Can anyone advise how to remove the stock? This is pre Savage.There is no throughbolt.Something is preventing removing the barrels from the receiver and I need to get the stock off to take a look.Unable to find a diagram-any sources. Thanks for any help.Frank.

Fox's are sometimes prone to having the firing pins stick in the primers. Removing the action might not be a job for someone who has never done it before. My recommendation would be to go to the gunshop.com BBS at http://www.gunshop.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi
and pose the question there. Depending on where you live they might be able to refer you to someone nearby or tell you how to do it. Best of luck. Sterlingworth's are great guns.

typically shotgun stocks are secured by a bolt from the butt or the pistol grip.

(edit)
I was just informed that this is not the case with the Fox shotguns.

SDH posts here from time to time, I've heard that he knows a thing or three about fox's.

John

You can't remove the stock on an Ansley Fox without first removing the whole trigger plate. See the big screw in front of the trigger guard? That one. Don't lose the parts under that screw which are the return pin actuators for the top lever release. That screw is frequently extremely tight and may be sealed tight with oil that has turned to varnish. I would soak it in Kroil for a few days before I touched a good fitting screwdriver to it if doesn't come easily the first attempt.If you haven't done one like this befor make notes and sketches of how the parts fit in.

I thought you were referring to the butt stock initially but if you have a firing pin stuck you may have to take it off any ways. Did you take the forend off and the barrels open part way and then hang up? You did take the forend off???

stocker-the barrels appear to open all the way with the forend off but will not lift out of the receiver.From the outside it looks like a piece of flat spring is in the way but only visible is the end.Gun functions normally, firing pins dont appear stuck.Need to get a look inside the receiver to see what is holding the barrels,figured taking the buttstock off was the easiest way.

When you close the barrels do both hammers fall when you pull the triggers? I'm wondering if one side isn't cocking and what you are seeing isn't the end of one cocking bar? Do you see a similar part on the opposite side in a different position?Not sure if one wasn't working if it would affect take down of the barrels.Going to go have a look at mine and see if I can tell what you are speaking of. Is your gun equipped with ejectors or extractors?

O.K. - when you open the action both cocking bars should be pushed up to the top of the two rectangular holes you can see in the action flats under where the barrels would seat. If one side was failing to cock it would drop down to the lower bart of that rectangular hole and might indeed prevent removal of the barrels. As mine is functioning properly I can't be certain of this but it's my best guess. Unless you are confident in your understanding of complex actions and ability to actually fix them I suggest you take it to a good smith. It is not unheard of for sear engagements to wear to the point they no longer engage and cock the hammers or cause doubling. The latter occured with mine and I didn't hesitate to send it to a gent that was equipped with jigs to properly stone the sears to proper engagement.
They are getting old you know and it's just maintenance