I realised that I made an error in my original post. I should have said 13 1/2" to the butt plate from the front trigger. Adding an appropriate pad might make the L.O.P. just right for me. I like a fairly short stock anyways.
I have shot an Ithaca 200 with 25" barrels for over 30 years on grouse but I shoot my longer barreled guns better.
What got me thinking about the Fox 20 in the first place was that I took my Dad who is 86 out for a family clay shoot a while back and I shot his Ithaca 16 which is probably close to 100 years old and I realized just how beautifully some of the old doubles handle. We had 3 generations of family shooting that day. And I am really pleased to report that the old boy can still shoots his 16 well. He certainly is not ready to hang up his grouse gun yet although his balance no longer allows him to hike for upland birds.
As I get older it is not about trying to fill a limit as it was in my earlier hunting years. For me now it is about tradition and time spent with bird dogs and my hunting partner of 40 years. I am intrigued by the thought of giving new life to a gun that has most likely sat in the back of a closet for many, many years.
