The ad said AH Fox 32” in bad shape, a “Super” find.
 

In Nov of 2020 Chris Dawe called and said there was a Fox 32” gun listed on a web classified with bad pictures for $250. He said it’s an absolute disaster, looks like an A grade and it had ejectors. I said sure as I was working on a couple project Fox guns and the parts were well worth it. A week later when he received the gun he called and said your not gonna believe this but it’s an HE and yes it’s is a disaster! After a good laugh and a week or so after he tore it apart he said we can save this gun. So the journey began with a “Super Rough Super Fox”!

Everything was pitted, loose, wood broke up and it smelled like it had been dropped in the swamp a few times per Chris. Positives, Ball grip, 32”, barrels are THICK walled so can work all the rust off. It was never a priority as it was so rough, Chris just picked away here and there and things are now getting close. A few pictures below of the project progress but I am in need of some help. I need a close up picture of an HE receiver from all 4 sides for the engraver. Everything had to come off. Text to me would be wonderful so I can easily pass them on.

All the best
Brian
419-379-4414

Brian do you plan on sending the action to Gournette(sorry if spelling isn't correct) and let him re-engrave as factory would have ?

Wow

Great find. There was a rust bucket on GB several years ago that went for big bucks
Sent some simple pics of mine

I’ll have better ones soon as I’ll be listing it

But. I’ll ask more than 250 :rotf:

Thanks Rick.

The gun will have all work done in Canada with close factory HE pattern. Nothing over the top. To my understanding the Fox rib matting machine still exists. The matting will come off and be reapplied.

Found the B4 pics of the receiver

A great piece of wood for it!

Thanks Brian, Chris was in the camp of original and minimal figure……. I agreed but snuck a little something extra in there;-)

Nice catch. I'm glad it found people who would recognize the value and willing to put in the time, effort, and expense to bring it back.

Sweet survival..... or reincarnation. Whichever pulls your trigger. What a great gun.

Right Rick, and I visited that shop in southern NH where it was consigned by a lady who said she’d be happy to get $350.00
I examined the gun and determined it was only coveres by thin rust dust and told the shop owner it would easily bring over $7k. He doubled me but it did clean up extremely nicely with about 90% original case color and 95% barrel blue and sold for over $10k.




.

Does Cody have information as to the identity of 'Bob Smith' Brian?

I got the letter from the Fox folks, I did not realize that is a dotted line to Cody.

Brian, I admire your willingness to bring these old beauties back life. Not many people are willing to invest money into an old gun without being certain they can make it up on the other end. I hope that came out the right way.

Drew and Brian, Bob Smith is Bob Smith Sporting Goods in Boston successor to Orren R. Dickey, famous shooter and Parker dealer.

Any relation to "Buffalo" Bob Smith of Howdy Doody Show fame?

I remember this find

Yep that was a straight gripped gun and only had surface rust on it. It cleaned up nicely, but boy were the pictures bad

Yeah you and I were on the phone at one point

I didn’t remember the final total, I dropped out a little after 8k

Great little shop in downtown Boston that I frequented in the early 80's while attending the Boston College Country Club. My brother owned a store on Summer St. (a few blocks from Smith's) where I'd work on Fri/Sat and blow most of my paycheck in Bob's bijou flyfishing department. I believe the firearms were long gone at that point. What a shame.

Good luck with the BO-WHOOP resurrection Brian!

Coming right along. Add the word safe and a few finishing touches and off to case color.

Enjoy your weekend Parker friends

Very nice, excellent work!!

Great job Brian. Would love to see it win BoWhoop next year.:bowdown:

Engraving is a wrap. Off to case color then back to Dawe for barrel refinish and assembly. Wood still has some work as the metal was so bad he held off on finishing it.

Happy 4th everyone.

Brian, looking forward to seeing the final pics. Keep us posted. I like the “little extra” subtle engraving work. Very tasteful and fits the gun perfectly! Great wood as well! Love it!

I saddens me to see the ads for parts from these old guns. One of the benefits I receive from being a member here is to see stories like this one from Brian. I admire and respect those that have the desire and funds to resurrect these functional pieces of art and engineering from our history. Thank you Brian H. and all others that undertake these projects and share them with us.

Chris is definitely the fellow for the job!

Wood is a wrap, next stop will be barrel finish.

I would name that gun Lazarus. Raised from the dead.

Turned our beautifully Brian, bringing it to Ernies next month? Did Chris do the CCH?

No Earnie's for me, the case color was farmed out. Chris has not entered that yet.

Too bad to hear you will not be attending the NE this year.

Todd that name was given to another gun years ago. Look it up.

I remember that. I think I was there.
:)

Found it. Thanks


https://parkerguns.org/forums/showth...t=32865&page=5

Naming a gun is a difficult task. I have only named one gun out of hundreds that deserved names.

I named mine with feminine names, all except for my 32" Super Fox which is named Sledgehammer, and try to suit the name to the "personality" of the gun.

My Parker DHE 16/20 with 32" barrels is so pretty I named it after a nurse that I saw standing beside my bed when they took me off the ventilator which I had been on for 13 days, 4 1/2 years ago. Caroline, the daughter of a good hunting buddy of mine, was standing there and I thought she was the most beautiful thing I could imagine. I told her Dad that I later named my Parker after her, because of that.

I also have Valerie, my 32" Ithaca Grade 3 Super Ten, and Susie, my 32" Field Grade LC Smith 16 ga., among others.

I thought about naming my pigeon gun Rat Poison.

Actually, Todd, you were the guy that came up with the name then, as your link shows. I gave you credit in "Lazarus Rising": "Todd Allen wrote, 'Wow, that's quite a restoration! I think I'd have to name that gun Lazareth.' That I have done,...."

Thank you for that!

Bob Smith was a large retail gun store in Boston

I have called my guns several names after "they" missed a bird, none of which were flattering.