fox numbers

[paul stafford jr]

does anyone know what year this sterlingworth was made #109192

[Marc Retallack]

Approximately 1926 Paul.

Cheers
Marcus

[Double Lab]

1926-1927. Check out the Fox Collectors Association website for more info.

[Blind Dog]

I'm a little confused. My Philly Sterly is #354847 and the site calls it a 1918 gun. Did Fox not run its numbers in cronological sequence as Parker did?

[paul stafford jr]

thanks a lot guys. I was hoping it was 1927 or earlier , guess I will make the deal

[Marc Retallack]

Fred

16 gauge Sterlingworths started in the 350000 range (graded 16's were in the 300000 range). 20 gauge was 250000 (Sterlingworths) and 200000 (graded).

[Researcher]

The only way to know for sure when your gun was made/shipped is to get a letter on it from the Savage historian --

http://www.foxcollectors.com/factory_letters.htm

Fox serial numbers are in blocks by gauge and whether a Sterlingworth or graded gun --

12-gauge Graded Guns -- 1 to 35280
12-gauge Sterlingworths -- 50000 to 161556
16-gauge Graded Guns -- 300000 to 303875
16-gauge Sterlingworths -- 350000 to 378481
20-gauge Graded Guns -- 200000 to 203974
20-gauge Sterlingworths -- 250000 to 271304
Single Barrel Trap Guns -- 400000 to 400568

I have some real problems with the published Fox serial number chronology, which was originally put out in 1976 by Lightner Library.

For 16-gauge Fox-Sterlingworths they are showing production of 500 (1931), 600 (1932), 600 (1933), 700 (1934), 1100 (1935), 1500 (1936), 700 (1937) and then 1600 for 1938. Then the serial numbers from 374800 to 378481 are given for 1939 up to the last gun made 8/9/1939. I don't believe there is any way they all of a sudden pumped out 3681 16-gauge Fox-Sterlingworths in eight or nine months!!! From my 20 or so years of recording serial numbers of observed Sterlingworths, guns in the 375,xxx, 376,xxx, 377,xxx and 378,xxx range certainly exist.

On the 12-gauge Fox-Sterlingworths they estimate the highest serial number for 1937 as 145000, for 1938 as 150000 and for 1939 as 155000. Again from my years of observing and recording serial numbers, I haven't recorded a gun between 143802 and 160195, leading me to believe there were about 16000 serial numbers skipped. Perhaps the high 143xxx range was the end of regular production and the guns in the 160xxx and 161xxx range were cleanup of parts and barrels on hand?!? All of the guns I've recorded in that range are 26-inch barrels except one two-barrel set that also has a pair of 28-inch barrels.

[paul stafford jr]

well I went and picked up my first fox, I took her a part and the stock shows no cracks on the inside, but what I did find was what looks like a factory installed steel support on the inside of the stock. is this normal? the internals seem as well made as my parkers but I cant say the same for the outside but its sill a keeper.

[Brent Francis]

Ive got the same thing in my 16 gauge from 1927. I found a post (on the fox collector website that the factory did install these. I had at first assumed it was a repair but couldnt figure out why since there was no crack visible in the stock head.

[paul stafford jr]

that's what I figured, seems like a good idea, thanks brent ,I haven't been on the fox site I would have liked to have found a higher grade at a reasonable price but it took a month to find a decent sterlingworth. this one has thirty inch barrels, full &full locks up like new should be fun to shoot.