Doubling problem revisted

[whisperbow]

Recently I posted a doubling problem with my 16ga sterlingworth. Researcher felt it was a wood problem and it made sense to me because I just had new wood installed. However I just returned from the stock maker along with gun smith and found out it was the sear bevel not seated far enough in the notch causing the back trigger to be very light and doubling after firing the right barrel. The smith discovered the sear bevel was not square and probably worked on before. While I was there he made a couple of attempts to reshape the bevel so it would seat further into the notch but it didn’t, change anything. I know you guys will recommend a good trigger guy as before but is this a common problem on a Fox to cause doubling? After dealing with many mechanical things in my 75 years including my younger years on the farm and seeing how this thing works I am surprised the design is so successful but I am not a gun smith. Also, on this gun, there is less room between the triggers than my A model 12ga and I have fairly large hands. I await your comments. Thanks.

[Stan Hillis]

Yes, this is a common reason for doubling, but it's not just a Fox issue. It can happen to many makes, if not all. Sear engagement is very critical, and how the mating surfaces are shaped is vital.

My favorite trigger man is Phillip Crenwelge, of Phillip's Gunsmithing, in Emory, TX. He is a favorite of the trapshooting crowd, and they are anal about triggers. Phillip is a top notch guy. And yes, he does Foxes, too. He just did one for me that had hard triggers. They came back 3 1/2 and 4 lbs., as I requested.

http://www.phillipsgunsmithing.com

SRH

[Silvers]

You wrote how the "gunsmith" said the sear bevel wasn't square and I'd ask: square with what? The nose of the sear should have a specific angle to catch the hammer notch. Also I hate to use the vernacular but you're probably SOL on that sear especially if someone had modified its tip before your man got to it. It doesn't take more than a few thou ground off to create other problems due to the geometry of the mechanism. To make matters worse, the Fox small bore hammer sears are different than those for 12 gauge and are very hard to find.

frank

[whisperbow]

Thanks for your replies guys. By not square I mean the sharp edge of the bevel isn’t square. It is definitely beveled but not seated far enough to hold. Also, I mentioned in my post that the space between the triggers isn’t as large as my 12ga A. Is that normal for smaller gauges?

[Brian Dudley]

The number one reason for a fox doubling, not cocking or even going off when closing is a worn out sear spring. That is always the first thing to look at. If all is clean you then move on to sear/hammer engagement. Which was the issue here.