About The Fox Carbine
Gerard J. Fox was born on December 8th, 1916. Gerry, as he was commonly referred to, served in the Royal Air Force and later as a Captain and a pilot of single engine aircraft in the United States Air Force up until 1946. Gerry held several degrees including a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. After being discharged from the military he worked as a civilian for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in France. Gerry had a passion for firearms and loved to tinker. In the late 1960's he started a small firearms company in Meriden, Connecticut called the TRI-C Corporation. The firearm Gerry would eventually bring to market was fittingly named the Fox Carbine.
The Fox Carbine is an open-bolt, fixed firing pin carbine with features that resemble those of the WWII Russian PPSH-41. This was not surprising as the PPSH-41 was Gerry's favorite submachine gun of WWII. Some of Gerry’s improvements included an aluminum lower to reduce weight, grip safety, the ability to change quickly between 9mm and .45ACP, and a patented safety locking mechanism to name a few.
The Fox was manufactured in Meriden up until a fire destroyed the building that housed the business early in April of 1976. The fire spelled the end of the TRI-C Corporation as most of the assets, inventory, and equipment was destroyed. Gerry salvaged what he could and lay the ground work for a new partnership with a small manufacturing firm in Manchester, Connecticut by the name of Dean Machine. An attempt was made to resurrect the Fox under the FoxCo name. Sourcing and manufacturing problems led to soaring expenses. That coupled with a trade name issue tore the partnership apart, and in 1978 Dean Machine assumed complete control of the business and rights to manufacture. From 1978 until 1982, Dean Machine produced the Fox design as the DEMRO TAC-1 and DEMRO WASP. 1982 brought about a change in ATF regulations and the open-bolt, fix firing pin firearm was no longer legal to produce for the general public. Without market traction and the funds to re-engineer the Fox to meet ATF regulations, Dean Machine ended production of the semi auto making a few select fire guns until the passing of the Hughes Amendment in 1986 which banned the manufacture of new machine guns that civilians could purchase .