Fox Collectors

I have a B grade sn. 22xx it is different from my B grade fron 1910 in several ways, the top and bottom ribs at the muzzle are beveled, as is the outer radius of the bbls. The circular part of the standing brech is the same diamater as the bbls. for about a half an inch befor becoming round in cross section. My other foxes become round almost imeaditly. I have 5 foxes and they have 4 different safties, this safety has a hump in the center and is chedkered except for the first and last 1/4". I have not seen photos any where on the web like that. This early style engraving does not have the woodcock on the right side or the turkey on the left side like me 1910 B grade. Upon removing the butt plate I found a hole with a lead slug in it!! While reuoving the automatic safety rod, I found that there were no proviseons for set screws to secureing the sear and hammer pivots!!!
idler

One of my favorite Foxes is an early B grade similar to yours, s/n 285x, 30" gun. I'm not sure what you mean by beveled ribs at the muzzles; if you mean "scalloped" my top rib is scalloped but not the bottom one. The outer radius of the tubes at the muzzle were typically rounded on earlier guns. Breech balls are also reinforced for lack of a better word, as you described, unlike the later guns which rounded off more abruptly. Mine has a single woodcock/snipe on one frame oval, and a quail on the other. She does not have barrel wedges. Safety checkering is similar to yours but there is a small checkered triangle at both ends of the hump. These early safety buttons are really neat, almost every one is different.

These early guns marked a period of transition as the features started to become more standarized. I don't have a lot of close up pics of this B Fox right now, but here's a link showing its breech balls and gun in action recently. Silvers

http://foxcollectors.com/My%20Forum/php ... php?t=1675

You might consider removing the lead slug, if it is poured in so that it is a snug fit. Reason being, the lead will eventually oxidize on it's surface, causing it to increase in diameter and may split the wood. There was a post recently on another forum where this was discussed and a couple people testified as to having seen that happen. May not be easy to get out, but might be worth the trouble.

1900 VH Parker, had it buttstock split as the lead inside expanded over time and that expansion caused the split. Gunsmith had a heck of a time getting it out, but out it came.

I keep reading how lead slugs used to increase the mass of a buttstock become oxidized over time, mysteriously expand, and can cause the buttstock to crack.

Of course the lead does oxidize but any of its oxides are soft compounds. Look at the white powdery oxide on an old lead bullet and tell me how that's going to create enough force to crack a typical gunstsock? The culprit IMO is moisture loss in the wood and its shrinking over a cylindrical slug of metallic lead.

How to remove the lead? Why bother? It was probably a tight fit to begin with and is likely to be really tight now. It may even have been poured in place. It will probably have to be drilled out. Personally I wouldn't go thorough the trouble. Old wood is likely to have stabilized at a very low moisture content. If the stock hasn't cracked by now - it probably won't. If it is cracked, you're not gonna get da crack ta come back together much even if you remove the lead.

Of course all the foregoing is my opinion only. Silvers

I think you called it, Frank! But what do I know!

Frank,
I too am sceptical about the lead getting larger. My best guess is that the wood is shrinking.

Of course it could be global warming.

I would drill the lead out, just in case the EPA decided you were a bio hazard when using the gun. If that doesn't work you can send those old lead butted B grades out here to Idaho for proper disposal.

I think Frank has gotten the cause right. I would take out the lead if any cracking shows. If none shows, I would leave it in. I took the lead slug out of a big Parker several years ago and the crack did not close up.

Hi,
I forgot to post that this gun also has a front beade that has a top of brass and the bottom half is white "ivory"??

Idler

That is the Marbles front sight. Often specified on Buckingham/Bartolomew guns.