What Would A New Fox SxS Cost Today?

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Accounting for inflation the below would be the equivalent catalog prices. Interesting that a SBE 3 goes for around $2300 which is about the same as the middle grade Fox. I would have thought modern manufacturing processes and far less hand work would lower costs. Of course, there are a lot of other factors in play in addition to manufacturing. Nonetheless, 2k+ for a shotgun is a pretty big investment hunters are willing to pay today, as they did over 100 years ago.


AF $1590
AFE $2067
BF $2385
BFE $2862
CF $3180
CFE $3657Hibbard Spencer Bartlett Cat 1910_1384.jpg
 
Im way too hard on shotguns to spend that kind of dough. I grew up shooting my dads BPS Browning. he was left handed and it loaded and extracted through the bottom of the gun. It was a NIGHTMARE to strip all the way down and clean. I then turned 18, used a bunch of college grant money and bought an SBE2. Dont get me wrong, it served its purpose and I shot countless amount of rounds through it. At on point I killed ~15k pigeons in a summer with it on a dairy that was completely over run. Lasted me 12 years of torture and when it finally blew up on me at the dairy. I pulled the trigger, felt pieces hitting me in the arm and it was locked up worse than two dogs. I took it into my gunsmith and we spent about 2 hours taking it down to every small piece. The trigger assembly came apart and 7 pieces were broke. Just looked like it wore out finally. Benelli was a champ, sent photos and let them know what happened. Told them I didn't expect anything as it had thousands upon thousands of rounds through it and just needed certain parts to put it back together with my gunsmith. Instead they sent me a brand new trigger group. As soon as I got the gun functional again, I had a young lad make me an offer for it, I cut his offer in half and let him take it. I heard from him about 2 years ago and he said it was still operational. It didn't like light light loads and every so often if not super clean, it wouldnt quite cycle all the way. I didnt like that at all.

Then I stumbled on the sportsman versamax. For $600 it is the best beater shotgun I have ever owned. I finally had one getting a bit loose and sloppy (still never jammed on me) but you can tell the tolerances were just not what of a new one has. So I made that one a snow goose gun, has a 13 shot ext tube and rarely comes out of the safe. My current one has 5 seasons under its belt and just now starting to feel broke in. I still have yet to get a jam with either of those guns. Doesnt matter how light the load is. Versamax for the win in my book, and I buy the cheapest version I can get my hands on when I feel like I need a new one. The only thing I hate about a versamax is the huge front grip it has. Tooth and Nail armory makes a narrow version and it slims it down to feel like a benelli style grip in my hand. Much more comfortable.

I bought a cheapo turkish made John Daly O/U. Had the barrel cerakoted in a tan color and receiver and buttstock are black synthetic. I enjoy shooting fowl with my O/U more and more in the last 2 seasons. I rarely pull the semi out now. I think once i wear this one out, I will spend a little more money and get a CZ O/U for waterfowl. I really like the magnetic rim where the shell is inserted in the barrel. So when you crack open the barrel, empties stay in place. When loading in a blind, no need to point barrel down, just crack open, pull empties and insert new shells in and they stay right in place, no need to use gravity when loading and unloading a CZ O/U.

So.... for the price of an SBE3, I have 2 versamax (that still have not jammed on me after 13 seasons with them) and a cheapo O/U and all just keep going bang bang bang. According to your post sir, seems shotguns are getting cheaper with inflation. Just doesnt feel that way.
 
I've been fortunate to own a number of nice shotguns, but I rarely drag them out in the marsh or on a breakwater. When I was a kid, it was generally a model 12 or an auto 5. I don't have either one of that vintage suitable for non-toxic loads that I like. For years since non-tox became required I used 1187's, I had a bunch I won at skeet shoots. Good thing I had a supply as they didn't hold up well to really stiff hevi shot loads. I had a couple barrels separate at the gas port lug and land in the decoys. Recently I picked up the new version of the A5, which I like and they have held up to the ammo.

The AH Fox can still be had new in the higher grades, manufactured by CSMC in CT. They're quite faithful to the originals, and dare I say the machining is probably superior. I keep wanting to treat myself to one, but the price (starting at $19,500) and a two year wait puts me off. They have a showroom at the factory where you can handle examples, as well as a pretty good stock of vintage doubles and other fine firearms.

CSMC Fox
 
Considering the outlandish price folks are paying for Pickemup Trucks and SUV's that loose value quickly a quality "Shootgun" is a investment. Check the auction houses that sell quality sporting arms and you will see for yourself. Parker Reproductions are selling for way over their original prices from not that many years ago. There is probably no better time to get a quality double gun and OU then the present due to the vast selection and price range.

I'm not a double gun guy and never have been for my own reasons. Some are my close friends were and are double gun guys. It's all about how much ya value quality, craftsmanship, and yer intended use. As Kramer asked George "Do you yearn?"

my 2 cents
 
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Considering the outlandish price folks are paying for Pickemup Trucks and SUV's that loose value quickly a quality "Shootgun" is a investment. Check the auction houses that sell quality sporting arms and you will see for yourself. Parker Reproductions are selling for way over their original prices from not that many years ago. There is probably no better time to get a quality double gun and OU then the present due to the vast selection and price range.

I'm not a double gun guy and never have been for my own reasons. Some are my close friends were and are double gun guys. It's all about how much ya value quality, craftsmanship, and yer intended use. As Kramer asked George "Do you yearn?"

my 2 cents
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I really enjoy this perspective. As a collector of many things, this makes a lot of sense in my brain. I guess I have never considered any firearm a collectible/work of art. Although I look at many firearms and think how purty it looks or its too purty to beat up in the field. Hence my reasoning behind spending less money for my boom boom guns. They are absolute work horses in my brain. I have one gun in the gun safe that no one seems to be able to put a value on. I reached out to an NRA specialist and he had never seen one like the on I have and flat out said he couldnt put an exact price on it. Funny story, it almost got thrown away. When my grandfather was on his death bed, he told me to take all his guns. There were like 8 but I hiked out the thin metal gun cabinet to write free on it and I heard a thud. In a sock was this little itty bitty 4 barrel pistol that had a wheel as a trigger. Asked my grandfather about it and he said he got to take it home after he arrested the individual who tried to shoot him with it (Grandfather was retired law enforcement and retired in the 70's). Back in those days, after a firearm sat in evidence for long enough time, apparently the officer got to take home the firearm. Trigger doesnt work, and ultimately what saved his life. What makes this piece special is it is fully engraved. The serial number is only 3 digits and the handles are true pearl handles. The NRA specialist told me he had never seen one less than 4 number serial number, never had seen one custom fully engraved either. So he couldnt give me a fair price. To this day, never have seen another like, but I don't look that closely either. it just sits in the safe as a novelty piece. no idea what Ill do with it either. Maybe make it a glorified paper weight in the office?
 
William,
I almost never hear anyone talk about their "Remington". I grew up shooting my Dad's Remington Wingmaster 16 gauge. Still have it and use it periodically. I feel the same way about it as Mr Sanford feels about his Model 12 Winchester. I purchased Versamax several years ago and absolutely love this gun. Keep rocking your Remington Versamax and enjoy the look and feel of a vintage shotgun in the blind once and a while.

RVZ
 
Rod VanZile said:
William,
I almost never hear anyone talk about their "Remington". I grew up shooting my Dad's Remington Wingmaster 16 gauge. Still have it and use it periodically. I feel the same way about it as Mr Sanford feels about his Model 12 Winchester. I purchased Versamax several years ago and absolutely love this gun. Keep rocking your Remington Versamax and enjoy the look and feel of a vintage shotgun in the blind once and a while.

RVZ
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I was in the gun industry when there were rumors of remington "adopting" the Benelli M4 design when the patent ran out. Sure enough, when we got our first versamax in, I pulled an M4 and stripped both down and put them side by side and you couldnt tell many differences. I knew how marines felt about the M4 so I had to give the versamax a try. I have not regretted that decision, and I dont think I ever will. Both my rems look beat beat beat, even though they are pretty well taken care of. I am just not afraid to put them through the ick of the marsh or the cold of the snow. Again, they are tools to me and work horses so I treat them as such. Like any tool, take care of it and itll take care of you, but they can be a bit of an eye sore after what I put them through. With 2 in the safe, and absolutely 0 clicks or jams or disappointments, I will gladly consider a 3rd to go in the safe when its time.
 
Let's look at Remington and Winchester as well. This is from a 1934 catalog. Prices in red are adjusted for inflation.

Marshall-Wells Company - 1934 General CatalogToday1.png

Marshall-Wells Company - 1934 General CatalogToday2.png
 
lol not spending 990+ for a pump shotgun..... No thanks. Thats nuts right there. Collectors???? Think not, i will keep using mine as a paddle for the kayak I guess.
 
Where is the Remington Model 31 pump? THE finest Pump Gun Remington Ever made. It was called the Ballbearing Pump cuz the action worked so well and smooth. It like the Winchester Model 12 was phased out as to much was handmade and costly to make. I can find no pump gun made today that can equal those 2.

Remington is no longer in NY, nor shall it be like it ever was again. My Model 700BDL 6mm is as fine a rifle as it was in 1968 when I got it for HS graduation present. Still "brings home the bacon" deer hunting. 1100s I love and still own one. When they first came out they called em "Made from Prince Albert Cans". The 1187 I owned as well as the SP10 I still have were notorious for having screw in chokes set off center and they took back a zillion of them to fix em. The latter years of the old Remington were not good quality as in the past.

my 2 cents
 
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Where is the Remington Model 31 pump? THE finest Pump Gun Remington Ever made. It was called the Ballbearing Pump cuz the action worked so well and smooth. It like the Winchester Model 12 was phased out as to much was handmade and costly to make. I can find no pump gun made today that can equal those 2.

Remington is no longer in NY, nor shall it be like it ever was again. My Model 700BDL 6mm is as fine a rifle as it was in 1968 when I got it for HS graduation present. Still "brings home the bacon" deer hunting. 1100s I love and still own one. When they first came out they called em "Made from Prince Albert Cans". The 1187 I owned as well as the SP10 I still have were notorious for having screw in chokes set off center and they took back a zillion of them to fix em. The latter years of the old Remington were not good quality as in the past.

my 2 cents
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They are sleepers Vince. Even smoother than a Model 12. They didn't make that many of them because of the hand labor involved. My first shotgun was a 20 ga Mod 31 with a Polychoke. Wish I never sold it, but recently I located a solid rib, 20 ga Mod 31 Skeet Model and couldn't resist. It was like re-connecting with an old girlfriend!
 
Neat updates. Interesting that the autoloaders as updated to modern pricing are....about where new autoloaders are now.

CSMC is/was making the Fox, but pricing is handsome, and they aren't making a full range of Fox guns...you couldn't get an HE "Super" now.

One thing that really gobsmacked me...I've wanted a 16-gauge for a while. My preference would be a Citori, because I shoot a Citori and Superposed 12-gauges, and the fit is very natural for me. The prices on the Citori 16's are through the roof.

So, I said, "ok, maybe I will look at an 870, or an 1100"...HA! I've seen the 870 Wingmasters listed for over $2000, and 1100's for $3000 to $4000...more expensive than the O/U's and in line with some of the Fox/Smith sxs guns.
 
Matt Mahoney said:
They are sleepers Vince. Even smoother than a Model 12. They didn't make that many of them because of the hand labor involved. My first shotgun was a 20 ga Mod 31 with a Polychoke. Wish I never sold it, but recently I located a solid rib, 20 ga Mod 31 Skeet Model and couldn't resist. It was like re-connecting with an old girlfriend!
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Matt,

My buddies dad had a 31, 12ga. that he let me use Dove hunting in PA. Oh my goodness, much like the Model 12 the 31 puts yer hands right where they Should Be like all fine bird guns. They put XX'z in the eyes of whatever your wingshooting. Both Model 31 & Model 12 spoil ya for all other "Shootguns". I have a 1935 model 12, 16ga. Mod. and a model 12 Heavy Duck gun and I love em both. Each time I come across a 31 I gotta pick it up and I say to myself "Man I Need this Shotgun". Then think of what I already have and set it back down.

The 31 in 20ga gotta be one sweet "Shootgun". A 12ga. with a Mod. choke would be the perfect all around gun for upland birds and ducks in my world. Have come across a few, the next one may go home with me. I would like to reconnect much like you did.


Best regards
Vince
 
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