Don't Damage The Screws!

It happens to everyone. A slip of the wrist and “bam!” — a buggered screw. I hate to see it when looking at the side plate of a classic S&W Registered Magnum or a Colt Python.

I see a lot of mangled screws on my bench — mostly from unknowing gun owners who used the wrong tool. That means I need to fix it. I refuse to see a buggered screw leave my shop!

Gun screws are usually a bit shallower than household screws and rarely Phillips heads. Twisting a screw slot can be a real problem when the screw head sizes are unique and use odd thread pitches, so using the right screwdriver from the start is important. I use all “hollow ground” screwdrivers. The driver is not tapered like a wedge, and the blade is flat across the entire tip edge. This allows the blade to sit deep in the slot and not cam or twist out as pressure is applied while turning. When you have a valuable pistol on the bench, it’s an important detail.

Before

After

Proper Gear … And Patience

I get many collectible guns in the shop for maintenance, which sometimes means taking them apart for the first time — ever. I first match the screw slot to the right screwdriver. Make sure you have a variety of screwdriver sizes on hand. I make sure the slot is clean using a toothpick or small pointed metal probe. Then with the best fitting driver I apply a slow turn. Too fast and the blade could slip. If the screw comes out, all is good. If not, I apply a little heat. Lots of screws get stuck from light rust or old oil that has solidified over the years. Or a new screw might have been glued in place. I first try a wood burning iron to apply heat directly to the head of the screw. If that doesn’t work, I move to my small butane torch and heat the head plus surrounding area, turning the screw while it is still hot.

I use three commercially available screwdriver sets: Forster, Brownells and Chapman. The Chapman set is great for the range or home gunsmith. It has a number of interchangeable bits with a single handle. The bits range from flathead to Phillips and hex keys in a lot of sizes. Each one is numbered for easy replacement. I’ve broken a few of the blades and rounded a few of the hex drivers over the years, but replacement bits are only $1.50 each. The Brownells “Magna Tip” system is larger, with a few choices for handles. It offers some gunsmith specific blades like a 1911 grip bushing bit and specific tips for unique screws. Brownells offers the mother lode of variety with hundreds of tips and handles. I find myself using the Forster set most often. They’re single blade drivers with hardened tips. The shafts are long enough to allow me to see the screw I’m working on. Even the smallest blade has never slipped or bent under pressure. Drivers are numbered and Forster offers a chart on the web showing which specific screwdriver is used for specific screws on many firearms. All three manufacturers make them in the USA.

Note how well the hollow ground screwdriver fits this gun screw.

Un-Bugger That Screw

Fixing a buggered screw can be done in a few ways, provided the screw is not too torn up — some screws are just beyond repair. If you can, it’s worth the effort to save the originals and make them right. Many times, a screw head can be ground down and polished without losing too much of the head.

I like to hold the screw in a pin vise and remove the defects with a 3M Scotch Bright wheel on my bench grinder. Being sure to run parallel to the screw slot, I take just enough off to clean up the head. I then move over to a felt wheel with polishing compound to remove the fine scratches of the Scotch Bright wheel. From there I can apply whatever finish I want. On some small touch ups, I use Brownells’ liquid Oxpho-Blue. Pro tip: if you degrease and hit it with a small torch, the blue seems to take better. Some screws with flat heads require a file to remove the flaws, then a stone to polish the head.

It sounds trivial, but screws can really stand out on a handgun. Good ones can make it shine, and bad ones look terrible. Even if the handgun is in for something unrelated, I try to fix the screws for fear of someone thinking I made them look bad.

For more info: Brownells.com, ForsterProducts.com,
ChapmanMfg.com

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