New Fox owner

Snipe Hunter · Post by **Snipe Hunter** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:43 am

Hello everyone, I am a new member and first time Fox owner. For a few years I have been wanting a Fox and I finally got around to getting one. It isn't a graded gun but it is one I will be able to take hunting without worrying too much about. Condition appears to be original other than having a Pachmayr Old English pad added. The stock was probably cut because with the pad added LOP is only 14 3/8". It is a 20 gauge Sterlingworth with 28" barrels. Chambers are 2 1/2" and chokes are mod/full. Serial number is 260613. I am trying to find out recommendations on what to shoot from other people with similarly chambered guns. I currently load for all gauges but I only load 2 1/2" cartridges in 16 gauge. It has been suggested by a couple of people (my gunsmith being the only exception) that I go ahead and shoot 2 3/4" cartridges. I only shoot 7/8 ounce loads in my twenty gauge guns and the pressure on those ranges from 8500-9000 psi. Is it recommended that I use those in the short chamber gun? In the latest edition of Reloading for Shotgunners there are a couple of 3/4 oz loads that range from 5400-6100 psi using readily available components or ones I already have on hand. I have a drill press setup for roll crimping and I could get a twenty gauge tool and load that way although I would prefer to shoot 2 3/4" shells with folded crimps since that is what goes in all the other guns I have. I asked my gunsmith about lengthening the chambers but he did not recommend it. He didn't measure wall thickness at the front of the chamber but he measured 2 3/4" down the barrel to show me how much the barrels have tapered at that point. Do all 20 gauge Foxes have #3 weight barrels and are therefore the same thickness from end to end? If that is the case I would expect as much steel as guns originally chambered for 2 3/4" shells. Please correct me if that thinking is incorrect. I love the feel of my little Fox and can't wait to use it.

Skip

66fordking · Post by **66fordking** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:57 am

Hello Skip: and welcome you should not have any problems shooting 2 3/4 shells if you reload them. just get your presures down you will find Alliant powders to have a good site to help you along. i shoot a 1909 A grade 12 ga. at 7.920 psi at 1.150 fps. seems to do realy well for me i hope this helps you. shot has gone thru the roof so i am in the middle of making a shot making machine just about have all the bugs worked out right now it is making really good 6 1/2 to 7 shot. just got to get them a little smaller 7/12 to 8 hopefully! i hope this helps in some way so take your fox from its lair and keep the wads in the air good shooting! Tim

Snipe Hunter · Post by **Snipe Hunter** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:35 pm

Tim, I found two 2 3/4" 3/4 ounce loads I am going to try. Both use 16 grains of Unique, a Ballistic Products SG20L wad, and Fiocchi primer. In the Fiocchi hull the pressure is 6100 psi and in the AA hull it is 5400 psi. Velocity is advertised at 1160 fps. Pressure doesn't get much lower than those two. They might not be great choices for people hunting in very cold temps but down here in the deep south I don't have to worry about that.

Skip

Silvers · Post by **Silvers** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:36 am

Skip, welcome to the Fox forum. If your 20 gauge Fox is sound I'd suggest you stay with short shells. It's more of a hunting gun than for volume clays shooting where you'll be buying a ton of shells and cost is a major factor. RST makes 2.5" shells loaded to low pressure; there are probably others available. Alternately you can make your own 2.5" shells either roll crimp or with cut down 3" factory hulls.

Questions like yours on shooting short chambered guns are fielded often. If someone tells you to use something other than what the gun was designed and chambered for, ask about their professional credentials. You'll usually get a different answer afterwards. Silvers

66fordking · Post by **66fordking** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:41 pm

Mine would be the same! Go to page two of this forum under [ 2 3/4" chambers]. their is a good amount of data from dbl.gun.journal shooting sportsman magazine and others say that there is no significant difference in shooting 2 3/4" shells in a 2 5/8" chamber that are loaded at lower pressures. Skip, i was not suggesting you go out and put a .243 into a 30/06 or something like that! but see if you can find some of their articles and decide for your self. but as usual Silvers is right ask questions!! 2 1/2" RST 12 ga. shell 7 1/2 shot 1 oz load 6,800 psi. 1,136 fps. Tim

Silvers · Post by **Silvers** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:22 pm

Thanks for your kind words Tim. Hey I had a 64 Ford Galaxy 390 & 4 speed a long time ago. Wish I had that car today. What is your 66 Ford?

Skip is asking about using 2-3/4" shells in 2.5" 20 gauge chambers. I've read the DGJ articles on 12 gauge 2-3/4" shells in 2-5/8 chambers, but I don't remember reading anything on 20 gauge testing where the chamber/shell length ratio is even less. Maybe I missed it? Has anyone seen anything in print on that scenario?

Another thing that isn't mentioned is how patterning is effected by shooting overlength shells in shorter chambers. Even if the pressure increase is minimal you'll find the patterning is often worse because of deformed pellets. Try it on paper some time. Silvers

66fordking · Post by **66fordking** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:14 pm

I have two a f-100 p/u 4 speed with the 352 and a Lincoln with the 462 h/p and suicide doors a/t. and yes you can watch the gas gauge move! it doesnt see much road time any more with gas at $ 3.20 per gal. but man she sure floats down the freeway! the mustang went down the road when i went down the aisle years ago thats one i want back. also i will see if i can come up with data on the 20 ga. short vs. long if someone has not done it already i really think it was in dgj i may be wrong that wont be the first time. thanks Tim

Snipe Hunter · Post by **Snipe Hunter** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:33 pm

I made a mistake earlier when I posted some 3/4 ounce loads. Today I received some Fiocchi hulls and SG20L wads. As soon as I seated a wad in the first one I realized there was way too much space left in the hull. I trimmed one back to 2 1/2" and everything fit with about 1/4" left, just enough for a crimp. The book that the load came from listed it as a 2 1/2" load but it is out of order and I thought that was a typo. I proceeded to trim and load the first hundred hulls. I will feel more comfortable shooting short shells (actually trimmed to 2.48" +/-) in the short chambers and I won't worry if I am doing something that is potentially damaging or dangerous. I'm sure that will have a positive result on my shooting as well. I don't have a 20 gauge roll crimp tool so I went with a folded crimp.

Skip