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Did some early A.H.Fox 12 ga. sterlingworth SXS shoot 2 1/2 inch shells?
Are the 2 3/4 chambered old guns safe to shoot the 2 3/4 "modern" high brass shells,,,Like magnum turkey loads#4 or #2 and/or buck shot?or would you stick to lite dove loads to protect the old wood from cracking from recoil around the box receiver like so many have thru the years...

I could be wrong but I do not believe so. I know I personally have never seen one with 2-1/2" chambers.

As to shooting, outside of the wood its not going to hurt anything they are fairly stout shotguns.

Some of the early ones had 2-5/8" chambers. Not many American 12's with 2-1/2" chambers.

I had a Philadelphia Fox for a while that had 2-5/8" chambers when I bought it. Had them lengthened, along with the forcing cones, but it would have shot 2-3/4" shells just fine. In fact, it probably shot a pile of them before I ended up with it, and it was still very tight. As MontanaCreekHunter notes, the Fox is a stout shotgun action.

Mule Deer was your Fox a Sterlingworth? I have not seen any with 2-5/8" chambers. Of course that doesn't mean they don't exist. I had a HE with 2-5/8" chambers and like Mule Deer said it would shoot 2-3/4 without a problem.

Yeah, it was a Sterlingworth, as I recall made in 1911.

Have also seen a lot of variation in chamber length in other shotguns, including British doubles. Usually they're a little longer, rather than shorter. Have seen British doubles with supposed 2-1/2" chambers that were closer to 2-5/8".

With very few exceptions, all 12 guage Fox guns that were made by Fox and not Savage were 2 5/8" chambers... you could specify a chamber length but VERY few sterlingworths were special ordered. Later Savage made 12 gauges were made with 2 3/4" chambers and so stamped on the barrels.

Most (not all) HE's were actually 3" chambers though they were often a very tight 3" and many would measure less.

Shooting high proof loads through such a gun should really be at the discression of the owner... I've shot some 2 3/4" turkey loads (#5s as I recall) through an A grade Fox. You certainly do run the risk of damaging the gun and even potentially blowing a barrel but as most have said, Fox guns were built pretty stout.

You also might try patterning it with lower pressure loads... you might be surprised... modern shells tend to pattern much tighter than shells many years ago.

I read that the foxes, even when "considered", a 23/4, actually measure 25/8. I have shot cases of 23/4 standard field loads through my 1923 sterlingworth. Its still tight, and shoots great even today.

I've never heard of a Fox that was built with 2 3/4" chambers and so stamped on the barrel that did not measure a full 2 3/4".

12 gauge Fox S/Ws made in Philly were nearly all made with 2 5/8" chambers, were advertised as such, and measure as such. Someone might have tried to call it a 2 3/4" chambered but I would like to hear their rationale.

I to have shot several cases of 2 3/4" target and game loads out of a 2 58" chambered Fox and did not even think twice about it. However, I would not blindly recommend it to just anyone... you should understand the make up of your gun, the barrels measurements, what the concerns would be, and the risks that you might be undertaking.

If you're worried about stock cracking, think about having a competent stocker who is very knowledgeable about doubles reinforce the head of the stock with glass. If done by somebody that knows what they're doing, this doesn't show and adds some serious insurance for shooting heavier loads.

Foxes aren't especially prone to stock head cracking, but over the years it can happen to any double. Most Elsies, on the other hand, need glassing. They chronically crack behind the sidelock plates.

I have a few older doubles and have found that they shoot (and I shoot) lighter loads better than "promotional" high-pressure gut rippers intended to make Turkish/Chinese autoloaders cycle "no matter what."

Better patterns, less wear and tear on everything but the pocketbook (and handloading solves that problem). Heavier loads usually make the doublegun and shooter shoot worse, not better.

And the birds are the same birds they were in 1880....

My A grade Fox #133XX (about 1910) has 2 5/8" chambers.

What year does this serial number indicate?
A.H.Fox 12ga.Sterlingworth Philly gun Serial#689XX
Thanks for any help

Dang fire 1913!!!!SSSWWWEEEETTTTT :)The old girl is 100 years old this year!
Found it here..

http://doublegunshop.com/dgsnos1.htm

My 1927 Fox SW has 2 5/8" chambers. My gunsmith has one just like it, and his are the same length. As others said, the long shells won't hurt it. Opening the chokes and lengthening the forcing cones would be a good idea for most such guns, though, and you might as well lengthen the chamber if you're doing forcing cones.

Kennesaw, pre-war (as in before 1914) guns are generally nicer than the later guns. Even in entry level models like the SW. You have one of the good ones!

12 gauge Fox shotguns were not regularly chambered in 2 3/4" until after they were bought by Savage in late 1929.

This is one of the very first Sterlingworths ever made.... they had not yet created a stamp so the sides are engraved "The Sterlingworth Co." It also has a different barrel address, as Fox seemed to try and act like Sterlingworth were actually built by a different company when they very first came out.

SSWWEEEETTTT

Early Foxes that were sent back to the factory for work were typically reamed out and were stamped on the barrel "12 GA-2 3/4 chamber" like below.