A.H. Fox....my most faverite gun in the world!

[SXS ohio]

I have come full circle....I had a SXS 12 as my first shotgun..it was a Ranger single non select trigger. It was a tank of a shotgun. When my brother had to enlist into the navy to avoid the army and Vietnam I got to use his guns. He had a Marlin 39A and a Fox 20 gauge with English stock...It was tits! I loved that gun. It was half the weight of my 12. Back then we hunted rabbits over beagle dogs. Yes there were pheasants but all we had was beagles....If the beagle found a rooster the big RUN was on. If you could not get to the end of the field the bird got away...no shots fired. Sometimes we had dumb luck and would flush the bird at our feet. We always shot under the big cackling birds. Sometimes they would fall but the dog would have to get-em. While brother was away doing his duty for uncle sam I got to use the little Fox...(-: It was so nice to carry and I learned to use the double triggers the way they were meant to be used. Now I knew why he seldom missed game! I was 13 or 14 back then. I used the Fox for a couple seasons then I learned how nice the girls were at the bowling ally...kinda got off track for a while. I fooled with several shotguns, I got a good job at sheet & tube Cambell works and had some mad money. I bought a nice Ithica SKB 600 in 20 gauge...could not hit a dam thing with it. Next was a Hi-Standard 20 pump....I shot it well for a couple years. Later bought a Wingmaster two barrel set, field and deer combo. Killed lots of game with it too. Got into girls and cool cars so hunting was lost and at the same time Ohio lost its Pheasants. Many years past before I got me a beagle pup and started hunting again I was now 35 had my own place. More years past and I saw a add for Parker Reproduction close outs...sweet I thought to myself. I called Jaqua's in Findley Ohio and financed a 20 gauge two barrel set. I got into them and original Parkers too. Some came some went. I still have several of them. My fancy turned to the A.H. Fox...I wanted one like the 20 my brother owned years ago. So I bought this and that but none fit me right after shooting the modern Parker Reproductions. Then I learned about CSMC and bought a RBL-28 set Still Have it! But also spotted their Fox offerings...WOW are those nice! Spring of 2015 I ordered my very own Fox made for me. Now I'm a full time bird hunter and no longer have beagle but setters I needed a little more gun so I bought my new Fox in 16 gauge. Its now my go to shotgun...and it is a real Fox! The circle has closed!!! SXS Ohio

[Stan Hillis]

Great story.

Sometimes it just takes us awhile to get around to doing the right thing.

SRH

[vaturkey]

That is a great story. I did something similar myself except I stayed away from most of those bowling ally women. Started out with a H&R Topper 12 gauge and it beat the snot out of me because I was about 9 years old. Graduated at about age 13 to a Sears Ted Williams pump (12 gauge). Dad bought through the BX a brand new Winchester 101 O/U in 20 gauge and I shot the hell out of that gun (still have it). Then did the automatic thing pretty much for years until I finally got stationed in Yokosuka Japan in 1982. Weatherby and Winchester were there and I was the secretary at the Yokosuka Naval Base Rod and Gun club (now since gone) and bought a ton of guns (all O/U, SKB's Weatherbys, Winchesters) and then shot those until 1994 when I finally went overseas again to Germany and came home with 4 Merkel SXS's. Finally got into Foxes about 10 years ago and everything else got moved (including a bunch of old Parkers). Now it all Foxes and I've got originals and 3 different Custom Foxes, all stocked to fit me. Finally last year after looking for the better part of 5 years I found a Straight Grip Super and that sort of completed everything. Still have a few projects in the que as they say, but now try to spend more time chasing Sophie (my Lew) around the countryside. Been a real interesting road to travel for sure.

[DaddyWill]

Love to see the stories about hunting with a Fox. Grew up in Southside Virginia, where my grandfather used to train bird dogs as well as hunt. To me the dogs were the big thing, but my grandfather used a 12 gauge Sterlingworth to some effect. Didn't see a look of them around at that time, (late 50's and 60's). But hunting was different then. Good dogs could hold a point, wouldn't flush a covey at a distance. Have on occasion had to almost literally kick birds into the air. Those days are gone now and probably won't return. Still have his old gun and have recently acquired my own, so things are good. Now need to take it out and try it.

[eightbore]

I missed all the adventure experienced by the previous posters. When I was 14, I bought my first Parker, which I still shoot. When I was 15, I bought a wonderful W&C Scott 16 gauge ejector. By the time I went into the Army, my dad and I shared a pair of Model 21s. I spent a fair amount of time with Model 12s, but the side by sides were always there. I didn't buy any guns while I was in the Army, 1967 to 1969, but the week I got out, I bought a wonderful minty cased Westley Richards eight gauge. It has been downhill ever since. I have always owned Foxes, but far fewer than the Parkers and Winchesters. My favorites are my Becker clone pigeon gun and my too many Super Foxes. Bill Murphy

[fox-admin]

My first shotgun was a Browning A5 16ga that my dad gave me at 15. He hunted before WWII but would never pick up a gun after the war, told me he couldn't kill anything after the war. I kept that gun through college and shot pheasants here in NY. After I was married my first purchase was a Winchester 101 20ga. Those were the days when 20ga was lead legal on waterfowl and the 12ga was steel only. I got hooked on duck hunting while in high school hunting with my Uncle at the duck club where I have been a member for 32 years. My career took me to southern NJ for a 6 year stint and I hunted the salt marshes around Brigintine WMA and Cape May County, I bought a Ruger O/U Stainless Steel 12ga gun for the salt water. In 1983 I moved back to the Finger Lakes and bought my first SxS a model 23 Winchester. I bought my first Fox a early A grade two years later and started loading my own bismuth. I got into Foxes because my Uncle who introduced me to duck hunting shot a Fox CE 12ga 30". I would classify myself as a collector shooter, I enjoy keeping a few in pristine condition as bench mark guns, but most are users that I regularly hunt and shoot clays with. I have a self imposed limit on the number of guns I own, if one comes into my possession one must go. My collecting focus is waterfowl guns but I do appreciate them all.