Aldo Leopold - personal gun?

[Researcher]

IMHO the hint of a recessed hinge-pin in the pictures is that the forearm iron is worn bright across the bottom where carried and is still darker on the side where the hand doesn't touch it. Many things could cause the idea of the damascus pattern to the barrels -- pattern from the gun case interior in the gun oil on the barrels, pixilation of the photograph, etc.

As to the other comment, Philadelphia Arms Co. did offer Damascus barrels on C-Grade and higher in their 1905 catalogue, but none but Krupp barrels have surfaced so far. Also, a Philadelphia Arms Co. forearm would look just like a Parker Bros. forearm --



E-Grade on left, C-Grade on right, not at all like the XE-Grade Ansley H. Fox forearm in the Aldo Leopold picture.

[AmarilloMike]

Here is a Fox XE 16 in a similar pose:

[Big D]

How about posting this discussion on the Fox Board? They may have some background on this

[Researcher]

I already did, in the AHFCA Members Forum.

[Dean Romig]

Dave, what are the years during which A. H. Fox worked for Parker Bros., and in what capacity?

[George Lander]

I believe that Ansley Fox worked for Parker as an Exhibition Shooter (pigeon ring) after he left Philadelphia Arms. If so, I read that in Mike McIntosh's book: "Ansley H. Fox, The Finest Gun In The World".

Best Regards, George

[Researcher]

As far as I know, Ansley Fox never "worked" for Parker Bros. He was shooting a Parker Bros. double when he left his partners in the Fox Gun Co., Baltimore, Maryland, and went on the road for Winchester representing their line of ammunition, in January 1900. His former partners in Baltimore reincorporated as Baltimore Arms Co. and commenced building a gun of Frank A. Hollenbeck design. Ansley shot the Parker with Winchester ammunition into the summer of 1900, but by August the big W had him shucking a Model 1897. He went 25 straight with the Model 1897 at the 1901 GAH and then missed the first bird in the shoot-off. He continued with the Model 1897 into the fall of 1902 when he left Winchester to incorporate Philadelphia Arms Co. and began accumulating capital to build a factory and get production under way. George, if you read my history in the latest AHFCA Newsletter, you'd know Ansley left Philadelphia Arms Co. in late December 1904, and immediately set about founding A.H. Fox Gun Co.

[Dean Romig]

Dave, I have that issue of the AHFCA newsletter and read your article.

The reason for my question is the fact that there are so many visual similarities (intended?) between the Philadelphia Arms Co. and the Parker Bros. guns. Maybe for the same reason that some Belgian gunmakers marketed their guns under the name of "T Parker" and others in order to capitalize on the Parker name, Philadelphia Arms Co. did it with a visual likeness to the Parker Bros. shotgun....?

[Bill Murphy]

The gun in the picture appears to have an extended length forend like Fox used and no other maker did unless on special order. Three hundred bucks would buy a heck of a Fox back in those days.

[Researcher]

$300 would be about right for an XE-Grade with a Fox-Kautzky single selective trigger and an extra set of barrels circa 1921.