Image: Restored A.H. Fox CE 20 gauge from 1921. Visit our gallery to explore additional examples of restored A.H. Fox shotguns.
Ansley H. Fox and the Shotgun That Won America’s Heart
If ever there was a man who could straddle the line between genius and grit, it was Ansley Hamilton Fox. Born in the 1870s, Fox was the sort of fellow who didn’t much care for idle time. Inventor, engineer, entrepreneur—he wore all three hats with equal ease, and wore them well. But if there’s one place where Fox left his mark for good, it was in the crook of the American sportsman’s arm: right there with a side-by-side shotgun bearing his name.
In This Article:
- A Young Man with Big Ideas
- The A.H. Fox Shotguns: Built for the Sporting Gentleman
- Enter the Fox Sterlingworth: Honest, Affordable, American
- Chasing New Horizons: From Shotguns to Shock Absorbers
- A Lasting Legacy in Walnut and Steel
- More from this Series
- Share Your Stories
- Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Let’s take a walk through the life of this high-energy innovator, and tip our hat to the shotgun that helped make him a legend: the Fox Sterlingworth.
Tell us your stories.
As always, we want to hear from you! What are your A.H. Fox stories? The comment section is open below.
From the start, young Ansley had a keen mechanical mind. He built and tinkered and dreamed, never content to sit still. By his early twenties, he was already designing shotguns—and not just any shotguns. These were elegant, strong, and finely tuned machines that felt right in the hands of the serious shooter. Word started to spread: “This Fox fella knows his stuff.”
In 1905, he founded the A.H. Fox Gun Company in Philadelphia. His mission? Build the best double-barrel shotguns America had ever seen. And by most accounts, he delivered.
The early A.H. Fox shotguns were built with uncompromising quality. They weren’t just tools for the field—they were heirlooms in the making. Craftsmen hand-fitted the parts. Walnut stocks gleamed with rich grain and oil-rubbed finishes. Actions locked up like a bank vault. And the balance? Well, it made your swing feel like poetry in motion.
No less a sportsman than President Theodore Roosevelt once praised Fox guns, calling his specially made FE-grade “It is the most beautiful gun I have ever seen…”
But Ansley H. Fox, being a practical man, knew that not everyone could afford a top-shelf shotgun with all the trimmings. He believed that every American hunter deserved a reliable, well-made side-by-side. And that’s where the Sterlingworth comes in.
Image: Restored A.H. Fox Sterlingworth 12 gauge from 1932.Visit our gallery to explore additional examples of restored A.H. Fox shotguns.
Released in 1910, the Fox Sterlingworth was Ansley’s answer to the working man’s bird gun. It had the same rock-solid boxlock action as the higher-grade Foxes, the same dependable steel barrels, and the same attention to fit and feel. But it skipped the hand engraving and fancy checkering, making it affordable without feeling cheap.
You could get one in 12, 16, or 20 gauge, with barrels anywhere from 26 to 32 inches, depending on whether you were chasing grouse, quail, or waterfowl. The stock was American walnut, simple but stout, with just enough curve in the grip to bring your eye naturally down the rib.
It didn’t take long for the Sterlingworth to earn a reputation: “The working man’s Fox.” And boy, did it work. Across cornfields, duck blinds, and pheasant prairies, the Sterlingworth proved itself again and again. Reliable. Balanced. Easy on the shoulder. And always ready when the covey flushed.
While the world was tipping its hat to the elegance and precision of A.H. Fox shotguns, the man himself had already turned his sights elsewhere. Ansley H. Fox, ever the restless inventor, wasn’t one to rest on the laurels of a well-engraved sidelock. Once his namesake guns were earning praise from presidents and sportsmen alike, Fox stepped away from the gun trade and followed a fresh trail—this time, one paved in steel, oil, and horsepower.
It started with suspension—specifically, shock absorbers. Around 1915, Fox founded the Fox Pneumatic Shock-Absorber Company, a venture aimed at improving the comfort and control of early automobiles. Just as he’d done with break-action shotguns, Fox took a hard look at what was already out there and figured he could do it better.
But that was just a warm-up.
By 1919, Fox was diving headlong into the American auto industry. He organized the Fox Motor Car Company in Philadelphia, aiming to build a lightweight, air-cooled vehicle for everyday drivers—something efficient, affordable, and engineered with that same no-nonsense reliability that had made his shotguns famous. Production got underway around 1921, and while the car wasn’t a runaway success, it did prove one thing beyond a doubt: Ansley Fox never stopped inventing.
His automotive venture wound down by 1923, unable to weather the competition of an increasingly crowded market. But the ambition behind it? Pure A.H. Fox—bold, practical, and years ahead of its time.
Ansley H. Fox passed away in the 1940s, but the legacy he left behind is as American as crisp leaves underfoot and the sharp clap of a double gun. His shotguns—especially the Sterlingworth—represent a golden era of American craftsmanship. They remind us that beauty and reliability aren’t reserved for the elite, and that a well-made tool can outlive the hands that first carried it.
Today, collectors prize original A.H. Fox shotguns, and none more so than the clean, honest Sterlingworths that saw a thousand hunts and still lock up tight. They’re more than just guns. They’re stories, handed down in blued steel and burnished walnut.
So if you’ve got a Fox Sterlingworth in your cabinet, give it a little oil and take it for a walk this season. And if you don’t have one yet? Well, you just might want to start looking.
I just acquired an AH fox double barrel shotgun in perfect condition. I would like to know when it was manufactured. The serial number is 11029 A
Hi Mr. Sutton, thank you for reading. A few resources for your consideration are the AH Fox Collectors Association, and Savage & A.H. Fox Factory Records at the Cody Firearms Museum. Hope this helps!