Fox Collectors

I have a Sterlingworth side by side 12 ga. The barrels are marked "Made by AH Fox Gun Co. Phil, PA, USA" & "Sterlingworth Fluid Compressed Steel". The Serial # is 1101XX. The forearm and stock are ornately carved & looks 'factory', but the receiver or barrels are not 'graded' engraved. I have looked through about a bunch of sites regarding A.H. Fox firearms and can find no reference to a 'ungraded' Sterlingworth of this type. This gun is in exceptional condition and it is not for sale. I would like to find out more about the gun if anyone out there has any idea.

What do you mean "ungraded"? Sterlingworths are not a graded gun, it looks like someone polished the receiver and added a different stock that is not factory.

Someone spent a ton of dough on that stock!! Maybe the old one was broken or perhaps the person who built the stock was able to do that kind of work themselves. Having built a good may stocks over the years I can say that whomever did the work was no slouch. I have seen a lot of this kind or work [carving in particular] in the past, and if I were to hazard a guess I could believe some GI had this work done while stationed in Europe as the carving has a Germanic style. Back in the 50's and 60's it was possible that military personnel would have personal firearms built or embelished while stationed in Europe, and even participated in some hunting. This was particularly true of officers. IMO you have a darn fancy shooter but not worth a big amount more than an other Sterly. However, I noticed the metal escutchion on the beavertail forend in one of the pictures. If this is an ejector escutchion and the gun is an ejector gun it is worth a little more. Also you didn't tell us the gage, [I assume 12 ga.] barrel length etc. If it is a 16ga. or 20ga. that would add value also. It "definately" is not factory wood! You could spend some bucks and have it engraved and made into a "custom" Fox, engraved to your specifications as it is not a collector item at this stage. That might be something to think about if it is a small bore ejector gun. Use it and enjoy in good health! Lee.

So right on Sterlingworths not being graded, just wanted to confirm that it was a Sterlingworth and not a graded Fox. So sue me!! The bbl length is 30" and it is a 12 gage with auto ejectors. Again I am not selling it so the value is not as important to me as the history.So far, I've found that the gun was mfg somewhere around 1927, but to be sure I have to send $40 bucks to some guy name Callahan (hopefully not the guy with the .44!),is basically a plain jane Sterlingworth, which was not the top of the line Fox anyhow, but with some non-factory wood. It does have a single ivory bead sight, a recoil pad and as close as I can determine via the Blue Book of gun values, this model might be a 'Deluxe'? (pg. 561/20th ann. edition). Does it not make sense to have it engraved if it is a 12 ga.? Any recommendations on engravers? Also one last question, is this receiver made with stainess or is it polished nickel. It does not say in the Blue Book.

In answer to your question, the receivers of the SW are neither stainless or chrome. I'm guessing your receiver was just highly polished as some point, or it could have been nickle plated. Based on what you've already got, you could indeed have a it upgraded by a commissioning a good engraver to do some additional work on the receiver and have something really special. I can recommend Ken Hurst who is located in NC to do the work, but there are certainly others as well.

I'm a little left of center myself my wife tells me when a new gun shows up at the house. As a tie in to my comments on the Germanic style wood carving, perhaps someone had intended to have it engraved also but didn't get it done. Hence the polish job on the reciever. A lot of guns were commissioned for engraving in Europe and Japan a few days back. If you have the "scratch" I would have it engraved as a big part of building a custom, [the stock] is already in place. The Callahan letter will show if it started life as a Stelingworth Deluxe. Have a great day!. Lee.

I'd agree that its a great platform for a full custom... I assume that you like the stock work b/c you bought the gun... but I would caution you to take your time, shoot the gun (Quite a bit) first, make sure you can hit something with it, the ejectors work, its not too heavy to carry around, you like the beavertail, etc etc etc... this will also give you time to look at engraving patterns and pick out what you like... just b/c the stock is done, does not make the engraving any less of a challenge... the gun still has to be completely taken apart... and there are two small bushing that are VERY difficult to get out of the end of the receiver that must be removed prior to softening the steel, which must be done prior to engraving. Unless you intend to leave what is left of the current engraving, the receiver will need to struck and then heavily polished also. You might want to have the barrels engraved also, which would require a reblue. After engraving, the receiver will then need to be rehardened... all of this adds up in terms of cost and time... my guess is no less than 6 months.

Guess my point is, make sure it shoots and you can shoot it, before getting too deep... I have an ejector S/W 12 bore that I fully intend to make into a full custom gun in due time... so far I have bought a stock blank and downloaded about 500 pics of engraving off the internet and worked on the mechanics of the gun a littlee...I'm pretty confident on the stock dimensions that I want... I figure I'm still 2 years + out from having a finished gun that is exactly what I want...

It is a Philadelphia gun, and the Fox-Sterlingworth Deluxe is strictly a Utica item, first appearing on the 1930 Savage price list. A Deluxe just was a slight discount price on the combination of Lyman twin ivory sights and a Joatam Anti-Flinch recoil pad. A recoil pad and Lyman ivory sights were available extra cost options for the entire production life of the Sterlingworth, but the use of the term Deluxe was purely Utica. The guns were not marked in any special way, so the only way to "prove" a Fox-Sterlingworth started life as a Deluxe is to have the original box and/or hang-tag so stamped or a letter from Callahan.