I stripped this shotgun. When I removed the bolt, the action spring & follower shot into the action instead of staying put in the spring tube. What is suppose to hold them in the tube? There is no step in the action spring tube.

Trying to reassemble the bolt while holding the spring back is the very definition of "shoving a wet noodle up a wildcat's ass".

Well, something is not right. The action spring guide should impact on an edge on the receiver to prevent it from launching. Have a look back there and see if anything appears busted off the receiver. The only other thing that I can think of is that someone may have taken the spring tube off at some time and never screwed it back in all the way and the action spring follower is no loner supported by the tube at the end of the stroke and falls into the threaded area of the receiver so that it goes around the corner and cant impact on the stop. I think the action spring tube has a nut that locks it to the back of the receiver.

Thanks for the reply. The spring tube was loose. The vise grip marks around the tube pointed that out to me. I currently have it screwed in as far as it will go and have the safety cut line up with the receiver. I tried it a turn or two out with no change in function. I don't see any indication of a broken off ledge in the receiver. I thought maybe the action spring guide (the follower) isn't right but they appear to be unavailable and I don't have another to compare. I'm stumped.

Looking inside an unfamiliar firearm and trying to figure out what isn't there strikes me as the gunsmith's version of "Where's Waldo?".

There was probably a tab or lip in the receiver that the mag tube bottomed out on. It's possible that "Waldo" got a bit over zealous when he screwed the mag tube in with the vise grips and broke it off. That tab or lip was probably designed to catch the spring follower. Just a guess.

Never underestimate the power of "Waldo"

That's as good a guess as any. The only plan I have is to try and find a working version to inspect. Then remake whatever is missing to make it work. That or scratch my butt some more, and that hasn't been working.

Put it all back together and then put the spring follower and spring in last, from the back and use it as is. That's how the last guy probably did it.