American Side-by-Side Economy Shotguns: A.H. Fox Sterlingworth, Lefever Nitro Special, Parker Trojan, Savage/Fox Model B and Winchester Model 24
By Chuck Hawks
Presented today is an Ansley H. Fox A Grade 12 gauge shotgun. Wearing serial number 17793, this classic American double was originally shipped in 1911. Receiver is 60%. Note that trigger guard appe.Click for more info. This is a beautiful example of a 'Made to Order' Special De Grade Fox double barrel 20 gauge shotgun. This wonderful shotgun was manufactured in 1917 and as noted is embellished with the 'First Generation', factory engraving, that includes five raised factory gold inlays, with gold barrel bands at the breech end and the serial number and 'SAFE' markings also gold inlayed. I have an AH Fox. Sterlingworth 12 guage SxS. Serial number 109410. 28 3/8 inch barrels. These are attached/removed by a Dealy type lever and engage Fox 'reinforced' type barrel loops. These are the early style, shorter forends; Fox forends were lengthened in 1914. The 30' barrels were not originally shipped with this gun. They are from an A grade Fox built (according to the serial number) in 1910.
There seems to be a revival of interest in economical,American made, side-by-side shotguns, particularly those manufactured prior tothe Second World War. Interest in higher grade American shotguns has beenstrong for some time and now the less expensive models bearing the names of thenotable U.S. double gun companies seem to be getting increased attention.
These economy double guns were all built with hammerless boxlock actions and through-lump barrels. This is a satisfactory method of joiningthe barrels, but it produces a gun wider across the breech than the chopperlump, dovetail lump, or mono-block systems. Chokes were bored into the barrels;modern interchangeable choke tubes had not been invented. Standard grade walnutstocks, a Scott spindle top lever to open the action and top tang mountedsafeties are universal features.
A.H. Fox Sterlingworth
The Fox Sterlingworth was introduced in 1910 in 12 gaugeonly for $25.00. By 1912 the 20 gauge had been added and in 1913 a 16 gaugeappeared. The Sterlingworth was an economical, standardized, field gradedouble. Barrels were 26, 28 or 30 inches with Full/Full, Modified/Full orCylinder/Modified chokes and solid ribs. The receiver was color case hardened. Feweroptions were offered than for graded Fox guns and any deviation from thestandard specifications incurred an additional charge. However, Fox did offeroptions on the Sterlingworth unavailable on most of its competition. Availableat extra cost (depending on vintage and model) were such options as automatic ejectors, single trigger, custom stock dimensions, 32 inchbarrels, beavertail forend, Silver's recoil pad and even an extra set of barrels.
Externally, the lines of the Sterlingworth were similar tothat of the higher grade Fox doubles. The receiver and trigger guard even wore a bit of simpleborder engraving. Like the graded Fox guns, the Sterlingworth's light andcompact action made it (depending on gauge and barrel length, of course) a potentiallylight and handy field gun. The action was based on the same design andcontained the same parts as the more expensive Fox grades. Bolting is by atapered rotary top fastener and a large rib extension. The mainspring is adurable coil spring. Fox extractors extract properly and selective ejectorseject reliably. Even the optional selective single trigger was reliable.
Most Sterlingworths were supplied with standard grade Americanblack walnut, pistol grip stocks with three panel checkering.There was a black Bakelite pistol grip cap and butt plate. Like most economydoubles, the splinter forend was attached by a tension spring, rather than amechanical latch. However, in the Sterlingworth this was a coil spring drivinga bolt with a roller pinned to its front, a more durable and sophisticateddesign than other snap-on forend latches. In general, the Fox Sterlingworth wasa more sophisticated field grade gun with more optional and desirable featuresthan the other economy doubles. It was also the most attractive.
After Savage purchased Fox, they used an existing inventoryof Super Fox waterfowl frames and barrels to create the most unusualSterlingworth version, the Wildlife Grade of 1934. For $62.50 (a basicSterlingworth retailed for $39.50 in 1934), this approximately nine pound, 12gauge, Sterlingworth waterfowl gun came with 30 or 32 inch specially chokebarrels and three inch chambers. It was, in fact, a Super Fox without engraving(except the usual Sterlingworth border) or fancy wood, but it retained theSuper Fox Deeley type forend latch, instead of the usual Sterlingworth snap-onlatch. These Wildlife grade guns were offered until1940.
Another late Sterlingworth variation was the Skeet andUpland Game Gun, introduced in 1935 for $44.50. This was available in 12, 16 or20 gauge with 26 inch barrels and choked Skeet/Quarter (similar to WinchestersSkeet 1/Skeet 2 borings). A straight hand stock with a 14 inch length of pullwas standard, as were double triggers and extractors. Available options atextra cost included automatic ejectors, single selective trigger, beavertailforend, recoil pad and ivory bead sights. 12 gauge guns weighed about sevenpounds, 16 gauge guns weighed six pounds and 20 gauge skeet guns weighed only5-3/4 pounds.
Lefever Nitro Special
Ithaca acquired the Lefever ArmsCompany and in 1921 capitalized on the Lefever name by introducing the Nitro Special, a gun thatwas basically the forerunner of the famous Ithaca N.I.D. design.The Nitro Special action was entirely designed by Ithaca and bore noresemblance to any earlier Dan Lefever design. The original price of a NitroSpecial was $27.50. The Nitro Special, along with all Ithaca doubles, wasdiscontinued in 1948.
This was an economical field gradegun intended to compete in the marketplace at a price point below that of theIthaca brand guns. Unlike the Ithaca brand doubles, some of which wereavailable with showy engraving and checkering, the Lefever Nitro Special wasonly sold as a basic gun with a color case hardened receiver.
The reliable action is kept closedby a rib extension and top bolt and is powered by coil springs. Double triggers(although a single trigger could be had at extra cost) and plain extractorswere standard fare. Gauges were 12, 16 and 20. 12 gauge guns could be had with28 or 30 inch barrels, while the 16 and 20 gauge guns only came with 28 inchbarrels. Chokes were Modified/Full or Cylinder/Modified. In 1928, the .410 borewas added and supplied with 26 inch barrels.
The Nitro Special came with astandard grade, American black walnut stock built to standard dimensions anda black Bakelite butt plate. A rather limited three panel checkering patternwas scratched into the underside of the forend and both sides of the pistolgrip. The buttstock was attached by a drawbolt, making the wrist stronger thanmost double guns, in which the buttstock is attached by tang screws. The splinterforend was secured by spring tension, not a mechanical latch. Like mostclassic American doubles, the Nitro Special stock has a lot of drop by modern standards and thiscan be a problem for modern shooters.
Although a plain field gun, theNitro Special was built of good quality materials and designed for use withmodern ammunition. Many remain in service to this day. They are tough, wellmade and reliable guns. Aesthetically, I consider the Nitro Special clearlysuperior to the Winchester Model 24 and Savage/Fox Model B and only slightly inferior to the Parker Trojan. It is a low grade gun, but a good low grade gun.
Parker Trojan
Introduced in 1915 and discontinued in 1939, the Trojan wasParker Bros. attempt to build a low priced, utility grade, double gun. Theinitial selling price was $27.50 and the gun remained the most affordableParker model throughout its production life. It became their most popular model, eventually accounting for some 40% of the Company's sales with a total ofaround 48,000 Trojan guns built.
Externally, the Trojan lacked the slender and elegantlysculptured receiver of the graded Parker double guns and no engraving adornedthe color case hardened frame. In the 1920's, the famous Parker doll's-head ribextension was eliminated to further reduce production cost, relying entirely on the under-bolt to keep the action closed. Internally, however, it was based on thesame complicated and rather fussy hammerless action as other Parker guns. Likeall Parkers, the Trojan was fabricated from high quality materials and the workmanship was good.
The Trojan was a production line model. Gauges were limitedto 12, 16 and 20 and barrel length to 26, 28, or 30 inches. The barrels weremarked 'Trojan Steel' and supplied with a raised solid rib. Doubletriggers were standard, although a single trigger was available. (The Parkersingle selective trigger was complicated, unreliable and should be avoided.) Plainextractors raised the shells when the gun was opened; ejectors were not offered.
Trojans came with standard grade, black walnut, pistol gripstocks adorned with a simple checkering pattern on the underside of the forendand each side of the pistol grip. The typical butt plate was black Bakelite,although some Trojans were shipped with recoil pads. The forend was secured byspring tension and lacked the metal tip of the higher grade guns.
The Parker name has ensured the continuing popularity of theTrojan gun and it is typically the most expensive of the American economydoubles on the used market. It is not the best designed or most reliable of doubleguns, but the absence of the troublesome Parker selective ejectors made it morereliable than many of the high grade Parker guns. The Trojan's workmanship isamong the best in its price class. While aesthetically inferior to the highergrade Parker doubles, the Trojan finishes second in our beauty contest, slightly ahead of the Lefever Nitro Special and well ahead of the Fox Model B andWinchester Model 24. Among low priced American doubles, only the Fox Sterlingworth is clearly more attractive and refined.
Fox Model B (Savage Arms)
In 1940, Savage capitalized ontheir ownership of the Fox name by using it on an upscale version of theirStevens Model 311 side-by-side utility shotgun, which had been introduced in1931. The resulting gun, named the Fox Model B, was introduced at a MSRP of$25.75. It was to be a long lived model, remaining in the Savage line untilrising manufacturing costs and the sale and reorganization of SavageIndustries, Inc. (which became today's Savage Arms Company) caused it to bediscontinued in 1988. By that time the MSRP for the Fox Model B-SE had risen to $525.
The Model B was introduced in 12, 16, 20 and .410 bores. At some point inthe early 1970's the 16 gauge was dropped, but the other three bores wereavailable until the end. As usual, 12 gauge guns are the most common. Except in.410, chokes were typically Modified/Full or Improved Cylinder/Modified. With anarrower frame and breech, the 20 gauge Model B is lighter and handles better than 12 gauge guns.
The most common variations of thebasic gun were the Model B - Mfg. 1940-86, black or color case frame, doubletriggers, extractors, plain rib (later changed to vent. rib); Model BST - Mfg.1955-66, case color frame, single non-selective trigger, plain matted rib,beavertail forend; Model BDL - Mfg. 1962-65, a BST with a satin chrome-platedframe, vent. rib; Model BDE - Mfg. 1965-66, similar to the BDL with reducedcheckering coverage; Model BSE - Mfg. 1966-88, similar to the BDE with selectiveejectors, vent. rib and select walnut.
The sides and bottom of the frameare decorated by a simple, roll marked, game scene pattern. Frames were initiallygiven a black gun metal finish, but before long were changed to a color casefinish that remained standard until the guns were discontinued. Model B-DL gunswere supplied with satin chrome-plated frames. Model B-SE gun frames went fromsatin chrome to satin black to color case finishes as the years went by andstyles changed.
Fox Model B shotguns are heldclosed by a single under-bolt. Coil springs are used throughout and power thehammers and sears. The result is a bulky, but durable, action that seldom needsrepair.
For around the first 20 years,Model B guns had raised solid ribs. Later production, starting with the singletrigger models, but eventually also including the double trigger models,switched to a ventilated rib.
All Fox Model B guns came withAmerican black walnut stocks and forends. The wood that I have seen on theseguns varied from standard to semi-fancy. Hand cut checkering in a simple patternwas used until sometime in the middle 1960's, when the change was made toimpressed checkering in a somewhat fancier pattern. A glossy wood finish wasstandard. These are short tang guns and a drawbolt, a strong method of attachment, retains the stock.Stocks are of the pistol grip type with a fluted comb and a corrugated blackplastic butt plate. Most guns produced from the mid-1950's on came with abetter defined and more graceful pistol grip than the early guns and werefitted with a black plastic grip cap. White line spacers at pistol grip cap andbutt plate came and went.
The forend is held in place by aself-adjusting spring tension latch that does not loosen with use. Forend stylewas initially a rather large version of the splinter type. This was eventuallychanged to a bulky full beavertail forend that became standard across theboard.
The Fox Model B is not a slim,lightweight double gun built on the British pattern. It is relatively bulky and heavy, especiallyin 12 gauge, designed to shoot heavy American style shells and it has theheft to do so. Aesthetically, the Model B is superior to theWinchester Model 24, but less graceful than the other economy doubles coveredhere. The workmanship and fit are about average for mass produced guns. However, the number of Savage/Foxdoubles still in use is a testament to their solid design and construction.
Winchester Model 24
Ah Fox Dates Of Manufacture
The Winchester Model 24side-by-side shotgun went into production in 1939 and stayed in the line until1958. It was intended to compete with the Stevens 311 and cheap imported gunsas an affordable, utility side-by-side. Available gauges were 12, 16, and 20,with 12 gauge being the most common.
Barrel lengths of 26, 28 and 30 inches were offered in 12 gauge, while 16 and 20 gauge guns could be had with 26 or 28 inch tubes. Modified/Full chokes were typical of guns with 28' and 30' barrels; 26' barrels were choked Improved Cylinder/Modified.
Despite being one of the bulkiest and perhaps the ugliest of all American double guns, the Model 24 was reasonably successfulin the market place and a total of over 116,200 were manufactured. I believe this was because it was manufactured from high quality steel, workedreliably, its stock had less drop than most of the older economy guns and it was a good shooter. The Winchester name probably didn't hurt, either.
The Model 24 was produced only as a field grade gun with a blued receiver and barrels, wide7/16' raised solid rib, double triggers and spring powered extractors thatelevated the shells when the gun was opened. The crudely shaped trigger guard was stamped from heavy gauge sheet metal. It was strictly an economy gun and upscale features, such as a single trigger, ejectors,ventilated rib, engraving, stock checkering and so forth were never offered.
The Model 24 design is very unconventional. Its forged steel receiver body is rounded and exceptionally broad across the action body. Thebarrel breeches of most double guns are considerably wider than (and overhang)the sides of the receiver, but the receiver of the Model 24 is actuallyslightly wider than the barrels. This gives the gun a decidedly unusual appearance.
It is a true hammerless gun, striker fired, as opposed to having concealed hammers like most double guns.The Model 24 was designed with two lumps, one centered beneath each barrel, leaving a tunnel between thetwo lumps. It boasts a clean breech face and is held closed by a single under-bolt that engages a notch in the double barrel lumps. In the area between the 24's dual lumps are a cocking slide and the extractor. The Model 24 is about as wide through the breech and receiver as a side-by-side gun can possibly be. It is completely different from and should never be confused with the elegant Winchester Model 21 double gun.
Model 24's were supplied with standard grade black walnut, pistol grip stocks with a lacquer finish. A straight hand stock could be ordered, one of the only options. There was no checkering. Early versions had a hard butt plate; later this was changed to a ventilated recoil pad. The 24's semi-beavertail forend is held in place by spring tension.
Aesthetically, the Model 24 has to be one of the ugliest double guns ever made.It was a 'plain Jane' gun, but it was widely available, reliable and surprisingly fun to shoot.
Conclusion
I have, at various times in the past, had a reasonable amount experience with the Lefever, Parker, A.H. Fox andSavage/Fox guns. I have never owned a Winchester Model 24, but I shot oneenough in the course of a Guns and Shooting Online review to become reasonably acquainted with its action and geta feeling for it. With that in mind and for what it is worth, I offer the following opinions.
Only the Fox Sterlingworth and Parker Trojan have action mechanisms similar to those used intheir manufacturers' higher grade guns and only the Sterlingworth has a similarreceiver contour. The Lefever Nitro Special action was an Ithaca design muchlike the N.I.D. It was a good action that was tobecome a classic in its own right, but much different from Uncle Dan Lefever'sautomatic hammerless sideplate action that had made the Lefever name famous.The Fox Model B (a spiffier version of the Stevens 311) and Winchester Model 24 actions were designed formaximum production economy, without any pretension to greatness beyond the useof a famous name.
If I were looking to purchase one of theseguns today, my first choice would be an A.H. Fox Sterlingworth, which I feeloffers the best action and most refined style of the bunch. It is the only gunI would consider upgrading with engraving, high grade walnut and upscalecheckering. With these enhancements, a Sterlingworth can become a 'personal best' gun. My second choice would be a Lefever Nitro Special,which offers a simpler and more reliable action than the Parker Trojan, costsless and looks almost as good. Third would be a Parker Trojan, which is very well made and a more appealing gun than the mass produced Winchester and Savage/Fox entries.
The least expensive and sophisticated of these guns are the Fox Model B and Winchester Model 24.Both work fine, but they are cruder in design and workmanship than the threevintage brands and incorporate more production shortcuts. Because they are broad across the beam, these are theslowest handling and most ponderous of our economy doubles. If I were to buy oneof these guns, it would definitely be a 20 gauge to reduce weight and bulk. The Stevens designed andSavage produced Fox Model B is a considerably better looking gun than the Winchester Model24 and offers better features, but in my hands the Winchester shoots better. Your results, of course, may vary.
Note: Full reviews of the Fox Model B, Fox Model B-DL and Winchester Model 24 shotguns can be found on the Product Reviews page.
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