A.H. Fox CE 12ga – BO WHOOP TRIBUTE, 32” BARRELS, LETTER

Vintage Firearms is pleased to offer a distinctive A.H. Fox CE Grade built in the spirit of one of America’s most legendary sporting guns: Nash Buckingham’s “Bo Whoop.” This gun is not represented as one of Buckingham’s guns or as a period copy. It is a thoughtfully conceived tribute, created years ago under the direction of Jay, our founder and the previous owner of Vintage Firearms, using a remarkably appropriate Philadelphia Fox as its foundation.

Serial number 12850 is documented by its factory records as a C Grade ejector gun fitted with 32-inch barrels, an extra-fine stock, and a Silvers recoil pad. The gun entered production in August 1908 and was completed or shipped in January 1909 for George Tucker. Its recorded factory weight of 7 lb. 10 oz. confirms that this was built from the beginning as a substantial, long-barreled sporting gun—not a lightweight field Fox later pressed into an unsuitable role.

Recognizing how closely the original configuration reflected the character of Buckingham’s famous waterfowl gun, Jay commissioned and oversaw its transformation into a Bo Whoop tribute for a Vintage Firearms client. The project was intended to capture the imposing appearance, purposeful balance, and deliberate handling associated with Bo Whoop while remaining completely transparent as a later tribute. Most importantly, the work built upon qualities already present in the gun rather than attempting to manufacture that character from an ordinary Fox.

The 32-inch barrels have mirror bores, tight ribs, and Modified and Improved Modified choke constrictions. This is a practical combination for waterfowl, pass shooting, driven birds, and longer sporting targets without the extreme restriction sometimes encountered in traditional heavy duck guns. Vintage Firearms’ gunsmiths professionally lengthened the chambers to 2¾ inches and extended the forcing cones, making the gun more accommodating of commonly available 2¾-inch ammunition of suitable pressure for a vintage Fox.

At 7 lb. 6 oz. and balancing 1 inch ahead of the hinge pin, the gun has the steady, slightly forward-weighted feel expected of a serious 32-inch sporting double. It encourages a smooth, deliberate swing through crossing targets while remaining more manageable than many oversized magnum-era waterfowl guns. This is a substantial Fox, but not an unwieldy one.

The appeal of this gun reaches beyond its visual resemblance to Bo Whoop. It began as a documented CE Grade with factory 32-inch barrels, ejectors, extra-fine wood, and the weight and balance of a true long-range sporting gun. The later work simply focused those inherent qualities into a handsome and genuinely usable tribute.

For the Fox enthusiast, waterfowl traditionalist, or sportsman drawn to the history of Nash Buckingham and Bo Whoop, this gun offers far more than a decorative reproduction. It is a documented early Philadelphia Fox, thoughtfully developed into a fitting tribute to one of the most celebrated American doubles ever carried afield.