Test drive will be next Saturday at a local preserve with Abby of course. *She is 13 and thank goodness she is in good enough shape to take her out with the gun and have a bit of fun. *Anyway, a few pictures:

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406084936.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406084937.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406084938.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406084939.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406084940.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406085102.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406085099.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406085097.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406085096.jpg

PS. *I'll be using spreader loads next week and it will be a Chukar hunt because that's the only bird available this late in the season. *Original chokes are mod/full and the chambers are the original length as well. *I'll probably open up the right barrel and keep the left where it is.

Double PS. *Forearm was inlet for a escutcheon which was case colored and engraved by Jack with the initials "AG" for Abby Gun.

[Daryl Corona]

Tom;
What a wonderful tribute to a great dog. Beautiful gun. Enjoy.

[Steve Huffman]

DAMN I hope thats a fake rock !!! I love the gun.

[tom tutwiler]

DAMN I hope thats a fake rock !!! I love the gun.

:)

Gun was actually sitting on a couple of shoestrings. Thought the rock made a good backdrop.

[Steve Huffman]

Next time use the whole shoe !! beautiful gun !

[John Campbell]

Another beautiful and restrained colour case job by my friend John Gillette. He could be the next St. Ledger.

[Brian Dudley]

Absolutely beautiful Tom!

[charlie cleveland]

very nice...a good tribute to your hunting pal.. hope you still have many together... charlie

[Paul Plager]

Very Very Very nice. I would be proud to shoot along side a gun like that.

[Dave Suponski]

Wonderful gun Tom. Congratulations

[tom tutwiler]

Geez, guess I should have at least one picture of the guest of honor. This was taken last year at the same shooting preserve we are going to this Saturday. Abby is 13 years young.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23828662/401905169.jpg

[Rich Anderson]

Nicely done:bowdown:

[Mark Callanan]

That is plain awsome
Thanks for the pictures...

[allen newell]

Spectacular Tom and what a nice way to honor your dog.

[Kenny Graft]

I just bought a canvas for a project....Is a clean original philly fox SW 16 ga. 28" F/F with ejectors. It will be fun to have a gun made for me! Will it be a rooster gun or grouse gun???? Open the right barrel to say, light IC and keep the left full and it can do both.....(-:

[Russ Jackson]

Tom ; Great Gun ,Absolutely Beautiful ! Beautiful Best Friend also ! Thanks for posting ! Russ

[tom tutwiler]

I just bought a canvas for a project....Is a clean original philly fox SW 16 ga. 28" F/F with ejectors. It will be fun to have a gun made for me! Will it be a rooster gun or grouse gun???? Open the right barrel to say, light IC and keep the left full and it can do both.....(-:

Was that gun perhaps listed on Gunbroker and sold yesterday? If so that's just about a perfect platform for a custom. PS. Your correct, that gun can do both grouse and pheasants.

Double PS. My Abby Gun is choked .009 and .034. That is a good compromise and allow the gun to be used for whatever floats my boat since I predominately hunt over flushing dogs.

[Todd Schrock]

Absolute beautiful gun Tom! :)

[tom tutwiler]

Thanks all. Here is the guest of honor with the gun. Picture was taken at the local preserve this past March. She and I had a great time.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL599/2614949/23043819/406145777.jpg

[Kenny Graft]

Tom..... it was the gun sold on G.B. I have been looking for a Philly 16ga. SW with ejectors since you posted this thread. I want to have a Fox gun done for me. I have looked and looked at all the fine guns originals and up-grades but never could find the perfect one, always some issue about the gun. Its time do one just for me. I got a good buy for a clean gun with minty barrels choked F/F for this project. It will be here next week to inspect. My dog Ruby will grace the belly of this one too. Ruby is my first setter dog and first bird dog I ever owned, she is part of our family. She is a solid grouse dog that only needs more bird contact. This gun will have birds and landscapes. Color case metals, twin ivories and skelitin but plate. What you think about a parker hinge pin? That would look kool....(-: SEE RUBY

[tom tutwiler]

Tom..... it was the gun sold on G.B. I have been looking for a Philly 16ga. SW with ejectors since you posted this thread. I want to have a Fox gun done for me. I have looked and looked at all the fine guns originals and up-grades but never could find the perfect one, always some issue about the gun. Its time do one just for me. I got a good buy for a clean gun with minty barrels choked F/F for this project. It will be here next week to inspect. My dog Ruby will grace the belly of this one too. Ruby is my first setter dog and first bird dog I ever owned, she is part of our family. She is a solid grouse dog that only needs more bird contact. This gun will have birds and landscapes. Color case metals, twin ivories and skelitin but plate. What you think about a parker hinge pin? That would look kool....(-: SEE RUBY

Parker Hinge pin is certainly doable. Dewey Vicknair did a custom Fox a few years ago (12 gauge) where he made side plates and did a Parker style hinge pin. Pretty amazing gun. The first Sterlingworths (12 gauge only) all incorporated a Parker style hinge pin because they used leftover frames from Philadelphia Arms. Whomever you get to shape the metal will no doubt have ideas on what can be done. I utilized Dan Rossiter at Custom Stocks and Steel. If you take a look at his website you can see lots of custom Foxes with varying degree's of metal shaping. Believe Doug Mann has also done more then a few as well. The only word of caution is expect it to take a while. The Abby gun was 3+ year project. Many long poles in the tent, but I'd say the longer one include having an idea of what engraver you want to use and see if you can get in his que right away. Most of the good ones are backed up for 18 months or more. Heck, I believe both Dan and Doug are backed up that long as well for the stockmaking/metal shaping process.

PS. I think you can expect your gun to come in right about 6 lbs. It will lose some weight in the metal shaping process, but may gain some weight during the stock making process (unless you are going to a straight stock) because you will probably have some figured walnut (which weighs more) and may have to have a longer length of pull then what was the norm back when that gun was made. Think the Abby gun started out a 7 lb 5 oz and ended up at 6 lb 14 oz.

Custom gun projects are fun. Nice to design something from start to finish and have control of the entire project. I decided on the metal shaping, picked out my own walnut and stock style and checkering pattern and then took months and months just trying to decide exactly how I wanted it engraved. Nice tribute to a great dog and even when she's gone I'll still always her a piece of her with me every time I take the gun into the field. :)

Double PS. One additional small piece of advice, and that's go high end on the walnut. Some folks don't care much about engraving, but everyone cares about high grade walnut. You can spot it clear across a room and it gives a gun life and pizazz. IMO the Abby gun would have looked nice with the case colors and zero engraving because everything else flows nicely and I found a really nice piece of English with consistent figuring on both sides. Quartersawn wood IMO is more consistent from side to side then slabsawn, and that's why I selected the blank I did for the Abbygun.

[Kenny Graft]

Thanks Tom....I will talk with you about the project soon...thanks for your help. Kenny

[Rich Anderson]

Gunner's gun will make opening day again this year. He's been gone a year next week and in some ways it's been like just yesterday and others it's been a long time. I look forward to many fine days afield with him in my heart and his Parker in my hands.

I knew what I wanted in the gun befor haveing it started and this helped in the time frame. It was a year from start to finish.

[charlie cleveland]

ruby s got a lot of class..she ll like having a gun made just for her.. charlie

[Kenny Graft]

The Fox is in hand...chokes are perfect for Kansas roosters at .013/.033 6lbs-4oz Gun is really nice, shame to up-grade one in this condition. This is a Utica Savage with Philly features. I will need to plan the details and save some mad money for this project. I would also like a 2nd set of barrels fitted with open chokes to use for grouse hunting. I will be on the look for set of barrels or complete gun with ejectors...SXS ohio. Grouse season is close now...(-: Ruby is chomping at her leash!!!

[tom tutwiler]

The Fox is in hand...chokes are perfect for Kansas roosters at .013/.033 6lbs-4oz Gun is really nice, shame to up-grade one in this condition. This is a Utica Savage with Philly features. I will need to plan the details and save some mad money for this project. I would also like a 2nd set of barrels fitted with open chokes to use for grouse hunting. I will be on the look for set of barrels or complete gun with ejectors...SXS ohio. Grouse season is close now...(-: Ruby is chomping at her leash!!!

That is perfect for roosters for sure. Actually its not too far off what many folks hunt grouse with when they are running flushing dogs. Finding a set of ejector 16 gauge barrels won't be easy, but they are out there I'm sure.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

The Mattie gun has been in the works for a couple months now, and is progressing very well, No need to hurry, Everything will come together, and I will have when done a fitting tribute to a great dog and faithful companion. Gary

[Bill Murphy]

Kenny, if you're thinking of getting the receiver profiled and sculpted, the recessed hinge pin would be a great idea. I'm not doing that, but my project Fox pigeon gun is about busy enough without a Parker hinge pin.