A.H. Fox AE Grade Ejector 26″ M/Cyl 16 GA SXS Side by Side Shotgun 1913 C&R
SOLD FOR: $2800
LSB#: 210618JB05
Make: A.H. Fox Gun Co.
Model: AE Grade
Serial Number: 300249
Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1913 (https://www.doublegunshop.com/dgsnos1.htm)
Gauge: 16 Gauge, the chambers have been reamed for use with 2 3/4″ shells.
Action Type: Top Break Side by Side Box Lock Hammerless Shotgun with Ejectors
Markings: The top of the right barrel is marked “KRUPP FLUID STEEL MADE BY”, the top of the left “A.H. FOX GUN CO. PHILA. PA.”. The bottom of each barrel is marked “FLUID – STEEL – KRUPP – ESSEN”, the left barrel flat is marked “A”, “300249” and the right with an ovalled “FOX / PROOF” and “16 GA.”. Each side of the receiver is marked “ANSLEY H. FOX” on banners, the receiver and trigger plate have Grade A engraving with motif continuing on the guard, forend iron and chambers. The water table is marked “PAT’D DEC. 2. 1902 / AUG.16. 1904 -AUG. 12. 1905 / OCT. 17. 1903 – JAN 16. 1906” on the left with “300249” and “a” on the right. The bottom tang is marked “300249”. The top of the forend iron is marked “300249”, also lightly stamped into the top of the forend.
Barrel Length: 26”
Choke: Left: Modified, Right: Cylinder Bore, Fixed
Sights / Optics: There is a brass bead mounted to the front of the rib and a smaller brass mid-bead. The top of the rib is finely serrated to reduce glare.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with beavertail forend, pistol grip, straight comb and serrated black hard rubber buttplate. The stocks have a few scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The forend has a repaired crack at the right-rear where it tapers up to meet the barrel and there is a tiny crack at the top-rear corner on the right. There is a repaired chip-loss at the top-front corner of the wrist on the left, repaired with the original piece. The checkering is well defined, generally sharp. The LOP measures 14″ and 13″ from the fronts of the triggers to the back of the buttplate. The plate has some light wear with well defined serrations. Drop at comb is approximately 1 1/2″, drop at heel 2 3/4″. The cast is about neutral. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good-Fine condition as restored.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: We see no signs of refinishing on the receiver, the barrels have been restored.
Bore Condition: The bores are bright. There is no erosion in the bores.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 80% of its current metal finish. The barrels’ finish is strong throughout with a nick on the left edge of the rib toward the rear and a few minor marks. The receiver’s case color has worn to white with minor discoloration from oxidation and some scattered minor scuffs and scratches. The guard has handling wear and some minor oxidation. The markings are generally clear, some are worn but legible. Overall, this shotgun is in Very Good-plus condition as restored.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly including ejectors. The barrels lock up to the receiver with no play. The safety engages automatically when the action is opened. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: Ansley Fox was one of the earliest American innovators with internal hammer double guns. In 1894, at the age of 19, he was issued a patent on a system of cocking the internal hammers of a break-action gun using leverage from the barrels with his design actually containing nineteen patentable features, according to the U.S. Patent office. Fox would continue on, making it his life’s work to produce “The finest gun in the world” (as well as the finest car in the world and a few other manufacturing ventures). He even gained the praise of Theodore Roosevelt who wrote to Mr. Fox in a letter “The double-barreled shotgun has come, and I really think it is the most beautiful gun I have ever seen. I am exceedingly proud of it. I am almost ashamed to take it to Africa and expose it to the rough usage it will receive. But now that I have it, I could not possibly make up my mind to leave it behind. I am extremely proud that I am to have such a beautiful bit of American workmanship with me”. The A.H. Fox Gun Co. would continue producing shotguns of various grades and chambered for various gauges through the late 1920s, when they fell victim to the Great Depression and were acquired by Savage Arms. This example is a 16 gauge AE Grade, produced in 1913, fairly early for an A.H. Fox. Today, A.H. Fox shotguns are quite collectible. As Fox’s reputation was built on quality, their success didn’t necessarily mean that a huge number of guns were made. This example has been professionally restored, and quite well done. The receiver appears to have been left alone to preserve its engraving with the barrels’ chambers lengthened for use with modern shells and the stocks repaired and restored. Better still, with its bright bores and tight lockup, this shotgun can still serve, more than 100 years later, to take down flesh or clay birds in style. Please see our photos and good luck!