A.H. Fox AE-Grade
A.H. Fox Gun Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1907
Also known as: Fox AE-Grade, A.H. Fox AE Grade, Fox AE Grade Ejector Double
Overview
The A.H. Fox AE-Grade is a 12-gauge hammerless boxlock side-by-side shotgun, the automatic-ejector version of the A.H. Fox Gun Company's entry A-Grade built in Philadelphia from 1906. The 'E' suffix denoted factory automatic ejectors, which threw fired hulls clear while lifting unfired shells for reloading. Like all Fox doubles it locked the barrels using a barrel extension and a rotary fastener, wore genuine Chromox fluid-steel barrels and a select walnut stock, and was fitted with double triggers. Offered with 26 to 32 inch barrels in 12, 16 and 20 gauge, the AE-Grade was marketed as a rugged, honestly-priced field gun of superior workmanship.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1150 mm (45.28") |
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 2 rounds |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Case Hardened |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12GA, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Break Action
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Side By Side, Hammerless Boxlock, Double Trigger, Automatic Ejectors, Barrel Extension Lock, Chromox Fluid Steel Barrels, Select Walnut Stock
Base model
Production
Production years: 1907-1942
Per-grade production totals not published in available sources; documented AE-Grade examples span the pre-Savage Philadelphia years into the Savage/Utica era (a 1937 example is recorded).
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Ansley H. Fox
Discontinued: 1942
Notes
AE denotes the A-Grade fitted with automatic ejectors, a $15 option over the plain-extractor A-Grade. Early Fox ejectors (Fox/Horne patent 921,220, 1909) were temperamental; the F.T. Russell design (patent 991,375, 1911) introduced in 1911 proved far more reliable. 16 and 20 gauges arrived in 1912. Guns could be built to a customer's chosen barrel length and chokes at no extra charge, so figures vary widely; 12-gauge weights ran roughly 6.75 to 8 lb (about 3060-3630 g). Weight and overall length here are typical-range approximations for a 12-gauge with 28-inch barrels. The A.H. Fox Gun Company was acquired by Savage Arms in November 1929, with Fox production continuing at Utica, New York into the early 1940s.
Background
Ansley H. Fox marketed his guns as 'The Finest Gun in the World,' and the ejector-fitted grades earned a reputation as tough, dependable field guns that thousands of American upland hunters carried afield. The AE-Grade sat one rung above the plain A-Grade purely by virtue of its automatic ejectors, making a used AE among the more sought-after of the affordable Fox doubles for shooters who wanted the convenience of ejectors without paying for the high-grade engraving.