Had some good luck today !

[6pt-sika]

My father and I attended an auction in the Shenendoah Valley this evening and had a bit of luck !

We first bid on what I think is a very nice Ansley H. Fox "AE" grade 16 gauge and won it .

After that we bid on a LeFever 410 SxS that looked brand new ! I ran that one up to 2 G's and it ended at $3500 . So needless to say that one did not follow me home !

Then we bid on an Antonio Zoli combo gun in 12 gauge and 7x57R and got that .

Next I bid on a kinda decent Winchester 1894 30 WCF with a 26" round barrel and full length mag tube , Gun was maybe 30% overall . Ran that one up to $600 and someone else took it for $650 I think .

Then I bid on a nice Browning B-78 singleshot in 25-06 that had a period Redfield 6-18x on top and was fortunate enough to get that also !

Finally a friend got a semi rare rifle there . It was what appears to be a very nice Winchester Model 43 in 25-20 . The blueing was about 90-95% , it had a period Lyman peep sight . The stock looks to me as if it may have been refinished once upon a time and someone added swivels . But long story short I think he got it for about half of what it was worth !

I'll see if I can't post some pics of our three monday when I go tot he shop and have broadband !

Photobucket as of late doesn't seem to wanna work so well on dial up here at the homefront

[Sixgun]

Whoa~! The Philadelphia Fox is a charm. Very hard to get. I put those in the same bracket as the top end Parkers.

Sure is somethin' on the 410 doubles. Back in the seventies, they did not bring nothin'. ANY 410 double today is worth 4 times what a 12 brings.

The 43 in 25-20 is the hardest one to get. In fact, I've only seen 2 in the last 30 years.

Ain't nothin' like a good auction to get the blood flowing---the anticipation and the snags will keep a guy going for a month or two. --------Sixgun

I'm thinking---why was I NOT there?

[6pt-sika]

They had a Parker VH 20 gauge there as well that went for $3500 I think . But it had been re rust blued , re cased and re finished wood !

If it had been 30% original I woulda been intrested but redone kinda does it in for me !

[6pt-sika]

The 43 in 25-20 is the hardest one to get. In fact, I've only seen 2 in the last 30 years.

I have a friend that lives about 20 miles away that has standard and deluxe versions of the Hornet , Bee , 25-20 and 32-20 . Of course he also has several very nice Model 70's , 54's and any number of the 22 rifles . To say nothing of his Colt and S&W accumulation .
This same guy went out one day and bought 3 52 Sporters . Think he got a B and C but am not sure what the other one was !

[6pt-sika]

I'll clean them all up tommorrow night before the fight !

Maybe take some pics then and post them monday !

Also need to scratch around my loading room and see if I have any extra 25-06 brass !
If not I have two options ,

1. reform the 25-06 brass I used in the 6.5-06 I had a year or so ago .

2. take half the brass I have for my Ruger #1B 25-06

[6pt-sika]

Well here goes I fought the MFing PC , the thing dial up and the photbucket website to post some not so clear pics !

But pics nontheless !

[6pt-sika]

Couple pics of the Fox AE action and the stock !

[6pt-sika]

The Antonio Zoli action both sides !

[6pt-sika]

The Browning B-78 25-06 with the Redfield 6-18 Traditional scope . Second one of these scopes I picked up in the last 6 months . This one has a target dot as well !



Stcok of the B-78 !



This one shows the cheekpiece of the B-78 as well as the cheekpiece of the Zoli !

[6pt-sika]

Before I took pics I took them into the shop and cleaned and polished !

The Fox has mirror bores and the blueing and wood look untouched and maybe 97% . Gun is very tight with 28" barrels and double ivory beads .

The Zoli would also be about 95-97% except for a bruise in one side of the buttstock ! The shotgun barrel is a mirror and the rifle barrel looks almost unfired . The hardest part of cleaning this one up was getting the old dried grease off it !

Now to the Browning B-78 this one would look like NIB except for a small spot in the checkering and the fact that I don't have the box . Has Browning marked bases and rings . And the Redfield scope is crystal clear . The bore on this one has that almost unfired look as well . Monday I;ll get on the horn to Brownells and get a pair of swivels to fit this Browning sling swivel oddity !
While I was out in the shop doing my clean up polish job I found 50 pieces of fored 25-06 brass already rezied and deprimed !

Perhaps tommorrow I'll get some initial loads put together to try this one at the range monday

[cubrock]

Sounds like a neat auction! I'd love to score a shooter grade 43 in .32-20 at some point. They are neat guns.

[Sixgun]

6 Point,
The Fox gives one a good feeling of quality---come on! lets see some clear pics of that engraving!

My guess is that the Browning is one of the late seventies jobs when quality was even better than it was today. My BIL had one in the same caliber and it was a moa gun---easily---------Sixgun

[cshold]

I'm drooling all over that little fox.
You'd have the guys over on the 16 ga. forum
doing the same if you posted a pic or two there.
How old & what are the chamber lengths?

[madman4570]

Nice, very nice

Congrats!

[6pt-sika]

I'm drooling all over that little fox.
You'd have the guys over on the 16 ga. forum
doing the same if you posted a pic or two there.
How old & what are the chamber lengths?

We have three SxS 16 now !

A damascus Parker GH , this Fox AE and a Kettner . As well as Three drillings . Wish that Zoli we got yesterday had been 16 over 7x57R instead of a 12 gauge .

As to the age of the Fox I am not sure . I am sorry to say it was made in Utica instead of Philadelphia so I am assuming it was one of the last years before they stopped making actual Fox guns and just stamped the name on embelished Stevens 311's .

I've shoot Parker's and British SxS's for 3/4's of my life and other then Sterlingworths this will be the first Fox we've ever owned . From just playing with it last night and today it feels like a lively little bird gun .

[6pt-sika]

6 Point,
The Fox gives one a good feeling of quality---come on! lets see some clear pics of that engraving!

My guess is that the Browning is one of the late seventies jobs when quality was even better than it was today. My BIL had one in the same caliber and it was a moa gun---easily---------Sixgun

I'll see if I can do better monday at the shop with a little better lighting and perhaps a little steadier hand !


The B-78 was made between 1973 or so and 1982 I think . But the F'd up way Browning does the seriel numbers sometines I'm having a hard time dating that one .

I've wanted a true B-78 since I was 12 years old I think ! Looked at a brand spanking new one in the local gunshop about 1973 or 1974 in 22-250 with the octagon barrel .

According to my old Shooters Bible's from that time period original chamberings for this rifle were 22-250 , 6mm REM , 25-06 REM and 30-06 . Since I already have 25% of the set it shouldn't be to hard to surmise what I am considering !
And I just happen to know where a very nice B-78 in 6mm is right now

[6pt-sika]

I may take a break from hunting this wednesday and haul that 16 down to the smaller of the gun clubs I belong to and shoot a couple rounds of skeet with the old boy before the late dove season arrives !

[cshold]

I may take a break from hunting this wednesday and haul that 16 down to the smaller of the gun clubs I belong to and shoot a couple rounds of skeet with the old boy before the late dove season arrives !

With yeah in spirit

[6pt-sika]

Couple pics of the roll stamping on the Zoli !

One side is of Roe deer and the other is Red Stag !

[6pt-sika]

Now better pics of the engraving on the little Fox !

[kimwcook]

Serious score. Love those old SxS's.

[6pt-sika]

Just got back from the range !

Tried 6 different groups with the B-78 . The worst was 3 shots in 1 1/2" and the best was three in .875" .

It's looking like 51 grains of IMR4350 with the Hornady 117 SST is gonna be the way to go . Thats a max load that did 3 in an inch at 100 .

[6pt-sika]

Got around to measuring chokes today !

The Zoli 12 gauge barrel floats a dime so we'll call that one full !

I suppose when I get some 7x57R brass and load some that one will become a 7x57R and 12 gauge Brenneke slug gun .

The Fox with calipers measured .650" in the right barrel that loosely falls in the IC category and the left barrel measured about .642" which loosely falls in the mod category .

I have also ran across some buck loads for this one shooting eleven "1" buck pellets at about 1400 FPS with SR4756 . Since this gun is fluid steel and does have 2 3/4" chambers I won't mind this load . In my damascus Parker 16 gauge I'll back off a tad I think . As it says by dropping the same load 2 grains the velocity drops to about 1250 . Might see about dropping it 3 to 4 grains and go for a hair under 1200 in the Parker . In the PArker I also may cut the pellet payload back to 9 pellets .

[cshold]

Hey 6pt,
If you can how's about posting some pictures of
your pattern targets from the 16's & #1 buckshot.
I'm very interested in your results.

[Mike D.]

WOW, now 'ya got my attention with that AE!! Makes my Philly Sterlingworths worthless.

[6pt-sika]

WOW, now 'ya got my attention with that AE!! Makes my Philly Sterlingworths worthless.

Mine isn't a Philly gun but rather a Utica one I am sorry to say !

But it is a "AE" , my Sterlingworth 12 is also a Utica gun !

[6pt-sika]

Hey 6pt,
If you can how's about posting some pictures of
your pattern targets from the 16's & #1 buckshot.
I'm very interested in your results.

I'll try and remmember to take pics when I shoot !

I usually put up a piece of paper shoot then tape over the holes and shoot again !

[cshold]

Thanks that would be great 6pt
From everything I'v read the 16ga and 12 pellets of #1 buck is the bomb.
Must have something to do with that 16ga mystical quote-unquote
"perfect shot-string" capability

[6pt-sika]

Thanks that would be great 6pt
From everything I'v read the 16ga and 12 pellets of #1 buck is the bomb.
Must have something to do with that 16ga mystical quote-unquote
"perfect shot-string" capability

I think it may also have top do with the relative size of the pellets and the stackability in the hull .

In the 10 gauge I've been getting some very nice results with 00 Buck set ion layers of three 4 layers high for 12 pellets and thats inside a SP-10 hull with no buffer . I am hoping I can get 3 of the #1 buck to a layer in the 16 gauge hull using the Remington SP-16 wad . That mylar wrap stuff is a pita to use as opposed to plain old shotcup wads !