SXS Upland Gun Advice
- Thread starter AR15meister
- Start date
Thanks for sharing this interesting and comprehensive review by Dewey Vicknair canvasback, I hadn't read this before but it pretty much conforms to my own observations. By and large the American guns were designed and made to be inexpensive farmer's tools and were very effective in this regard, but if you have examined or hunted with almost any English or many European guns the difference is obvious unless you are just not really appreciative of true quality. Some of the higher grade American doubles were finished beautifully but it's like lipstick on a pig - looks good on the outside but still the same critter inside. There are much better designs, made of the best materials of the day and to a standard of precision and quality that today can cost $40,000 and up - way up - new and are available in fine condition on the used market for the proce of a new machine made gun. Try one , you'll see.
I thought I did. I have a couple somewhere of other wagons I have in the yard and since you like them will share
As I said before grew up in a small coal mining town here with many immigrants yes there were some sxs from across the water and maybe some even worth a few dollars but honestly in those days they were just old sxs. Dad with the gun shop and being a yank of course saved the american made ones for his reasons and believe me none of the ones I have on display did I alter to turn them into scrap IMO. They were taken care of right or wrong way before they became mine
For what ever reason it seemed any with an odd sized chamber or damascus barrels got the kiss of death
The firing pins would be removed and holes drilled in the top of the barrels over the top of the chambers and I have no idea why this was done other than to make them unable to be fired any more
When we cleaned out the shop many went for wall hangers at like 50 bucks each and I took home a old apple barrel which had maybe a dozen all sxs in it
Most I welded solid and put them into my yard display and others gave to friends for their cabin walls
Yes there well indeed may have been some gems here but they didnot seem to know or care of there was since even years ago very little interest in them
I love all the old stuff also and wish I had of been a bit smarter with some of it back in the day
I am still a big time pump gun lover also and have many of all makes model 12, ithaca 37, remington etc etc even a set of three model 31's
take care
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Funny how at one point things aren't valued at all and then 30-50 years later, many people care again. Nostalgia is a funny thing. Who knows how many gems got lost for good in your father's workshop (except to be a wall hanger).
lol a great summary of Dewey's thoughts with about 1/20th of the words. Lipstick on pigs. I like my Foxes, but nostalgia plays a big part in that. My European guns are light years ahead in quality and typically have paid less or equal to the cost of an A grade Fox for them. Absolute bargains that have me wondering why people buy new SxS.
A few for sure I would say
One that I remember well was a sxs 20ga with real nice metal carvings all over it and beautiful wood
That one they didnot do in but it sat for years in the attic of my uncles house and after he died I tried to track it down and never could
I do think however the old sxs are going the way of the model 12
There is a time to dump if one wants to recover some dollars and it is very close IMO. Hope I am wrong but I just cannot see future gun owners collecting much of anything other than maybe military with wooden stocks
Cheers
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