2176 FINELY APPOINTED CSMC AINSLEY H. FOX NRA SPECIAL

Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 10,000.00 USD
Estimated at 20,000.00 - 27,500.00 USD
SXS SHOTGUN WITH CASE. Cal. 20 Ga. 2 3/4". S# NRAF205815. This handsome gun has 26" bbls. fitted with a slightly swamped matted rib holding two white beads. Tops of bbls. are gold inlaid "MADE TO ORDER A.H. FOX" and "CHROMOX FLUID STEEL". Breach ends of bbls. have gold line inlays and are engraved with 2 3/4" triangles of nicely cut scroll. Muzzles also have some scroll behind gold bands. Bbl. flats are stamped with gauge & chamber length, Fox proof, and are gold-inlaid with "N.R.A. SPECIAL" and a serial number. Loop is stamped with CSMC information. Case-hardened, small-size Ogee-backed, and rebated Fox boxlock-type action with rotary bolt features automatic safety ("SAFE" inlaid in gold) and gold-plated double triggers. Engraved water table is stamped with patent dates and gold inlaid with serial number and "N.R.A. SPECIAL". Action is very finely engraved, with near-full coverage of well-cut shaded scroll within geometric borders. This scroll is accent for flush gold-inlaid game scenes, with flushing woodcock on the left, a grouse on the right, & pheasant on the bottom. Backgrounds of birds on sides are well-detailed. "AINSLEY H FOX" is gold-inlaid on each side of action, and there is geometric gold-inlay on sides of hingepin & around the triggerplate screw. Fences are nicely carved in semi-relief shell form. Top lever thumbpiece is pierced in a scroll design, and the head of a ruffed grouse is gold-inlaid on pivot point. Trigger guard is blued and the bow has nicely filed Ogee borders and some piercings augmenting the scroll engraving. Scroll engraving is on tang, along with serial number in gold. Straight grip buttstock of very fine, heavily marbled, & wonderfully figured Turkish walnut measures 14 5/8" over checkered wood butt and is finely decorated with a well-carved large open scroll that is on sidepanels & behind checkering on butt. Checkering pattern is of fluer-di-lis design and has ribbons through pattern. Workmanship of all embellishments is of the finest order. Matching long forend with horn-inlaid schnabbled tip has serial number & "N.R.A. SPECIAL" in gold on the interior of the iron, which also has scroll engraving surrounding patent dates. Carved fluer-di-lis with ribbons running through the near-full covereage checkering pattern, and release is of Fox's adaptation Deely type. MEASUREMENTS: BBLS: Bore Diameter: R .613", L .613". Restriction: R .011" (IC), L .023" (MOD). Min. Wall Thickness: R .037", L .036". STOCK: DAH: 2 1/4". DAC: 1 9/16". LOP: 14 5/8". CAST: Neutral. WEIGHT: 5 lb. 10 oz. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: gun is housed in a good-quality brown leather case with stitched leather corners lined in burgundy cloth. An A. H. Fox New Britain CT label is in lid. Case contains good-quality cleaning equipment, snapcaps, & square oil bottle. CONDITION: exceptionally fine; appears essentially unfired since proof; retains nearly all fine factory finishes on all external surfaces with a small number of light marks, mostly on buttstock. Bright, shiny bores. Mechanically excellent. (22-2257/MGM). MODERN. $20,000-27,500.