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Restoring a 1931 A.H. Fox A Grade 16-Gauge Side-by-Side

There are certain years that follow a firearm around. For this A.H. Fox A Grade 16-gauge, that year is 1931.

By then, America had entered the hard early stretch of the Great Depression. The crash of 1929 had already shaken confidence, factories were slowing, banks were under pressure, and ordinary families were learning to make do with less. By the early 1930s, unemployment and hardship had become defining facts of American life.

And yet, even in those lean years, American craftsmen were still turning out fine sporting arms. Not gaudy things. Not luxury for luxury’s sake. But well-built, durable, thoughtfully made guns meant to be carried, used, and handed down. That’s the world this A.H. Fox came from.

The A.H. Fox Gun Company had earned its place among America’s classic double-gun makers in the early 20th century, producing strong, trim, elegant side-by-side shotguns in Philadelphia before the line passed into Savage ownership around 1930. Fox guns were known for their simple, sturdy boxlock design, graceful proportions, and the confidence of a company that once advertised its guns as “The Finest Gun in the World.”

This example is an A Grade 16-gauge with 26-inch barrels. It’s a lively field gun by any honest measure. The A Grade wasn’t the most lavish Fox ever made, and that’s part of its charm. It carries just enough embellishment to mark it as something special, while keeping the practical bearing of a gun built for days afield.

When it arrived at the shop, it had the look of a firearm that had lived a full life. A shotgun from 1931 ought to have some story on it. But age, use, repairs, and time all leave their marks, and our work was to sort through them carefully.
Not new. Not overdone. Just right.

Taking the Gun Down to Its Truth

The restoration began with full disassembly and cleaning. Once apart, the gun could be read properly. The barrels, action, screws, wood, and small parts each showed what time had done and what previous hands had touched. From there, the work could begin in the right order.

The barrel ribs and forend lug were stripped and relaid. The barrels were then prepared for later polish and finish work, with close attention paid to the rib fit, lug fit, and overall integrity of the barrel assembly.

The original stock had a break at the wrist. We reinforced and prepared it so it could serve as the pattern for the new buttstock. Even damaged, the original wood still held the gun’s lines, dimensions, and character.

New Walnut, Old Manners

A new buttstock was turned from field-grade English walnut to match the original. The figure was kept appropriate to the gun: handsome, clean, and in keeping with an A Grade Fox.

The stock was made in a straight-grip configuration and fitted with a hard rubber buttplate, as original. The trigger guard was converted for the straight grip, then fit to the action, shaped, and sanded through final preparation.

The original splinter forend was saved. It was soaked, repaired, and sanded to final prep. Both the new buttstock and original forend were then pore-filled and finished with a hand-rubbed oil finish.

The splinter forend checkering was recut to point. The new buttstock was checkered in the proper Fox “A” pattern. That’s slow work, and it should be. Sharp checkering and clean borders have a way of telling the truth.

Barrels, Borders, and Barrel Addresses

The side-by-side barrels were polished, with the breech borders, rib extension, and Fox barrel addresses recut before finishing.

The barrels were then rust blued, bringing back the deep finish suited to a classic American double.

Receiver, Engraving, and Small Parts

The action and parts were polished. Screws were repaired where possible and replaced where needed.

The Fox A pattern engraving was recut on the receiver and all appropriate parts. The goal was to restore the original pattern’s clarity without making it look newly invented.

The receiver, trigger plate, top lever, forend iron, and latch were color case hardened. The trigger guard, triggers, screws, and safety were charcoal blued.
Piece by piece, the gun started to gather itself again.

Back on Face, Back in Service

The barrels were set back on face, restoring the proper fit between barrels and action.

After final oiling, greasing, and assembly, the gun was test-fired. It closed properly, functioned as it should, and stood ready again as a working double.

A Depression-Era Fox, Returned to Itself

What emerged from the bench wasn’t a new shotgun. That was never the point.
It’s still a 1931 A.H. Fox A Grade 16-gauge. It still belongs to the lean years of American manufacturing, when fine sporting guns were being made in a country facing hard times. It still carries the Fox name, the A Grade pattern, the 26-inch barrels, the splinter forend, the straight-grip lines, and the quiet dignity of a classic American double.

Restoration is an act of restraint as much as craftsmanship. You have to know what to bring back, what to leave alone, and what the gun ought to look like when it stands on its own two feet again. This Fox does exactly that.

Built in a hard year. Carried through many more. Now restored with its history intact.

That feels about right.