Weird A.H Fox Sterlingworth
 

Here a while back I traded for a A.H Fox Sterlingworth man. 1916. The gun is a 12ga. Every thing I have read indicates that they left the factory with 2 5/8 chambers. If the guns were returned to the factory for any reason the chambers were rechambered to 2 3/4 in. I poured a chamber cast on mine and the chambers measured 2 1/2 in. I checked it three times. Any body with a similer problem or a similer gun. I am confused.

fox
 

Wayne, The short chambers do not seem to be uncommon with Fox guns. I have a late Savage built A grade 20g. The barrels are marked 2 3/4". The factory letter says 2 3/4". My Galazan brass chamber gauge reads 2 1/2".
You may want to try posting on the Fox Collectors board. I'm sure someone will give you an explanation, tight chambers, ect..
Dave

2 1/2" chambers for 2 5/8" shells were quite common, in fact standard procedure at Parker Brothers, maybe Fox also. At PB, company blueprints and hang tags specified chambers 1/8" shorter than the shell intended to be shot in that gun.

So is everyone shooting 2 1/2 in shotshells through there guns.

ive got a couple parkers and a lc smith with 2 1/2 inch chambers but i shoot the 2 3/4 inch shell in them all the time with never a problem... and all are 20 ga s... charlie

I shoot a lot of RST ammo out of my old guns. Guess they are 2.5". That said, there are a number of 12 gauge lite loads out there that are 2 3/4" and they will work fine. Doesn't take much lead in the air to knock down a gamebird a long as the ranges aren't unreasonable. PS. I do have a Fox 20 gauge Sterlingworth made circa 1937 and shoot standard Remington Game loads out of it (7/8 ounce). Don't believe I'm causing much of a problem and I probably only shoot a box or two a year.

I just shot my 1929 Fox Sterlingworth, a 12 gauge. The original legomutton case is marked 2&3/4 inch and a 1&1/8th oz load. I shot it with standard 1 oz skeet loads and she gave me a good wallop!

I have not measured the chambers, have no way to do it, but now I'm wondering. I shoot a lot of 12 gauge double shotguns and I've never had one give me such a hit.

Just read an old Jack O'Conner book about shotguns and he wrote that short chambers don't make a diff. Maybe with paper shells, but seems to me that modern plastic cases would kick a little harder and cause a pressure spike.

I have bretty much decided to have my chambers run out to 2 3/4 in. The gun appears to be plenty strong and should handle most 12 ga light 2 3/4 loads. It is not as expensive to have this done as I had originaly though. Dose anybody out there know where I can have this done in or around alabama. Needs to be reliable.

Years ago, I used a forcing cone lengthing reamer to lengthen foring cones. Did it myself was easy to do. That would take care of your concerns. I personally shoot lite reloads out of a sterlingworth 12 all the time. Gun is light weight so I expect recoil. Dave

A few weeks a go I checked the price of 12 ga reamers. Their too exspencive to run one set of chambers out. I will try to find someone in alabama but if I can't I may send it to a friend in oregon.

One of the investments I made several years ago was a set of chamber length gauges from Brownell's. They are a solid steel cylinder with gradations at 2 3/4" and 3" lengths. It is easy to scribe lines for 2 5/8" and 2 9/16" on the blued surface. I use them whenever a new gun shows up unannounced. When out on a scouting trip they are in my car console along with my choke gauges.

Sherman Bell, a regular contributor to Double Gun Journal , had an article in that magazine some years ago in which he described his pressure tests using 2 3/4" hulls in a 2 5/8" and shorter chambers. While there was a pressure spike associated with the longer shells, it was not excessive to a point where he recommended only shooting shorter shells in our old guns. That being said, the practice of trimming hulls to the length to which the gun was designed is a good policy. One does not want to invite the early arrival of the Reaper. It is something I do (shell trimming, that is) regularly with the myriad of tools I own which were made for that chore.

Just a few minutes ago a flat of Polywad 2.5 inchers arrived at my doorstep and I'm going to run them through my Sterlingworth, Lefever and GH.

My Sterlingworth is light and it is a wonderful old double to shoot. I've been shooting it at clays....so I really don't know how well it hits, if you get my drift.

I have no fear shooting standard 1 oz loads in my Sterlingworth since it locks up so well and has thick walls. It looks and feels like a very strong gun to me.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...hotguns001.jpg

I'm just going to save my Polywad 2.5" shells and reload them.

Steve What type of recoil pad is that on your fox. I like the look of it. Mine is an old red rubber pad that is as hard as a rock, and it makes the stock to long. About 15 in LOP.

The gun had that pad on it when I bought it. I think it's a Silvers Pad and several of my old guns have them and you can still get them. My Parker SBC had one on it that was trashed, squashed flat, and I replaced it with a new one. I kept the original tho.

There are several modern butt pads that I like. If I have an old gun that needs one I try to find something like an original. If I can't find one I get one that feels good and that has a rounded top so it won't catch on my shooting jacket.

I like shooting RST 2.5 inchers. Quaint, I guess and they seem to shoot as hard as anything....it's the cost however. So, far I have only been shooting them in my GH and I've been shooting 2 3/4 1 oz loads in my Sterlingworth. No problem, but she just kicks more than I'm used to. Same shells in my Miroku O/U don't seem to kick at all.

I think it is a Silvers pad. It was on the gun when I bought it.

Like the look of that silvers. We have a new gander mountain opening in town tomorrow. It will be nice to just go and pick up what you need without haveing to order it. Our area has been devoide of places to buy gun stuff. I need a couple rubber but pads so I guess I will see what they have.

keep your loads light and your screws tight!