Game | Dogs and Doubles

Auction Alert: 12g Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Gun…

April 30, 2015 by Gregg

Here’s a tough shotgun to find. A.H. Fox introduced their Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Gun in 1935 to meet the demand for the new shooting sport sweeping across the nation: SKEET.

This SxS came in 12g, 16g & 20g and 26″ barrels. It could be with or without ejectors, and if you wanted to upgrade it a bit, a Fox-Kautzky selective single trigger, a beavertail forend, a recoil pad and/or ivory sights. According to the Fox Collectors website, A.H. Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game SxS shotgun, this SxS was introduced:

“To meet the demand for a moderately priced skeet and upland game double gun we have produced the famous Fox-Sterlingworth gun in this new straight grip model with 26″ barrels bored: right skeet, cylinder, left quarter choke. This is a standard stock model possessing the features of skeet boring and stock design heretofore available only in custom-built guns.”

I owned one of these in 20g, and it was decent little double. This one would make a great all around upland gun.

12g Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Gun: Barrels are 26” long with skeet / ¼ choke, solid rib, and good bores. Break open double barrel shotgun. Metal retains most of its original blue and casehardened finish, Checkered walnut wood with period recoil pad. Extractors and double triggers. Mfg 1935 to 1945 SN: 160260 Condition: Very Good.

Sorry, and a report on 2014 Orvis Game Fair and Country Sports weekend…

September 26, 2014 by Gregg

Sporting vendors and crowds at the event

It has been a busy month for me – work, getting ready for the hunting season, walking Lexi, keeping the wife happy with non gun/dog related activities, writing, etc. All this has left me with little time for Dogs & Doubles. I’m trying to do better, though., and I’ll do all I can to be more consistent with my posts in the month to come.

Lexi and I headed down to Orvis’s Game Fair and Country Sports Weekend last Saturday. The event was at the Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, NY — a very nice place north of New York City. It seemed to be well attended, with a mix of hunters, gun folks, outdoorsy types, and people curious to find out what it was all about.

There were a lot of guns on display, plus dog demos, shooting, and other events. Overall, it was a fun time, and I’m already looking forward to next year. This event does a great job of welcoming new people into shooting and exposing them to fine doubles. I hope Orvis continues it for years to come.

I saw a couple interesting doubles, some new, some old. The Merkel Paragon pictured here was one of them. It was absolutely stunning – a 20g sidelock with 32″ bbls, built on a Merkel 303 actioin. I know Merkel offered these guns in the late ’20s. I think they were the highest grade offered to the American market, This is the only one I’ve seen – or anyone else I know has seen. It was an absolutely spectacular shotgun.

Nice looking 20g Fox Sterlingworth seen at Orvis's Game Fair Weekend — Nice looking 20g Fox Sterlingworth seen at Orvis’s Game Fair Weekend

CSMC RBLs at Orvis's Game Fair Weekend — CSMC RBLs at Orvis’s Game Fair Weekend

Merkel Paragon O/U @ Orvis's Game Fair Weekend — Merkel Paragon O/U @ Orvis’s Game Fair Weekend

Visit Lexi & me this weekend in Millbrook, NY….

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014 by Gregg

Lexi and I are making the long drive over tomorrow to the Orvis Game Fair and Country Sports Weekend in Millbrook, NY. This event is held at the Sandnona Shooting Grounds – a very nice place – and it should be a lot of fun. There will be a lot going on, from shooting to displays by gun dealers, shooting preserves, and other vendors in the outdoor world.

I’ll be hanging around with the folks from Covey Rise. Lexi will be crazy pointer who wants to be friends with everyone. Please say hello if you see us.

Good gun alert: 12 gauge Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland game…

March 18, 2013 by Gregg

12 gauge Savage - Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Double Barrel Shotgun — 12 gauge Savage – Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game Double Barrel Shotgun

Here’s another 12 gauge Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game that just hit the market. Fox added the Skeet & Upland Game Gun to their line in 1935 to “…meet the demand for a moderately priced skeet and upland game double gun”. They were offered in 12, 16 & 20 gauge, and with 26″ & 28″ barrels.

This was delivered in 1935, so it’s one of the first Skeet & Upland Game Guns that Fox/Savage Arms made. It looks pretty used, and the price seems high. But I bet it will be done in a few days. Guys really want these doubles, and there aren’t that many of them out there.

Here are the details on it from the seller:

FOX STERLINGWORTH RARE SKEET AND UPLAND GAME 12GA: 26″ SKEET AMD 1/4 CHOKE, STRAIGHT GRIP. THIS GUN MODEL WAS ONLY MADE 1935 – 1945. THIS ONE WAS MADE IN 1935. 95+% BARREL BLUE WITH SOME FRECKLING, TRACES OF CASE IN PROTECTED AREAS, TIGHT ACTION WITH LEVER TO THE RIGHT, EXC. BORES, NICE WOOD SHOWING SOME HUNTING USE, RARE STERLINGWORTH WITH LETTER. Price: $3,250.00

Auction Alert–20g Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland game…

April 1, 2011April 2, 2011 by Gregg

Of all the guns A.H. Fox made the Sterlingworth Skeet and Upland Game is one of the hardest to find. For collectors, finding a Skeet & Upland Game double barrel shotgun is quite a discovery.

A.H. Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game, 20g, double barrel, side-by-side shotgun

Well, one in 20 gauge is coming up to auction tomorrow, 4/2, at Wright’s Auction in Newport, VT. I don’t know much about the gun, but it looks solid and clean. All the pics I have of the gun are below. I’m not sure how original the gun is, though. It’s hard to tell from the pics, but the blueing looks too good and the wood awfully clean. The same auction also has a 20 gauge RBL and some Winchesters.

Introduced in 1935, the Skeet & Upland Game was basically a lightweight, straight-gripped version of the regular Sterlingworth. It was offered in 12g, 16g, and 20, and all gauges had open choked, 26″ barrels. The guns also had pretty high stock dimensions, which makes them especially nice for shooters (unlike most Sterlingworths).

If you like Winchsester M21, be sure to check out the upcoming sale at South Bay Auction in East Moriches, L.I., NY. They have Winchester M21 Skeet gun in20 gauge coming up on Saturday, April 9th. There are also some nice decoys there, all well as some nice antiques and sporting art.

More pics of the A.H. Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game:

A.H. Fox Sterlingworth Skeet & Upland Game, 20g, double barrel, side-by-side shotgun