Is there a screw inside the action that holds the front of it on? I guess I need to look at an exploded parts view.
Yes. And it is a bitch to try to work with. Some of the trigger guards on Savage 24 guns were made from a kind of nylon/plastic and they are fragile. You frequently find those guns with the trigger guards missing or broken. Numrich makes a metal replacement trigger guard if you need one, but it does not look anything like the original. It works fine and that is what I had to install on one of mine. They also have the screws to install it if you need them. The screws from Numrich are brass and fragile. DO NOT try to over tighten them or they will break off, but don't ask me how I know.
The older model Savage 24 guns, those made before 1968, did not have serial numbers, but they did put a date code on the receiver and the shot gun barrel. They stopped doing that about 1971 or 72 since they were doing serial numbers then.
Another question is what size socket is required to take off the buttstock? I tried all I have and it doesn't seem to grab on. Does it take a special tool?
Those I have worked on took a big flat head screw driver with a long shank to remove the stock. I have not seen one that uses a socket, but I have not seen them all and there were variations in them as models changed and years passed.
You need to have somebody like Brayhaven answer the technical questions. I am not a gunsmith, but I can and do fix minor things and replace parts. I haven't screwed a gun up now in about 40 years or so, but then I don't try to do things that I used to either. It was expensive learning what not to try.
