Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan Hoover
The Super Fox gets much hype, but how does the pattern compare to other makers that were chambered for the 3" shell??
Parker of course made quite a few although I don't know that I've ever heard a number??
Ithaca produced 87 12 gauge Ithaca NID's with 3" chambers on their Larger Magnum Frame with the additional lug through the frame for strength.
I've never owned or shot a Super Fox and I don't want to be hung or stoned , but was the pattern out of a Becker Super Fox that much better than the other makers magnum 12's??
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The Super-Fox and earlier LC Smith Long Range are the only two
Special Long Range duck guns on which I've ever seen detailed patterning results by period/recognized experts. Both performed about equally well with 40 yard patterns typically at 80 - 85% using paper roll crimp progressive 3-inch shells and 1-3/8 oz of ducking size shot. In terms of pellet count that was comparable to 40 yard patterning at 95% or so with 2-3/4-inch/1-1/4 oz regular "High Brass" loads. A major step change!
The Super-Fox's modern day performance with Kent 3-inch Bismuth and Tungsten Matrix loads wasn't up to the old time par when I tested a good Super against a Winchester Model 21 Duck gun and a Model 12 Heavy Duck pump gun, both 3-inchers. Probably due to the Super's very heavy choke profile that was regulated for those long discontinued progressive shells with fiber wards and bare lead shot. In fact the Model 12 HD pump gun with conventional 12-gauge .730" bore and regular "Full" choking bested the Super-Fox at 40 and 60 yards. Anyone interested in this objective testing of the Super-Fox and the two other 12g/3-inch guns might refer to the article
Too High Still in the DGJ Volume 28/Issue 3
Sorry Stan I didn't have a 3-inch Ithaca NID or Parker for testing. Again, despite extensive research I never found any objective pattern efficiency results with period paper 3-inch/1-3/8 oz shells in either gun.