doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Fox Sterlingworth Floor Plate Removal

Not that one. I could see the entire head being smeared off down to the depth of the slot...but I can't see that head ever shearing off that shank.

Patience....solvent....shock....heat....patience.

You will NOT twist the top off of the "hardened" trigger plate screws on Fox's or LC Smiths if you pre-soak with light oil in the screw slot for at least 24 hours with the frame inverted and add more oil as it penetrates....and use common sense in removal....with the above mentioned drill press method......

They used these large hardened screws for a reason, the trick is not to damage the slot.......340-2 & 340-3 ground tips both work, depending on the age of the gun....Brownells Mag Tips are the best ground tips for guns IMO......

Note the pictured trigger plate screw and it's shank mass on the right and the mass size of the screw shank hole in the trigger plate ......


The screw on the top right is the trigger plate screw........

Note the size of the screw head vs the shank body diameter....

"the trick is not to damage the slot......."

Listen to PA24, use a proper fitting bit, put it in drill chuck, lock down into the slot, acton in a vise, turn chuck by hand, just turn it a 1/4 turn to free the screw. You'll be surprised how easy it comes out then. You'll break the bit before breaking the screw. Get the screwdriver set from Brownell's with the thin bit set if you're going to work on SxSs.

The problem is most likely just 100 years of congealed grease & dirt.
Regards, Ron

Having never removed a Sterlingworth trigger plate, I did not know the screw shank was that substantial as compared to the head diameter. I would have to agree that it is unlikely that this screw head would shear off before either deforming the slot or breaking the bit. But neither of these scenarios is desirable either, and a broken bit can leave some nasty scars around the screw.

A good gunsmith or advanced tinkerer generally has a pretty good notion of how far and how hard to push things before backing off and trying another approach. Many many folks do not, and the evidence of that inexperience and impatience is everywhere. That is why I always emphasize the same things Mike Campbell reiterates here... especially the patience part. And I always consider the fact that probably not more than one in twenty people who decide to disassemble a gun have a decent set of hollow ground screwdrivers, let alone a drill press and bit #340-2. Sometimes the best advice we can give is the address of a good gunsmith.