Fox BE Grade
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.32 kg
- Introduced
- 1907
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Fox BE Grade is an American break-action, side-by-side double-barrel shotgun built on the boxlock action designed by Ansley H. Fox and produced by the A.H. Fox Gun Company of Philadelphia. The BE designation denotes a B Grade gun fitted with selective automatic ejectors, the 'E' suffix introduced in 1907 to indicate that added feature. Chambered in 12 gauge, it carries Krupp fluid-steel barrels, a color-cased receiver, double triggers, and a tang-mounted safety. Marketed by Fox as 'The Finest Gun in the World,' it was a mid-grade offering in the company's line of high-quality American doubles and is prized today by collectors for its Krupp steel barrels and classic straight-hand English stock.
President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid hunter, owned an A.H. Fox shotgun and reportedly called it 'the most beautiful gun I have ever seen,' a testament to the reputation Ansley Fox built for his Philadelphia-made doubles.
The 'E' in BE indicates selective automatic ejectors added to the base B Grade. B-grade guns were discontinued in 1918 and are comparatively rare among Fox collectors. Weight and barrel length varied with individual order; 28-inch barrels were standard, with 30-inch barrels also available.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- A.H. Fox Gun Company
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1907 to 1918
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Overall length
- 1137 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.32 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Internal hammer
- Trigger
- Double trigger
- Capacity
- 2
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Color case hardened
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 400 m/s
- Effective range
- 45 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side by side barrels
Boxlock action
Selective automatic ejectors
Double triggers
Krupp fluid steel barrels
Color cased receiver
Factory engraving
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 622 12 Gauge shotguns | 3.32 kg | 3.29 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 570 12 Gauge shotguns | 1137 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 650 12 Gauge shotguns | 711 mm | 711 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 647 12 Gauge shotguns | 2 | 3 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Fox BE Grade
How much does the Fox BE Grade weigh?
The Fox BE Grade weighs 3.32 kg (7.33 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Fox BE Grade?
The Fox BE Grade is chambered in 12 Gauge.
How many rounds does the Fox BE Grade hold?
The Fox BE Grade holds 2 rounds.
How long is the Fox BE Grade?
The Fox BE Grade is 1137 mm (44.8 in) long overall, with a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Fox BE Grade?
The Fox BE Grade is made by A.H. Fox Gun Company (United States). It was designed by Ansley H. Fox.
When was the Fox BE Grade introduced?
The Fox BE Grade was introduced in 1907 and discontinued in 1918.
How does the Fox BE Grade operate?
The Fox BE Grade uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is internal hammer.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- American sporting and hunting market
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
80%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fox-be-grade' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fox-be-grade", "name": "Fox BE Grade", "manufacturer": { "id": "ah-fox", "name": "A.H. Fox Gun Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1906, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "77fe5356c0fd9f21e4a87f128cceccbca32bc3fda6c10065bf78c49a2a765015" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1907, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 3323, "action_type": "break_action"}