Looking for some help. I have this wonderful Dan’l Fraser 20g (serial number 2239) and I can’t get the trigger plate out. The plate is loose with all the screws out and moves about 1mm. There is a locating pin at the front, and it feels like the plate is caught on the sears inside – but that’s just a guess. Under the top lever there is what looks like a locating pin where “normally” there would be a screw. I assume if I can get the trigger plate off, I will be able to tap out that pin to separate the stock from the iron – which is the objective. Anyone know how to get the trigger plate off?
See pictures below:

Those are tapered screws and the head has broken off, you can not tap it through from the top. It is going to be tricky getting that apart. I would think long and hard on that one before proceeding. You might try an easy out, a skilled welder might be able to tack on enough material to back it out, last resort would be drilling it. Not a fun job.

That pin (or screw) is what's holding the the plate on. I've never seen a pin in that location. From your pic it looks like it has had some work done to it.

Not exactly the same but close. Here is what one looks like apart.

If you can cut a slot, you should be able to back the screw out.

You might try a small carbide mill bit about the size of the screw shank and try milling the head of the screw off. If it is loose, the trigger plate should come off then. It appears it is the head of the screw that has loosened a little and then the head partially fractured.

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It's not a damaged/broken screw head. It's an engraved pin. Fraser was meticulous – you can see on the pictures above he even gold plated the internals for extra corrosion resistance. There will be a trick to the disassembly that I’m hoping someone knows. I’ve emailed Dickson in Scotland (they own the rights to Dan’l Fraser and still make rifles in the Fraser name) but have had no response.

I'm afraid I can't offer any assistance, but I do like the look of that! Regards

Have you tried with the gun cocked and uncocked?and moving the safe?

Remove the buttplate a then remove the drawbolt. Fraser used a drawbolt that the vertical action screws pass through. Don't ask me why they did it that way but they did.

Brilliant gunmaker! The "buttplate" was a small oval disc expertly matched into the checkered butt. Only when it caught the light just right did the oval outline show up (it’s much clearer now it has been removed and replaced). The only thing showing were two screw heads which I assumed were part of a “rough” stock reduction and then replacement done probably a 100 years ago. I’m getting the stock refinished to remove the obvious joint. Thanks again for everyone that tried to help and gunmaker for his expertise.

I learned something new,can you post pictures of the action sears etc.thanks Mark

I would love to know what a drawbolt looks like, in the context of British shotgun buttstock manufacturing.

This is a W&S action , This should be the breech pin . There is an unexplained screw on the trigger plate behind the triggers , to far forward for the hand pin .It looks as if the stock has been cracked , repaired and the trigger plate extended .
A suggestion is that you fire the gun , remove the sear springs and sears . I know this sounds odd but I have come cross some boxlocks that this is needed to to take the stock off .I have a feeling this may be one of them .

I'll post pictures of everything before reassembly.

IN Respect of my post . Yes there were some boxlocks that needed the sears removing before the wood could be taken off .However the trigger plate had to be removed first .
I apologise for any confusion . I can only put it down to not thinking it through properly before I posted .

You may want to contact Graham Mackinlay & Co www.gmackinlay.com in Glasgow. He helped with me with some info about dating a Charles Ingram SLE I aquired several years ago.

I have an interesting Ingram shotgun on the way, a single barrel trigger plate action. The gun is a mess but I bought it just to see how it works, I wonder how similar it may be to the Dickson round action single barrel rifle actions.

I'll be interested to see that one, Steve. I've only ever had one Dickson round action single in my paws - a 450/400 x 2 3/8". It looked kind of like if the right side of a trigger plate had been used - the breech pin was offset to the left.

To the OP - cherish that little Fraser. It's way more special than any of those contraptions that came out of London!

Steve,
I’d be interested to see the Ingram too when you get it. Please share a picture if you can.

Larry

more pics when it arrives

Steve how much of a mess and are you going to restore it?

I'm not sure what I will do with it, bad bore on it. I would not mind building a tip open single rifle, I bought it just to look it over.

Big problem: at some point in the 130-year history of this gun someone lost the piece that had been cut off to make it a youth stock. So they used a piece of cheap wood and then camouflaged it with paint and feathered in grain. The original plan of refinishing the stock was abandoned and I had a whole new stock and matching forend made. A lot more money than I planned, but I felt I had to do it for this magnificent piece of history.

Sorry came late to the post and my advice is superfluous!

The cocking system does not look look like a webley and Scott,it looks like a Westley Richards.does it have ejectors?

Imagine what damage might have happened if David wasn't observant enough to recognize that the advice given in the post QUOTED above was totally wrong. All three solutions given to remove this pin or screw were wrong. Not even close.

I didn't offer any advice because I simply didn't know how this gun was assembled. I suppose I could have taken a guess, but it would have been irresponsible to make a wild-assed guess sound so definitive. This is just another example that you should not believe much of what is posted by wannabe experts on the internet. Thank goodness gunmaker came along with the correct and straightforward solution.

I learned this in a big way several years ago when I began researching the use of feed grade molasses as a rust remover. I found quite a few posts that incorrectly explained the chemistry behind it, the effectiveness , and potential damage that some "internet experts" warned could happen.

When I finally bought a 50 Lb. sack of dried molasses and mixed some with water, I proceeded carefully by using some old rusty items that didn't have great value. It worked great, and it quickly became apparent that much of the bad advice given came from guys who never even tried it. I guess some people just have a pathetic need to pretend that they know way more than they do.