Fox Collectors

Would someone comment on the difference between the "fluidized steel" and "Krupp steel" barrels used in the old Sterlingworths? And, how do these compare to the "Damascus steel" barrels that we are always warned about?

Wheeew...quite a question. Sterlingworths did not use Krupp steel but a variety of fluid steel tube suppliers. Krupp was used on Pre-WWI graded Foxes and Chromox there after and Special steel in the later Savage era. All A.H. Fox guns used "fluid steel" made by pressing out impurities, voids, etc. in the molten steel prior to making and boring the tubes. Foxes marked Chromox on the top of the barrels are occasionaly seen with the remnants of "krupp essen" in the bottom of the tubes. Whitworth fluid steel is also seen on rare high end Foxes. IMHO, Fox was pretty casual about its steel use. Nevertheless, for all practical purposes the quality of all Fox barrels is equal to modern steels-condition is the limiting factor. Damascus, twist and laminated barrel steels are made by wrapping twisteds of steel and iron around a mandrel and forging it together. IMHO, high quality composite steel barrels as installed by the better gun makers are the practical equal of their fluid steel contemporaries- Greener's tests bear this out as do Sherman Bell's DGJ demonstrations, current English proofhouse results and Parker and Purdeys use of Damascus steel on high grade guns well into the nitro powder era. Fluid steel was cheaper and more uniform and it many cases lighter than composite steels hence its quick overtaking of damascus and its variants.