The Classic American Made Savage/Fox BST Double Shotgun

There was a time when good American-made side-by-side shotguns were fairly common and could be had in a variety of price ranges. In fact, there was a time when “side-by-side” and “shotgun” were synonymous. When it comes to twin barrels these days, over-unders rule the roost, as far as sheer numbers—and competition mojo—go, although side-by-sides still hold a magical appeal to traditionalists, guys who aren’t put off by a “two-lane” sighting plane. Of course, there’s always the side-by-side import option, which covers the financial span from Brazilian and Turkish imports on up to the Beretta 486 Parallelo and then way up to the Krieghoff Essencia and, of course, the high-end English guns requiring fitting and often a multi-year wait. But I’m talking American-made here. And the operative term, in most cases, is “out of print.”

Relatively recently—well, from 2002 to 2006—Ruger gave the side-by-side market a very respectable whack with its Gold Label, which, in the end, proved too costly to make. Winchester offered the Model 21 from 1931 to 1961, but it was a premier item and priced accordingly. Then there were such iconic names as Parker, L.C. Smith, Lefever, and Ithaca, all of which are revered by lovers of American side-by-sides. But the great, high-end (read: obsolete) American side-by-sides can get a bit scary pricewise. So what about something a bit less, well, dear? Well, how about the Savage/Fox B series? There were several variants in the line, which was a fairly long-lived one (1940 to 1988, when the final BSE variant bit the dust). Variations on the B-theme included 12, 16, 20, and .410 chamberings; 26- to 30-inch barrels; double and single triggers; pressed and cut checkering; extractors and auto ejectors; and casecolored and satin chromed frame finishes.

All featured beefy boxlock actions and two-position tang safeties. To be sure, they don’t have the svelte appeal of a pricey English “game gun,” but they’re solid, well built, and last darn near forever. A good side-by-side is still a joy. (My dad used an old Ithaca NID in a leg-o’-mutton leather case that I wish I had today.) The Fox specimen I was lucky enough to lay hands on is the BST in 20 gauge (3.0-inch chambers). It has 28-inch barrels, a vent rib with a mid-bead sight, and a very nice case-colored receiver with the old-timey smiling Fox logo on the underside of the breech forward of the trigger guard. It is in mint condition and has spent its life “cased and quiet” for the most part. Other pertinent features include a single nonselective trigger, extractors (no auto ejectors), a black walnut stock with a high-gloss finish, a somewhat beefy beavertail forearm, and a pistol grip buttstock with pressed checkering and a black plastic buttplate. Since the BST was discontinued in 1965, choke tubes weren’t an option, so this one is strictly old-school with fixed Modified and Full chokes. I measured the constriction of both barrels and found the left barrel (Full choke) miked 0.590 inch, while the right-hand tube came in at 0.604 inch. Strictly speaking, that puts the Modified choke pretty close to Improved Cylinder and the Full choke pretty close to Improved Modified, which is just fine and dandy as far as I’m concerned. Unless turkeys or geese are in the mix, I have little use for tightly choked shotguns. A word about the barrel length. As stated earlier this gun has 28-inch tubes, and while that might seem a bit long for some shooters, consider that the overall length is about the same as a 26-inch-barreled pump or autoloader. Having shot a couple rounds of skeet with the BST, I can report that the lack of a recoil pad is no problem, thanks to the gun’s weight—which is a few ounces shy of 7.5 pounds. A couple of shooting buddies and I shot 7/8-ounce 2¾-inch Remington target loads, and all parties felt that recoil was less than negligible. Later, we tried a couple rounds of 3.0-inch Winchester Supreme Turkey Loads (1¼ ounces of No. 6 shot) and were still reasonably unfazed, as far as shoulder abuse goes.

Of course, while two triggers gives you instant choke selection, the BST’s single nonselective trigger marries you to a “Modified then Full” sequence, so I found myself loading the Modified barrel for singles at skeet. When doubles came around on the menu, that Full barrel really smoked the second bird if I remembered to keep my head down and the gun moving. If I wanted a fixed-choke side-by-side as a dedicated skeet gun, I’d prefer an Improved Cylinder barrel in there somewhere. But by and large, if you’re pointing the gun right, you’re going to break clays. The only thing I had an issue with was remembering to flip off that automatic tang safety. The gun was tight as a tick, requiring some muscle to pop it open at first. Things got better after a round or two, and I’m certain that a bit of hard use will smooth things out. One of the nice things about this BST is the fact that it lacks ejectors. Unless you’re in a situation where you’re literally covered up with doves (or sand grouse if you’re lucky enough to be in Africa), whatever time you save in reloading by having the hulls kicked all the way out just isn’t worth having to hunt and stoop for empties, whether in the field or at the range. By the final 1965 listing, the Fox BST side-by-side went for $118.50.Taking inflation into account, that would translate to a few bucks under $1,150, which is certainly on par with what you’d find a good one for in a mom-and-pop shop or at auction—provided you don’t get into a bidding duel with a well-heeled Fox fanatic. In my opinion, the Savage/Fox BST is a good, solid side-by-side. It’s one for the ages.

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