Fox Collectors

I just found this site and I own 2 sterlingworths one in 20 ga. one in 12ga.

I bought a 1923 sterlingworth 12 gauge recently and yesterday I took it apart to clean it. The sear pins (especially the right) are worn pretty badly and the hammers are worn (especially the right) where the sear hits it. Anyway I shot it quite a bit this past weekend and it worked fine. The problem is now it will not cock the hammers. Either the works are now too clean or I put something back wrong. I would appreciate any help.











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Check the home page- assembly and disassembly- by Mike Campbell, if you want to see if it was done correctly. Cleaning is most likely not the problem. Check to see that there isn't a problem where the fore end dog pushes into the cocking slide on assembly.

I'll try to help but I don't follow the sequence you related. Also, you mentioned the right sear pin. I'm not sure what you mean because there's only one sear pin for both sears.

1. Did you shoot the gun, took it apart, reassembled, and now it won't cock the hammers?

2. Or did you clean the gun, reassembled, it worked okay, but now it won't cock the hammer(s)?

If it's the first scenario a WAG is you have the sears installed wrong. Another WAG if you removed the cocking slide from the barrel assembly, is you didn't replace it and there's nothing there to cock the hammers.

If the second one, it sounds like the worn sear/hammer knotch finally won't catch. However that won't explain both hammers not cocking as you said.

Cleaning really well with a solvent, etc. should have no effect on the Fox mechanism.

I hope this helps. Silvers

Thanks for the help. I absolutely can only see one way the sears can go in but when I took the stock off I bent the sears before I realized the pin thru the sears had to come out and the sears removed. I straightened them and now I am cocking just fine. I do have another problem in the gun I need a new spring for the sears the two prong sear spring.( I don't know the nomenclature of all the internal parts). Does anyone know where I can find one.

I really do want to thank you for your help, I have a habit of taking all my guns apart and it helps when I have a schematic but I do it anyway. I think I have located a sear spring and new sears. The right hammer as I said is in pretty bad shape to the point of maybe not safe, can the hammer be removed and filed to reshape the notch? Or do I need to try to find a new hammer?

Holbo, unless you have a lot of gunsmithing experience with double gun triggers I would strongly recommend that you have an experienced gunsmith fit the replacement sears and/or the hammer. All these parts are hand fitted and are not direct drop-in replacements. The fit and clearance of all the parts is critical to maintain safe operation of the triggers and how the safety button slide works. Silvers

I have a gunsmith who I will have do the work, he's almost as old as the gun and will have no problem. I was a bit nervous about the hammer removal since I had no disassembly info.