When I first joined this board I noted most had customized or upgraded their Parkers and next was their LC Smiths. But as of late it appears that Fox shotguns rule the roost here on this board.

No?

Yes, people who customize shotguns are going to use them. The 16ga and 20ga A.H. Fox are among the best handling classic American shotguns made. The other well known one is Parker Bros. of right frame size and barrel length.

I know Brian, Tut, Mike Campbell and Chuck H amongst a few here all have customized or re-stocked or refinished their Fox shotguns.

Treblig, I have two Fox 16 gauge guns waiting to be customized. Working my way through a backlog of issues on other guns that I think will be done by the end of this year. Then I'll be diving head first into the customized Fox challenge. I got off to a bit of a start by having PA24 re-do the barrels on one gun last year. I had been planning to send him the barrels for the other when I had another set of barrels badly damaged in shipment from overseas. Doug kindly looked after those barrels but sadly his health problems prevented him from ever getting to my second Fox barrels.

One of the guns is an ejector SW with #1 weight 28" barrels choked mod and full that currently weighs about 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Those barrels will be left with those chokes. The other gun is an extractor SW weighing about 6 pounds with 28" barrels choked IM and extra full. That gun will have the chokes opened substantially.

Still changing my mind weekly about the style and extent of the engraving I want done but the two guns will be thematically similar. I particularly love some of the unique work Dewey Vicknair has done on Foxes, reshaping the fences and receiver.

Let us not forget Steven Dodd Hughes and his book Fine Gunmaking Double Shotguns from 1998.
We should congratulate Mr. Tut for switching from Germanic Gargoyle-ish guns to more pleasing to eye A.H. Fox shotguns.

SDH's book is what caused me to sell off a rather robust collections of Merkel's and head to the Foxes in a rush. That and reading MM's book from front to back several times. Wish I had discovered them years ago, but I never owned a SXS until the mid 1990's. Was an O/U guy for years until I got my first SXS.

I remember those barrels CB, the guy just threw them into box and sent them to you from overseas.

Doug did a tremendous job on your barrels. What a tremendous loss of talent we have suffered on this board.

I can't wait to see those Fox shotguns!!!!

Don't hold your breath Treblig, LOL I expect the first to roll off the assembly line several years from now. Actually, between 2 and 4 years.

Doug did do an amazing job on bringing those barrels back from the dead. I have three guns Doug did the barrel blackening on and I don't foresee a day they will leave my possession.

I have three shotguns PA24 Doug worked on too. A Remington 1900, a Sarriguarte, and my Fox. Like you, they will never leave me either. Doug was a great man, a great talent, and a great loss to us that knew him.

Amen. Huge loss.

I, too, have a restocked Fox. It is a 32" barreled BE 12 ga. Beautiful gun and a real workhorse for me. I have enjoyed it immensely. I am currently reshaping a buttstock on a Sterlingworth ejector gun. The restock was very well inletted, but shaped more like a target gun buttstock. I have re shaped it into the Fox style, stained it to match the original forend, and am about to send it out to be checkered in a more Foxy style of checkering. i have taken pics along through the reshaping and staining process and will start a thread in the DIY section sometime in the future.

SRH

So we are all in agreement that the Fox has surpassed all other customized American shotguns here?

I just read the thread on Tut's beauty and was thinking the same thing, it seems to be Foxes that get the bulk of the customizations and I'd have to credit SDH with starting it all 20 years ago.

I wonder if he had started with an Ithaca if things would be different...

Bbman, Bobby, has done lots of beautiful restocking and checkering jobs on Foxes. He was about it long before SDH created his beauties, albeit without the publicity.

IMHO, there is a grace and a subtle beauty in the receiver of the Fox. It is smaller, for gauge, than most all the others, and it's reliability, as a basis for a custom gun, is unquestionable. Jim Carmichael said it best many years ago. He wrote something that compared a lesser engraved Fox with a "lush maiden, shed of her arrayment", and how the lower grades needed no help from engraving or inlays to accentuate it's lines.

SRH

I am doing a 20 gauge straight grip scalloped frame Fox with no engraving if I can get off my butt and get it polished and case colored.Bobby

I understand why Ithacas have not been that popular as a custom gun starting point. It is a combination of style and strength limitations. Fox shotguns have rounded sides where Ithacas Flues are so flat. The later Nids have sides more like the Fox but there are not that many of them to work with. I have considered doing a NID but never found the right gun to work with. That would be little finish remaining but a gun in otherwise good mechanical and metal shape. No one should take a high condition gun and use it as a custom gun because there are so few high grade guns. Flues are easier to find but starting with a 20 designed for a 2 1/2" shell makes me less than thrilled.

That said I have a 20 with 30" barrels which might be a good candidate if I can get over the short chambers and low pressure limitations.

The fact that the readily available and inexpensive Sterly has the same action as the Fox higher grades makes it a great starting point for customization. Gil

Those tall flat side of the Flues makes a perfect "canvas" for some serious engraving, perhaps Bulino engraving?

I think small bore Foxes are a great platform for a custom gun. they are a lightweight joy to carry in the field. There are plenty of sterlingworth small bores around and are reasonable in cost .Its not Like your taking a rare and hard to find collector item and passing it off as something else. Stocked for yourself and engraved to please you. You can shoot them for the rest of your life and pass them along to the next Generation. Tuts gun is an exceptional piece of work. I have done a couple of small bore customs that I use and enjoy all the time. One problem though is once you have a gun made for you it can be habit forming. My last and final project is a custom Pigeon gun from a drawbolt stocked 12 ga Fox should be done in a few months. This will be the last one I do though.

The guy has been holdin out on us. Two more beautiful Foxes to add to the growing list of club members.

Here's a SW 20b I did a few years back. I have a 16b SW ejector with #4 30' barrels that is ripe for upgrade. One of these days.....

Stunning Bob!! In my opinion other than the Dickson round action that sleek frame on the Fox is the perfect boxlock.