Fox Collectors

I went to look at a 1935/36 vintage 20 gauge Sterlingworth that from the pictures I saw looked like an ejector model that would be a good candidate for an upgrade someday. It had been redone at some point but the 28 inch barrels were perfect and the stock had good dimensions so it would be a good shooter in the interim.

It turns out it is a circa 1935 vintage extractor based upon the serial number with an ejector escutcheon. I gave it a good look over and the best I can tell is that is just the way it left the factory. In the end I did not want to make the hour drive a total waste so I bought it anyway. I'm still looking for an ejector 20 but I am a patient man.

I'm thinking that there were a lot of guns cobbled together towards the end of production and this just another oddity. Anybody else ever see anything like this? I was also curious to research how complicated a conversion would be to ejectors or if it just not worth it. I need to comb through the forum to see if this topic has been discussed in the past. I'm thinking it has to some extent.

All in all I've been busy since Hausman's as I also picked up a 16 gauge last week Sterlingworth as well. I definately have a weekness for the 16's and 20's.

The Fall is only a few months away, it can't come soon enough for me.

Morning,

I know that Dan Rossiter on his custom extractor guns that started life as a sterly routinely adds the escutcheon to the bottom as it adds an additional anchor point to secure the forearm metal to the forearm wood. He talked me into that on my most recent 20 gauge custom (extractor gun) because of the additional strength aspect. Anyway made since to me.

PS. Assuming of course that the ejector internals on your forearm aren't there that other then the escutcheon on the bottom its an extractor gun.

Double PS. I had asked about converting an extractor gun to an ejector guns a few years ago and it requires lots of parts and some machining to the internals of the action itself. Seemed like a bridge too far to me. However changing an extractor barrel itself to an ejector barrel isn't too difficult. Jason has the required parts to do that converstion and a good trained gunsmith can make it happen.

Thanks Tom,

I found a thread from 2008 late last night which all but convinced me to drop the idea.

Still, it is a decent 20 and I like the look of the escutcheon.

Very interesting thanks for posting. Craig

Roger, thanks for posting. Yes fall is a few months away but meanwhile I'm not giving my time away. I shot sporting at different club yesterday with the gang and had a good time burning powder even in the rain showers. That was with a new to me 16-gauge Ithaca that's choked 0 and 2 - at 5 and 15 points of constriction - just about the same as one of my favorite Fox 16 grouse guns. How can I hope to connect with a rocketing grouse if I can't hit a clay target in much easier circumstances? I share the same weakness with you, for Fox and other good small bores.

The 20 Sterly you wrote about is the first one I've seen or heard of with the anchor button on an extractor gun. You mentioned that the gun had been redone? Perhaps you can post a picture of the inside of the fore-end? As you know the extractor iron (that uses a forward wood screw) is significantly narrower and shaped differently than the ejector fore-end iron. Thus the regular extractor iron will not properly fit the wood inlet for an ejector iron, and that's why a pic of the inside would be of interest to help determine originality. Certainly the anchor button helps spread the tension/wood compression load when the Sterly ejector fore-end is pulled off the gun; and I suppose it's possible that a factory employee had the anchor with its machine screw done on his extractor gun, in place of a regular wood screw setup. The engraving on your gun's button surely looks "factory". Another possibility is that someone had a wood screw stripped out of the wood, and had that drilled through and converted to the anchor button and machine screw. That could be easily done by a skilled gent with a spare factory anchor button and access to a drill press or similar. The counterbore for the button is easily cut with an end mill or router cutter of the proper diameter.

Yes, it is my opinion that the wood has been refinished and possibly the barrels but not the receiver.

I'll take some pictures tonight and post them. I can recall that the matching serial number is stamped on the forend iron and the metal is in minty condition with the case color still very vivid.

This is a picture I have of the stock.

By the way, I picked this gun up at the Delaware Cabela's at a great price. I was the second caller the morning it went online. The caller before me wanted free shipping and a discount. For what I paid, if it had ejectors I should have been wearing a mask, even so it was a great deal IMO. The gun lasted 8 minutes the day they posted it to the time I had the deal done.

with the nicely fitted pad, refinished stock and barrels, my money would be on the escutcheon was added to secure the wood to metal....
BTW....sweet looking 20..

The checkering pattern on the forearm is that normally seen on Savage-era Fox-Sterlingworth extractor guns, top in this picture --

Here's another rather cool looking variation on a 20-gauge Sterly "Brush Ejector" that was shipped in December 1933.


Pic of an anchor button from my parts stash. It's jmo but "escutcheon" is a bit of a misnomer as that word has a decorative flavor. But as you can see the button was designed with a large wood bearing surface to aid when the snap on fore-end is pulled off. Much better than a wood screw, again imo.

Small world. You beat me to it, I must have been the 3rd caller only to learn it was put on hold. I have been looking for a Philly 28" 20-ga. Sterlingworth Ejector and when this popped up on GI last week I called as soon as I saw it thinking it was indeed an Ejector, albeit a Utica gun. At least now that I find out it's really an extractor I don't feel quite so bad.

bamboozler wrote:Small world. You beat me to it, I must have been the 3rd caller only to learn it was put on hold. I have been looking for a Philly 28" 20-ga. Sterlingworth Ejector and when this popped up on GI last week I called as soon as I saw it thinking it was indeed an Ejector, albeit a Utica gun. At least now that I find out it's really an extractor I don't feel quite so bad.

I was in that mix also. I sent an email immediately and said I'd buy it. Never got a reply. Called the next morning when they opened and they said it was on layaway. Glad someone I know got it. Interesting to see what the underside of the forearm looks like.

It's no secret that good Sterly Ejector guns keep going up and up, especially small bores but also 26 and 32-inch Ejectors in 12-gauge. The demand is there, period. A recent example, a high condition 16-gauge/28 incher walked into the Northeast SxS earlier this month. I'm pretty sure I know who had the gun; he told me weeks earlier it wasn't for sale and he was mainly interested in a trade. Then I saw the gent there at the Northeast. I spotted it later on a dealer's rack. Gun looked all original ..... maybe its checkering was chased, maybe not. Dealer wanted 4500 and later that day he told me his rock bottom was 4250. I didn't dicker on the gun because of another pending deal but since then I've passed the dealer's info to two good friends. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that 16 Ejector is now sold at 4250 or close to that number.

The 16 and 20 ga. Sterlingwoths are one of the last bargains in vintage American SxS boxlock double guns in my opinion. The ejector guns do bring a BIG premium since they are sought after for upgrades.
If I had a dollar for every Fox collector that asks me to find them a original small bore Sterly I would be wealthy. I also agree the other sleeper in Fox land is the 32" 12ga. On my wish list and I am not a small bore guy is a near mint 32" 16 or 20, talk about a needle in a hay stack gun but ya never know.

Good information and pictures posted above. These pics show a custom beavertail which was installed on a 16 Sterly ejector and the factory style forestock which is on the gun now. The gun has a Miller single trigger. The maker of the beavertail chose to build their own anchor instead of utilizing the factory anchor button. He wasn't lucky enough to center the anchor in the forestock. Presumably the OEM button and forestock are out there somewhere.